Structural Health Monitoring

The Future of Structural Health Monitoring with Extended Reality

2025

Nuno Verdelho Trindade, Alfredo Ferreira, Daniel Gonçalves, Sérgio Oliveira

Digital Transformation in the Construction Industry, Chapter 30

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N. Verdelho Trindade, A. Ferreira, D. Gonçalves, and S. Oliveira, "The future of structural health monitoring with extended reality," in Digital Transformation in the Construction Industry, Woodhead Publishing Series in Civil and Structural Engineering. Elsevier, 2025, pp. 593–620, doi: 10.1016/B978-0-443-29861-5.00030-5.

BibTeX

@incollection{verdelhotrindadeshmxr2025, title = {Chapter 30 - The future of structural health monitoring with extended reality}, editor = {Ehsan Noroozinejad Farsangi and Mohammad Noori and T.Y Yang and Vasilis Sarhosis and Seyedali Mirjalili and Mirosław J. Skibniewski}, booktitle = {Digital Transformation in the Construction Industry}, publisher = {Woodhead Publishing}, pages = {593-620}, year = {2025}, series = {Woodhead Publishing Series in Civil and Structural Engineering}, isbn = {978-0-443-29861-5}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-29861-5.00030-5}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780443298615000305}, author = {Nuno Verdelho Trindade and Alfredo Ferreira and Daniel Gonçalves and Sérgio Oliveira}, keywords = {Extended reality, structural health monitoring, virtual reality, augmented reality, safety control}, abstract = {Extended reality (XR) comprises the set of technologies directed at changing users’ observable reality. These technologies include most notably, virtual reality and augmented reality, and also other lesser-known modalities like diminished reality. The ongoing global transition to digital has determined the increasing adoption of these visualization and interaction technologies in the construction industry. Examples of applications of such technologies can be found for domains extending from design and planning to construction and operation. Some of the most mature applications of XR to the construction industry can be found in the structural health monitoring (SHM) field. This maturity results from the tangible advantages of performance, precision, and convenience, among others, that XR technologies have been proven to bring to this area. The use of such technologies, however, is not without important challenges, which must be taken into account when researching and developing applications. In this chapter, we analyze how the different modalities of XR are being applied in the context of the distinct areas of SHM. A specific case study of the application of these technologies to dam safety control is also described. In that scope, a set of guidelines is presented to assist researchers and domain experts in implementing such solutions. Finally, a reflection on the future of XR in SHM is carried out.} }

The Role of Situatedness in Immersive Dam Visualization: Comparing Proxied with Immediate Approaches

2024

Nuno Verdelho Trindade, Pedro Leitão, Daniel Gonçalves, Sérgio Oliveira, Alfredo Ferreira

Computers 2024, 13, 35, DOI: 10.3390/computers13020035

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N. Verdelho Trindade, P. Leitão, D. Gonçalves, S. Oliveira, and A. Ferreira, "The role of situatedness in immersive dam visualization: Comparing proxied with immediate approaches," Computers, vol. 13, p. 35, 2024, doi: 10.3390/computers13020035.

BibTeX

@article{computers13020035, AUTHOR = {Verdelho Trindade, Nuno and Leitão, Pedro and Gonçalves, Daniel and Oliveira, Sérgio and Ferreira, Alfredo}, TITLE = {The Role of Situatedness in Immersive Dam Visualization: Comparing Proxied with Immediate Approaches}, JOURNAL = {Computers}, VOLUME = {13}, YEAR = {2024}, NUMBER = {2}, ARTICLE-NUMBER = {35}, URL = {https://doi.org/10.3390/computers13020035}, ISSN = {2073-431X}, ABSTRACT = {Dam safety control is a multifaceted activity that requires analysis, monitoring, and structural behavior prediction. It entails interpreting vast amounts of data from sensor networks integrated into dam structures. The application of extended reality technologies for situated immersive analysis allows data to be contextualized directly over the physical referent. Such types of visual contextualization have been known to improve analytical reasoning and decision making. This study presents DamVR, a virtual reality tool for off-site, proxied situated structural sensor data visualization. In addition to describing the tool&rsquo;s features, it evaluates usability and usefulness with a group of 22 domain experts. It also compares its performance with an existing augmented reality tool for the on-site, immediate situated visualization of structural data. Participant responses to a survey reflect a positive assessment of the proxied situated approach&rsquo;s usability and usefulness. This approach shows a decrease in performance (task completion time and errors) for more complex tasks but no significant differences in user experience scores when compared to the immediate situated approach. The findings indicate that while results may depend strongly on factors such as the realism of the virtual environment, the immediate physical referent offered some advantages over the proxied one in the contextualization of data.}, DOI = {10.3390/computers13020035} }

Immersive Situated Analysis of Dams’ Behavior

2023

Nuno Verdelho Trindade, Pedro Leitão, Daniel Gonçalves, Sérgio Oliveira, Alfredo Ferreira

5th International Conference on Graphics and Interaction - ICGI 2023, Tomar, Portugal, 2023, Electronic ISBN:979-8-3503-5817-9, PoD ISBN:979-8-3503-5818-6, DOI: 10.1109/ICGI60907.2023.10452725

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N. Verdelho Trindade, P. Leitão, D. Gonçalves, S. Oliveira, and A. Ferreira, "Immersive situated analysis of dams' behavior," in Proc. 5th Int. Conf. Graphics and Interaction (ICGI), Tomar, Portugal, 2023, pp. 105–112, doi: 10.1109/ICGI60907.2023.10452725.

BibTeX

@inproceedings{verdelhotrindade2023, author={Verdelho Trindade, Nuno and Leitão, Pedro and Gonçalves, Daniel and Oliveira, Sérgio and Ferreira, Alfredo}, booktitle={2023 International Conference on Graphics and Interaction (ICGI)}, title={Immersive Situated Analysis of Dams' Behavior}, year={2023}, volume={}, number={}, pages={1-8}, keywords={Surveys;Visualization;Dams;Prototypes;Data visualization;User experience;Safety;situated analysis;virtual reality;immersive visualization;dam safety control;structural health monitoring},  abstract = {Dam safety control is a complex and challenging task that involves the analysis, monitoring, and behavior prediction of the various components of dams. Its primary objective is to ensure the safety and optimal performance of these structures. This undertaking involves the abstraction and interpretation of extensive structural, hydraulic, and geotechnical data, typically acquired through sensor networks embedded within the dam. This study introduces 'DamVR', a virtual reality tool for situated dam safety control data visualization. This tool allows dam engineers and other industry professionals to analyze the fluctuation of structural behavior over time. Its immersive environment contains a realistic representation of the dam structure, networks of sensors, and surroundings. It aims to frame the data within the visual context of the object of the analysis. This contextualization is intended to improve analytical reasoning and decision-making. The usability of DamVR was evaluated by a group of domain experts and compared to an existing augmented reality tool in similar tasks. The results indicate that DamVR is a usable and effective dam safety control data visualization tool.}, doi={10.1109/ICGI60907.2023.10452725}}

Extended Reality in the Safety Control of Dams

2020

Nuno Verdelho Trindade, Alfredo Ferreira, Sérgio Oliveira

Fourth International Dam World Conference - DW2020. vol. 1, Paper 169, pag. 71-89, 20 pages

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N. Verdelho Trindade, A. Ferreira, and S. Oliveira, "Extended reality in the safety control of dams," in Proc. 4th Int. Dam World Conf., vol. 1, Lisbon, Portugal, 2020, pp. 71–89. [Online]. Available: https://repositorio.lnec.pt/handle/123456789/1012969

BibTeX

@inproceedings{verdelhotrindade2020,  author = {Nuno {Verdelho Trindade} and Alfredo {Ferreira} and Sergio {Oliveira}},  title = {Extended Reality in the Safety Control of Dams},  year = {2020},  publisher = {Laboratorio Nacional de Engenharia Civil (LNEC)},  address = {Lisbon, Portugal},  url = {https://repositorio.lnec.pt/handle/123456789/1012969},  booktitle = {Proceedings of the Fourth International Dam World Conference},  articleno = {Paper 169},  volume = {1},  pages = {71-89},  numpages = {20},  keywords = {dam safety control, extended reality, augmented reality, structural health monitoring, concrete dams},  location = {Lisbon, Portugal},  abstract = {Dam Safety Control has been at the front line of technology adoption in what concerns data acquisition. However, it does not take full advantage of the latest advancements when it comes to in-situ, real-time, information visualization. This work explores the application of Augmented Reality to the inspection and monitoring of large Civil Engineering structures, namely concrete dams. The proposed approach focuses on offering new visualization possibilities, that are not accessible through traditional means, to Dam Safety Control. In that scope, it depicts the specification and development of a proof-of-concept prototype that allows the monitoring of relevant structural-related information in an Augmented Reality environment. In particular, it offers an easy and straightforward way for Civil Engineers and Observation Technicians a mean to access data from the network of sensors situated in the downstream face and the interior of the structure. Besides providing insightful information on the current status, it allows exploring the evolution in time of values registered in each sensor. A preliminary study aimed at validating the proposed approach shows that Augmented Reality technologies can be used efficiently in Dam Safety Control.} }

Augmented Reality in Dam Monitoring

2018

Nuno Verdelho Trindade

Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal

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N. Verdelho Trindade, Augmented reality in dam monitoring. Lisbon, Portugal: Universidade de Lisboa, Instituto Superior Técnico, 2018. [Online]. Available: https://fenix.tecnico.ulisboa.pt/cursos/meic-t/dissertacao/1972678479054247

BibTeX

@mastersthesis{verdelhotrindade2018,  author = {Nuno {Verdelho Trindade}},  title = {Augmented Reality in Dam Monitoring},  school = {Universidade de Lisboa, Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisbon, Portugal},  source = {https://fenix.tecnico.ulisboa.pt/cursos/meic-t/dissertacao/1972678479054247},  year = {2018}  keywords = {augmented reality, dam safety control, structural health monitoring, user interface},  abstract = {The construction industry has shown, over recent years, an increased interest in technologies such as Augmented Reality, as a mean to optimize its processes. This work explores the application of Augmented Reality to the inspection and monitoring of large Civil Engineering structures, namely of dams. It presents and discusses related work regarding the use of Augmented Reality in Engineering, Architecture and Construction. Furthermore, it proposes an approach to dam safety control, using Augmented Reality, focused on offering new visualization possibilities, that are not accessible through traditional means. In that scope it depicts the specification and development of a proof-of-concept prototype that allows the visualization, in-situ, of relevant structural health monitoring information, in an Augmented Reality environment. In particular, it offers Civil Engineers and Observation Technicians a mean to visualize, superimposed to the Cabril Dam (the case study covered by this project), the network of sensors situated in the downstream face and the interior of the structure, as well as the evolution of the values registered in each sensor. A preliminary evaluation, aimed at validating the proposed approach, shows that Augmented Reality technologies can be efficiently used in dam safety control.} }