Drones are changing the way we do bridge inspections. More engineers are choosing UAVs over traditional methods like aerial work platforms (AWPs), ladders, ropes, and snooper trucks. And it’s easy to see why. Drones can easily identify bridge corrosion, fractures, scours, and more for a fraction of the cost. Overall, they are faster, safer, and more accurate than traditional bridge inspection methods.
In this article, we’ll go over the best drones for bridge inspections, so you can shop with confidence or simply get familiar with what’s out there. For each drone recommendation, we’ll cover its pros and cons along with its estimated cost and unique features. We’ve also categorized our recommendations by drone tier, so you can find UAV solutions for different budgets. Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
"Using drones to inspect bridges is a complete gamechanger. We're seeing improved safety, faster and easier inspections, more detailed data collection, and reduced costs.
Best Overall Bridge Inspection Drones
Elios
Pros: collision-tolerant protective frame, dust and splash resistant
Cons: expensive, 10-minute battery life
Estimated Cost: $25,000
Elios is an industrial-grade inspection drone developed by Swiss company Flyability. With its signature protective frame, it can tolerate most collisions and fly nearly anywhere. It can bounce off obstacles and even humans without risking damage or injury. This makes it perfect for navigating tight bridge spaces between trusses and girders that are usually inaccessible to humans. It can also operate in 32° to 122° F (0° to 50° C) temperatures, and it’s splash and dust resistant, so you can worry less about getting it too wet or dirty.
The drone’s 180° gimbal makes for easy upward shots, which you need to inspect bridges from below. It carries an HD camera and a thermal camera, so you can get both digital and thermal imaging with submillimeter resolution 0.007 inch/px (0.2 mm/px) to detect bridge cracks and degradations. It’s also equipped with an LED lighting system to see in dark spaces where the bridge is shaded from sunlight.
Video Source: Flyability
With its robust live video feedback, you can operate the Elios far beyond line of sight, and the footage is stored on an SD card for easy uploading. The one downside is that the Elios’s rechargeable batteries only last 10 minutes. But you can easily switch them out as they drain. Overall, we think the Elios is the most robust UAV for bridge inspections, good for difficult projects where you have high risks of collision.
Matrice 300 RTK
Pros: health management system, hot-swappable battery, 55-minute battery life, RTK positioning
Cons: expensive, small controller screen
Estimated Cost: $13,200
The Matrice 300 RTK is a state-of-the-art UAV that uses real-time kinetik (RTK) positioning and advanced artificial intelligence. RTK allows for precise positioning by aligning drone footage with GPS information as the drone is flying. This is a huge benefit because it means you don’t have to set up ground control points (GCPs) for the same level of accuracy. Highways, valleys, and bodies of water below bridges make it impossible to set up GCPs.
The drone’s AI Spot Check feature can dial in points of interest by saving positions, angles, and framings. That way, you can perform automated routine inspections by capturing the same shot at different times.
As for the hardware, the Matrice 300 RTK has 6 directional sensors that help it avoid obstacles and 3 gimbals, including one upward gimbal, which is optimal for tough angles on bridges. A popular camera model is the Zenmuse H20 Series, which includes a 20 MP camera with 23x optical zoom, a thermal camera, and a laser rangefinder. Together, these powerful cameras and sensors give you all the inspection data you need. And it can all be transmitted at 1080p resolution from up to 9.3 miles (15 km) away while switching seamlessly between 2.8 and 5.8 GHz transmission frequencies.
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Video Source: Derek Kemp
With an impressive 55-minute battery life, the Matrice 300 RTK also gives you more than enough time to complete a full bridge inspection in one go. Plus, it can fly up to 51MPH (82km/h) and withstand winds up to 33.5 MPH (54km/h), as well as operate in -4° to 122° F ( -20° to 50° C) temperatures.
The Matrice 300 RTK also has a health management system, which gives the current status of all systems, notification logs, and even preliminary troubleshooting. We recommend the Matrice 300 RTK for an all-around powerful and durable bridge inspection drone.
Mid Tier Drones for Bridge Inspections
Skydio 2
Pros: lightweight, six 12 MP cameras
Cons: shorter battery life, no RTK
Estimated Cost: $1,349
What's included in the PDF...
The complete step-by-step beginners roadmap for infrastructure inspections
Crucial factors of success when implementing a drone program
The game-changing advantages of utilizing drones for inspections
Skydio 2 is a lightweight drone with 360° obstacle avoidance. It can get you visuals into the nooks and crannies of bridge trusses and girders while also performing routine inspections over preplanned routes.
The drone can fly up to 35 MPH (56 km/h) and has a 2.2 mile (3.5 km) range. Most importantly, it can navigate under structures that block GPS signals. This makes it ideal for flying under thick concrete and steel.
Video Source: Skydio
The drone’s six obstacle avoidance sensors each have a 200° field of view to see in every direction. And with the 23-minute battery life, you should be able to inspect most bridges in one flight. If you need advanced AI obstacle avoidance but you don’t want to break the bank, we recommend the Skydio 2. For the price, it’s hard to beat.
“Because the Skydio can fly into these areas that would be impossible with other drones and capture that data for us, we can effectively reduce that death rate. A drone is around $1,000, but a human life is priceless.”
- Dean Miller, virtual construction engineer and UAV SME
Matrice 210 RTK V2
Pros: RTK positioning, compatible with many payloads, encrypted data transmission, real-time info on nearby aircraft
Cons: discontinued model, no obstacle avoidance on sides and rear of aircraft
Estimated Cost: $10,000
The Matrice 210 RTK V2 is another mid-tier pick for bridge inspections with RTK and AI. Its AI system uses front, bottom, and top sensors to avoid obstacles. Plus, it has an anti-collision beacon that makes it more visible to other aircraft and bystanders. And it comes with DJI AirSense, an automatic reporting system that gives you real-time info on nearby aircraft. Together, these features minimize the risk of collision and ensure that you’re always on top of airspace conditions.
The drone has a single upward gimbal that fits a wide variety of payloads, both DJI’s Zenmuse series and third-party cameras. And with its AES-256 data encryption, you can rest assured that your drone data is never breached. The drone can also fly in poor weather conditions, making it a good choice if you need precise positioning in tricky bridge inspection conditions.
Video Source: Quadrocopter
It’s important to note that the Matrice 210 RTK V2 is no longer in production. So new models and batteries will be harder to come by in the future. Still, it makes for a great inspection drone, even if you have to buy it used or refurbished.
Autel Evo 2 Pro RTK
Pros: RTK and PPK positioning, 36-minute battery life, thermal sensor
Cons: No upward facing camera
Estimated Cost: $1,795
Like the Matrice models, the Autel Evo 2 Pro RTK has RTK. But it also supports post processed kinematic (PPK) positioning, which aligns geo-tagged drone footage with GPS data after the flight to add another layer of accuracy. This way, you get maximal locational accuracy. The drone itself is lightweight but durable, making it good for harsh outdoor conditions. Its AI system also allows for omnidirectional obstacle avoidance and photo replication for routine autonomous inspections.
The Autel Evo 2 Pro RTK is equipped with both an 8K ultra-high-definition camera and a high-resolution thermal imaging sensor. The thermal sensor can detect heat sources from 6.5 to 16.4 feet (2 to 5 m) away while giving precise temperature measurements. The drone can also fly for up to 36 minutes at a maximum speed of 6.2 MPH (10 km/h) and a max transmission range of 5.6 miles (9 km). Overall, it’s a good all-around bridge inspection drone with precise positioning capabilities.
Budget Friendly Drones for Bridge Inspections
Mavic Air 2
Pros: 34-minute battery life, inexpensive, 48 MP photos
Cons: No upward obstacle avoidance sensors or cameras
Estimated Cost: $799
If you’re on a tight budget, the Mavic Air 2 might be for you. At just under $800, the small UAV boasts a high-definition camera that takes photos with an impressive 48 MP. And it can transmit 1080p video from 6.2 miles (10 km) away. Plus, it automatically switches between 2.4 and 5.8 GHz transmission frequencies for a smooth livestream.
Though the Mavic Air 2 has omnidirectional sensors to avoid obstacles, the sensors are only on the front, back, and bottom of the drone. So they can’t scan the surface above the drone and you’ll have to pilot carefully when coming at a bridge from below. Still, the Mavic Air 2 can fly for up to 34 minutes, and it’s very compact, folding up when needed. If you need a basic bridge inspection drone, it’s hard to go wrong with this one.
Parrot ANAFI
Pros: lightweight, inexpensive
Cons: Lack of obstacle avoidance, fragile SD card holder
Estimated Cost: $699
The Parrot ANAFI is another budget-friendly and ultra-lightweight drone that weighs a mere 11.2 oz (320 g). Its compact, foldable design makes it convenient to take on the go. But its small size is deceiving. It can fly in 14° to 122° F (-10° to 50° C) temperatures, 31 MPH (50 km/h) winds, and 50 MPH (80 km/h) wind gusts.
Importantly, the Parrot ANAFI’s gimbal can tilt vertically from -90° to 90° to look at bridges from above or below. Its camera’s 110° wide lens also captures 4K HDR videos and 21 MP photos. You can even fly the drone from a virtual reality (VR) headset and follow defined points of interest.
With a 25 minute battery life, this drone is a good solution for the savvy buyer who needs a drone with a vertical tilt gimbal.
Important Drone Qualities to Look For
That’s it! Our top picks for bridge inspection drones. If you still need help deciding on a drone, here’s a list of qualities to look for:
- Strong Signal Strength—During bridge inspections, the drone will often need to go beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) and hold connection while transmitting through concrete and steel. Plus, magnetic interference can be a big issue and cause the drone to crash. So it’s important to have strong signal strength.
- Propeller Guards—They protect the propellers from hitting anything in tight spaces.
- Long Battery Life—The drone needs to have a long battery life to power uninterrupted inspections.
- Obstacle Avoidance—Obstacle detection and collision avoidance sensors will save your drone from crashing in spaces that are difficult to navigate.
HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT droneS? START HERE.
- High Wind Tolerance—The drone needs to be wind resilient. Though some conditions are unflyable, it should be able to withstand wind gusts and wind speeds of up to 25 MPH (40 km/h).
- Upward Facing Gimbal—This allows you to record areas of a bridge from below while stabilizing the camera.
- Compatibility with Zoom Cameras—You need good zoom cameras to inspect otherwise inaccessible areas.
- High-precision RTK—Get real-time corrections to location data. That way, you reduce the chance of collision.
Next Steps: Getting Started with Aerial Bridge Inspections
Using drones for bridge inspections has many benefits. They significantly boost inspection efficiency and solve many pain points of traditional inspections. But whether you buy a drone or hire a professional drone pilot will depend on your experience and credentials.
A drone bridge inspection is not a beginner drone pilot job. It’s a highly skilled operation that requires trained and experienced pilots. One mistake could total your aircraft. This is why many companies outsource inspection flights to The Drone Life. Feel free to contact us today for a free consultation or for more advice on aerial bridge inspections.
What's included in the PDF...
The complete step-by-step beginners roadmap for infrastructure inspections
Crucial factors of success when implementing a drone program
The game-changing advantages of utilizing drones for inspections
