Episode 17: Leveraging digital technology to safeguard urban infrastructure
In this episode of Better Cities by Design, we’re in Victoria, Canada, for a chat with Harsh Rathod, co-founder and CEO of Niricson, a company that is revolutionizing how bridges, dams, and other critical infrastructure are inspected for safety. Niricson uses digital technology in the form of software and drones as well as leveraging artificial intelligence to make infrastructure safety inspections much more reliable and efficient, significantly reducing the risk of human error. In this episode, we learn about how, back in 1896, people living in Victoria witnessed first-hand the tragic consequences of insufficient safety inspections, when the Point Ellice Bridge collapsed. And we hear how a much more recent bridge collapse in his home country of India, spurred Harsh on to found Niricson and lead a digital revolution for condition assessment and risk management, all with the aim of making infrastructure safer.