China’s crumbling Great Wall is getting some hi-tech conservation help from drones

Semiconductor giant Intel teams up with the China Foundation for Cultural Heritage Conservation in efforts to conserve and repair the Great Wall’s severely weathered Jiankou section

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The Jiankou section of the Great Wall of China. Photo: Handout.

Published: 6:00am, 2 May 2018Updated: 4:23pm, 2 May 2018

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.

Drones are bolstering conservation efforts at the crumbling Jiankou section of the Great Wall. Photo: Reuters

“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.

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Intel’s Falcon 8+ drones will be used to inspect, map and take aerial photographs of the Jiankou section in the next few months, providing high-definition three-dimensional images that will help determine the site’s current condition.