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Surveilling aging infrastructure using fiber-optics
Reading time: 5 minutes
Somni Solutions, a small startup from The Hague, provided fiber-optic tilt sensors for the new Genoa bridge, which recently reopened, two years after the tragic collapse. CTO Remco Nieuwland explains how his company acquired this prestigious assignment and why we should start monitoring our own aging infrastructure.
On 14 August 2018, the Morandi bridge near the Italian city of Genoa collapsed during a rainstorm. When it was opened in 1967, the number of vehicles and their average weight was much lower than it is today. Bridges were typically designed for a 50-year lifespan. The Morandi bridge failed just under 51 years after its opening.
After the collapse, the leftovers were demolished and a new bridge was built. The construction of the replacement was completed in April of this year. Somni Solutions, a small startup from The Hague, provided glass fiber sensors that will monitor the misalignment of the pillars. These sensors will give much-needed insight into the condition of the new bridge.
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