Dr. Jemma Kerns of Lancaster
Medical School added, “The combined
approach of a nondestructive, laser-
based method of Raman spectroscopy
with advanced data analysis holds a
lot of promise for the identification of
unknown samples of ivory, which is
especially important given the increase
in available mammoth tusks and the
need for timely identification.”
Alice Roberts, professor of Public
Engagement in Science from the
University of Birmingham and one of
the study’s co-authors, acknowledged
the importance of exploring this new
technique for distinguishing between
elephant and mammoth ivory. “The
complete tusks of elephants and
mammoths look very different, but if
the ivory is cut into small pieces, it can
be practically impossible to tell apart
elephant ivory from well-preserved
mammoth ivory,” said Roberts. “This
is great science and should help the
enforcers, giving them a valuable and
relatively inexpensive tool to help them
spot illegal ivory.”
A quick and reliable method for distin-
guishing elephant ivory from mammoth
ivory has long been a goal, as other
methods (such as radiocarbon dating
and DNA analysis) are time-consuming
and expensive, said Professor Adrian
Lister, one of the study’s co-authors from
the Natural History Museum.
“Stopping the trade in elephant ivory
has been compromised by illegal ivory
objects being described or disguised as
mammoth ivory (for which trade is legal),”
said Lister. “The demonstration that the
two can be separated by Raman spec-
troscopy is therefore a significant step
forward. Also, this method (unlike the
others) does not require any sampling,
leaving the ivory object intact.”
The study was funded by the
Engineering and Physical Sciences
Research Council (EPSRC) and involved
researchers from the Universities of
Lancaster and Birmingham and the
Natural History Museum.
STEP FORWARD IN
UNLOCKING DRONES
FLYING BEYOND VISUAL
LINE OF SIGHT IN THE UK
Inspections of railways, power lines,
and roads as well as critical medical
deliveries could be unlocked with new
proposals put forward by the UK Civil
Aviation Authority (CAA) to allow further
flying of drones beyond the visual line
of sight.
Proposals set out in a consultation
published in February by the regulator
are a step forward for drone operations,
which will help operators fly their drones
safely beyond the line of sight of the
remote pilot. While some drones have
been flying beyond visual line of sight
(BVLOS) in the UK for several years, these
flights are primarily trials under strict
restrictions.
Instead, the proposed measures could
enable BVLOS operations of drones by
remaining at low heights and close to
buildings or infrastructure. This means
drones can fly where it is anticipated
there would be fewer aircraft operating.
“Allowing drones to fly beyond the
sight of the remote pilot, without placing
restrictions on other aircraft in the area,
will be a major achievement for UK drone
operations,” said Kevin Woolsey, head of
Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems at the
UK CAA.
Once an atypical air environment
policy is adopted, the UK CAA plans
to work with several operators to help
implement it in a safe and scaled way.
“Safety comes first in everything we
do, and so we have identified sensible
mitigations on where drones can fly using
this proposed concept to make sure we
maintain levels of safety,” said Woolsey.
This is one of many initiatives from
the UK CAA designed to unlock the
UK skies as part of the UK Future Flight
Programme.
The UK Future Flight Programme is
helping move the UK closer to a future
where drones safely share more of the
skies with other airspace users. The UK
INDUSTRYNEWS
|
SCANNER
CLAIM YOUR PLACE
IN THE NEXT RACE
It’s your final chance to feature your
company’s logo on #39 Ryan Sieg’s
car as he races in the NASCAR Xfinity
Series at the iconic Indianapolis Motor
Speedway on Saturday, 20 July. Hit the
gas in support of the ASNT Foundation
where 100% of your donation goes
directly to benefit the ASNT Foundation:
▶ US$2500 donation – Quarter panel
logo placement (two opportunities
available)
▶ US$1000 donation – C post logo
placement (only one opportunity
available)
▶ US$500 donation – Front of rear tires
(only one opportunity available)
You can even experience the thrill of
NASCAR up close with two exclusive pit
passes. Immerse yourself in the excite-
ment of race day in style while showing
your support for the NDT industry
through the ASNT Foundation! To see
your logo on the #39 car, donate by 5
July at foundation.asnt.org/Support_Us/
Initiatives.
ASNT EDUCATION’S
NEW LMS
ASNT is excited to announce our
new ASNT Education platform on
education.asnt.org. The new learning
management system (LMS) provides
users with a seamless enrollment
process and enables them to complete
various education offerings, including
our webinar series, Certification
Prep Courses (CPCs), and ASNT NDT
Classroom eLearning courses.
This change means that ASNT’s
training products in different forms
will now be available in one place. You
can purchase and enroll in live and
on-demand webinars, CPCs, Virtual
Section meetings, and eLearning
courses on education.asnt.org.
|
SOCIETYNOTES
J U L Y 2 0 2 4 • M A T E R I A L S E V A L U A T I O N 9

CAA is working with industry to enable
these developments for drones and
other new forms of aerial transportation.
The consultation is available on
the UK CAA’s website (caa.co.uk).
They also released the 13 February
2024 podcast “BVLOS within Atypical
Air Environments,” which discusses
how an atypical air environment
could work in practice (https://
caa-drone-safety.captivate.fm/episode/
bvlos-within-atypical-air-environments).
NMSU ENGINEERS
WORKING TO DEVELOP
ROBOTIC BRIDGE
INSPECTION SYSTEM
TO REVOLUTIONIZE
INFRASTRUCTURE
MAINTENANCE SYSTEM
A team of researchers led by New
Mexico State University Civil Engineering
Assistant Professor Qianyun (Gloria)
Zhang is working with the New Mexico
Department of Transportation on two
research projects to use fast-developing
digital robotic technologies to create a
comprehensive robotic-enabled bridge
inspection system.
“We are developing a comprehen-
sive robotic-enabled bridge inspection
system from data collection to data inter-
pretation,” said Zhang, who also serves as
co-director of NMSU’s Bridge Inspection
Program. “The ultimate objective is
to align robotic-enabled inspection
with national standards, facilitating the
integration of research into practical
implementation to boost the bridge
inspection practices in New Mexico.”
The Federal Highway Administration’s
2022 national bridge inventory reported
there are 4033 bridges in New Mexico,
4.9% of which are classified as struc-
turally deficient and 38.9% in need
of repairs at an estimated cost of
US$1.6 billion. Nationwide, the problem
is much larger.
The efforts involved in the inspec-
tion and maintenance of bridges are
challenged by a system lacking in suffi-
cient availability of workforce, time, and
funding. It can also be dangerous to
perform these tasks in traffic or from
heights. Addressing these challenges,
the team, which comprises Zhang and
two PhD students, is partnering with
the University of New Mexico and New
Mexico DOT District 2 for a two-phase,
two-year project initiated last October.
The first phase includes a pilot
program which involves the use of
uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and
advanced image analysis techniques
that can recognize objects more readily
than other methods. This will entail the
development of an advanced UAS plat-
form and training of pilots followed by
laboratory flight and field tests to eval-
uate and optimize the UAS platform. The
second phase, to begin in fall of 2024, will
be primarily focused on extensive data
collection, database establishment, meth-
odological exploration, and the develop-
ment of implementation software.
While the National Bridge Inspection
guidelines for condition rating inspec-
tion include safety data for a number
of bridge components, this project will
focus on the bridge deck, as this compo-
nent is the most directly impacted by
traffic loads. Accurate and current assess-
ment of the bridge deck condition is
critical for ensuring the safety and sound-
ness of the entire bridge structure.
The research team hopes to show that
UAS-based inspections provide a more
efficient solution to field data acquisition.
They hypothesize that these new auto-
mated methods will result in significantly
reduced costs due to lower labor needs,
shorter periods of traffic closures, and
costs for hard-to-access locations that
require scaffolding and cranes. They may
also improve worker safety by reducing
the need for inspectors to work at
heights or in traffic situations. The use of
automated objective data interpretation
is expected to enable more frequent and
timely bridge inspections.
One of the most important goals of
this project involves technology transfer
so that it may benefit the entire state’s
transportation system. This will include
a site demonstration and training of the
developed UAS platform software for
NMDOT personnel.
SCANNER
|
INDUSTRYNEWS
A drone inspecting a powerline.
A team of researchers in New Mexico are looking to use fast-developing digital robotic
technologies to create a comprehensive robotic-enabled bridge inspection system (pictured: the
Rio Grande Bridge in Taos, New Mexico).
10
M A T E R I A L S E V A L U A T I O N • J U L Y 2 0 2 4
COURTESY
UK
CAA