There are an estimated 180 million utility poles currently in operation in the U.S., and every so often, they need to be inspected. Historically, crews of specialized workers would go from pole to pole, climbing to the top and evaluating the integrity of the structure, regardless of whether or not the pole had a known problem. Today with AI, sensors, and drones, teams can detect the state of this critical infrastructure without physically being there, sending a worker on site only when there’s an issue that needs to be addressed. What’s more, the data made possible by these remote monitoring systems means workers are more informed and prepared for the job when they are deployed to a pole.
“There’s a lot of diagnostic time to figure out what’s going on, but now imagine that you just show up on a site with the information. So you’re sending somebody to the right spot when there’s an actual issue, and then they’re much more likely to have the right part, or the right truck, or the right materials they need in that moment,” said Alex Hawkinson, CEO of BrightAI, a company using AI solutions to address worker challenges in the energy sector and other blue-collar industries including HVAC, water pipeline, construction, manufacturing, pest control, and field service.
