Milan, November 16, 2020 – After an initial test run, two hyper-technological robots have gone into action to keep clean and safe the Genova San Giorgio, the recently opened bridge built by the Webuild Group and Fincantieri in the port city of Genoa. The robots, which work as a pair and are installed on either side of the deck, help make the bridge one of the smartest in the country.

“There are two types of robot,” explains Marco Bazzarello, the technologies and plants supervisor who oversees the robots and systems on the bridge on behalf of Webuild. “One is called ‘robot wash’, which cleans the glass panels along the length of the deck, and the solar panels. The other is called ‘robot inspection’, which scans the belly of the bridge to ensure a maximum level of safety.”

The two robots started work with the trial runs after weeks of testing. ‘Robot wash’ uses brushes on the external side of the panels, and brushes and high-pressured air on the internal side. ‘Robot inspection’ can take 25,000 photos every eight hours, photos which are then compared with those taken previously to look for any structural abnormalities.

“The cleaning system developed by the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia in Genoa reduced to a minimum the amount of work that needs to be done by humans on the bridge,” said Bazzarello. “This has reduced risks to a maximum. It is a feature that we do not seen on any other viaduct.”

The two models of robot are part of a complex and more comprehensive technological system that distinguishes the bridge from all others. It includes 250 sensors that monitor the soundness of the structure, a dehumidifying system, solar panels that provide a third of the electricity needs, and a data base that gathers all the information produced in order for it to be analysed.