Recent Advances and Challenges in the Field of Mechatronic Systems and Digital Technologies for Structural Surveying, Inspection and Assessment of Heritage Masonry Structures

The article reflects on the role that robotics, automation and digital technologies can assume in the context of evaluating the physical condition and structural integrity of masonry heritage structures. The main research motivation is that all these processes, from structural surveying and inspection to computational modelling and structural assessment, can be improved with these disciplines that have gained great importance in recent years. Recent research shows that progress in mechatronic systems and digital technologies can help in reducing the time cost, at the operational and data processing level, enhancing the practicability and applicability of inspection systems, as well as in reducing uncertainties at the level of interpretation, processing and analysis of data. The main objective of the article is to identify: (1) recent solutions that built on these disciplines for solving surveying inspection challenges of cultural heritage structures; (2) strategies on the use of digital technologies to develop advanced computational models for structural analysis that consider the detailed structural information collected during inspection, e.g., geometry and masonry microstructure, material properties and damage. The focus is placed on works showing advances that can improve our ability to perform structural diagnosis and analysis of masonry heritage structures, particularly through the onsite characterisation of the masonry inner morphology and the integration of this information into numerical models.