NMC Supports University of New Mexico/LANL Drone Project
NMC Supports University of New Mexico/LANL Drone Project
The New Mexico Consortium (NMC) is helping advance New Mexico’s leadership in Cyber-Physical Systems by supporting a unique collaboration between Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and the University of New Mexico (UNM). The partnership is developing innovative drone technologies designed to improve the inspection and monitoring of critical infrastructure.
The project combines expertise in engineering, sensing technologies, robotics, and data analytics to create enhanced drones capable of physically interacting with structures. Unlike conventional drones that primarily rely on cameras and remote sensing, these advanced systems can tap on surfaces and collect information about their condition. This capability allows researchers to gather detailed structural health data from bridges, buildings, towers, and other infrastructure without requiring personnel to climb hazardous or difficult-to-access structures.
By automating inspections, the technology has the potential to collect hundreds of thousands of data points more safely, efficiently, and cost-effectively than traditional methods. The resulting information can help engineers identify structural issues earlier, improve maintenance planning, and support more informed decision-making for infrastructure owners and operators.
The project is led by David Mascarenas, a scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Fernando Moreu, a professor in the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering at the University of New Mexico. Their team’s innovative work earned the 2016 Student Competition Award in the Engineering category and represents one of several successful collaborations between LANL’s Engineering Institute and UNM’s Smart Management of Infrastructure Laboratory (SMILab).
Together, these organizations are developing next-generation solutions for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM), an increasingly important field focused on assessing the condition and performance of critical infrastructure. Their research explores new interfaces, sensing mechanisms, algorithms, and data collection technologies designed to provide infrastructure managers with more accurate and actionable information.
The collaboration extends beyond drone-based inspections. Dr. Mascarenas has also served as a member of an Expert Review Panel for a National Academy of Sciences project investigating the use of lasers, cameras, and drones to measure displacement in railroad bridges. These efforts seek to improve the safety and reliability of transportation infrastructure through advanced monitoring technologies.
“We are interested in assisting railroads in monitoring their bridges more safely and accurately,” said Fernando Moreu.
The partnership may soon expand further through the development of a new outdoor drone research and testing facility at the University of New Mexico known as the LoboDrome. Currently in the planning stages, the facility is envisioned as a dedicated space where students, researchers, and industry partners can design, build, test, and operate drones for a wide variety of research and educational applications.
The proposed LoboDrome has already attracted local media attention and is expected to strengthen New Mexico’s position as a leader in drone technology, infrastructure monitoring, and cyber-physical systems research. The facility would provide valuable opportunities for student training, interdisciplinary collaboration, and technology development while supporting research that addresses real-world engineering challenges.
In addition to their work on drone-enabled structural monitoring, Mascarenas and Moreu have collaborated on numerous other cutting-edge research initiatives. These include projects involving augmented reality, computer vision, laser-based drone monitoring of railroad bridges, and cybersecurity for structural health monitoring systems.
Through partnerships such as this, the New Mexico Consortium continues to support innovative research that brings together universities, national laboratories, and industry partners to develop technologies that improve infrastructure safety, reliability, and resilience while preparing the next generation of engineers and scientists.