China, home to the second largest number of World Heritage Sites, is getting some hi-tech help from drones to bolster conservation efforts at the crumbling Jiankou section of its Great Wall.Already used in logistics, transport and agriculture, the deployment of the remote-controlled flying machines in heritage conservation marks a further use of the advanced technology in the country.

Intel and the China Foundation for Cultural Heritage Conservation joined forces last week to use the US semiconductor giant’s drone and artificial intelligence (AI) technology to help scout a remote and severely weathered section of the Great Wall constructed during the Ming dynasty, which spanned the 14th to 17th centuries.

“Using drones, we are able to inspect multiple aspects of the structure, including areas that are quite inaccessible,” Anil Nanduri, the vice-president and general manager of Intel’s drone team, said in a statement.

Continue to the full aricle   ||  May 03, 2018   |||