Patent ID: 9291544
Filing Date: 2016-03-22
CPC Classification: E04B,E04D,G01B,G01L,G01M,G01N,G05B

Claim Text:
1. A computer-implemented method of inspecting a structure, the method comprising: deploying one or more three-dimensional (3D) contact scanners to scan a structure, wherein the one or more 3D contact scanners are communicatively connected to a memory; detecting 3D information about the structure by implementing a tactile sensor system of the one or more 3D contact scanners across a surface of at least part of the structure, the tactile sensor system including at least one tactile sensor, the at least one tactile sensor including one or more of a pinscreen stamp having a plurality of pins, a roller device having a plurality of disks, or a whisker device having one or more of at least one whisker and a piezoelectric sensor, wherein implementing the tactile sensor system includes: generating, at the one or more 3D contact scanners, a plurality of 3D data points, wherein at least one point of the plurality of 3D data points corresponds to at least one point of the plurality of points on the surface of the structure detected by the at least one tactile sensor; and causing a processor communicatively connected to the memory to generate an estimation of the condition of the structure based on the plurality of 3D data points.