Robotic Installation of Distributed Fiber Optic Sensors for Linear Infrastructure: A Case Study

Abstract Age related deterioration, climate change, increasing urban populations, and economic inflation are all placing pressure on linear infrastructure assets and the human and financial resources required to maintain them. Distributed fiber optic sensors (DFOS) have the potential to provide robust data sets to help assess and manage linear infrastructure assets. However, the use of DFOS for infrastructure assessment can be limited by the cost and time associated with installation. The current research aims to overcome this limitation by developing an autonomous robotic fiber installation system. Doing this requires overcoming challenges associated with autonomous installation, including ensuring adequate substrate condition, correct fiber placement, and adequate fiber-substrate bond. A prototype robotic system was designed and developed. The prototype’s feasibility and functional validity were established in real field conditions for a rail application, for which the speed and accuracy of the autonomous installation were compared to an installation undertaken by human operatives. The two fiber installations were tested under train loading to evaluate the quality of the data produced by both installation techniques.