Transforming water infrastructure with 3D printing
2 July 2025
Case Studies
Non-destructive testing of bridges with muon tomography
2 July 2025
The AI-enabled muon tomography non-destructive testing system developed by GScan, National Highways and AtkinsRéalis won the Product Innovation of the Year category, sponsored by Digital Construction North, at the Digital Construction Awards 2025.
“A truly cutting-edge technology that will transform the industry”: that’s how one judge described the AI-enabled muon tomography non-destructive testing system developed by GScan, National Highways and AtkinsRéalis.
Until now, there was no technology in the market able to assess internal damage and differentiate safe bridges from those in critical condition. Because of this, 50% of bridges are decommissioned unnecessarily, which wastes significant amounts of money and concrete.
What the judges said
“This is a critically useful product that can make a huge difference. It’s interesting to see how muon tomography could potentially scale in application and adoption and revolutionise the monitoring and maintenance of bridges while growing across other asset classes.”
National Highways Structures Moonshot programme sought to apply GScan’s muon tomography and AI technology to bridge infrastructure to demonstrate what internal components and damage could be identified in a representative bridge sample.
GScan developed a novel non-destructive testing (NDT) technology to enhance bridge inspection, empowering asset owner-operators to make data-driven decisions. Existing NDT methods are only capable of assessing structural health up to a depth of 40cm in reinforced concrete. This leaves many maintenance and decommissioning decisions up to assumptions.
Instead, GScan’s AI-enabled muon tomography (muonFlux) can produce a detailed map of chemical and structural components inside a structure. It is capable of penetrating up to 10m with an accuracy of 1mm.
During the project between June 2024 and February 2025, the team demonstrated that muonFlux can identify the internal mechanics of post-tensioning ducts, as well as signs of weakness and deterioration, producing an interactive 3D visualisation.
Other finalists
AI-powered building analytics solution for all – Digital Twin in a Box | SmartViz
ALICE Technologies
Prefabricated partitions on high-rise residential projects | KOPE AI/Saint-Gobain InteWall
RLB Digital Social Value Platform
The next stage of development will assess live bridges managed by National Highways and AtkinsRéalis, as well as starting new projects with ConnectPlus/ConnectPlus Services at the bridges of the M25 and also in the tunnels and retaining wall domains.
The Digital Construction Awards are organised by Digital Construction Week, the Chartered Institute of Building, Construction Management and DC+. To find out more about the Awards and enquire about sponsorship or entering next year’s event, visit digitalconstructionawards.co.uk.
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