Scientists from the University of Granada have launched a system that allows scanning 3D models of historic buildings by usingUnmanned Aerial Vehicles(UAV), that is, aircraft capable of moving through the air without the need for a crew or a pilot.
The final objective of the project, explain its authors, is to be able toobtain a 3D model of a facade of a historic building – for example, a cathedral – automatically, with the minimum possible human intervention and at a lower cost than the alternatives available today, mainly 3D scanners. To date, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles have been applied in numerous research fields, due to their ability to move quickly over any type of uneven terrain, circumvent large obstacles, and provide information from multiple sensors, allowing the position and distance to be dynamically varied. of data capture. In addition, the need to use auxiliary elements such as scaffolding or cranes is eliminated. Not forgetting that the device could be brought within a few centimeters of the building tocapture even the smallest and most hidden details.
Initially the project focuses onfacade digitizationand it is proposed as a preliminary step to demonstrate the applicability of this technology to the digitization of any architectural volume: buildings, constructions, civil works and monuments. All these elements have in common that most of the digitization is carried out in vertical parameters, and in localized areas of space.
