CETEM and CTM successfully complete the critical technology research phase of the IA-DRON project

On 22 July 2025, a follow-up meeting was held at the CTM facilities (Cehegín, Murcia) for the project ‘IA-DRON – Artificial Intelligence applied to the control and improvement of working conditions in industrial environments using drones’. This meeting served to present the technical advances achieved to date and evaluate the current state of development, officially concluding the project’s critical technology research phase.

During the day, the work teams from both entities visited the CTM facilities, where the lines of work currently underway were presented and the main milestones achieved were shared.

CTM presented the progress made on tasks 2.1 and 2.5, including the definition of analysis scenarios and the selection of the drones to be used in the project. It also reported on the advanced stage of negotiations with the Polytechnic University of Cartagena (UPCT) for the development of specific sensors. Task 2.4, although not yet fully drafted, is already outlined for future implementation.

CETEM presented the progress made in tasks 2.2 and 2.3, which focused mainly on technical aspects related to the programming and development of systems to prevent drone collisions, especially with structural elements such as crane bridge cables. Some technical difficulties encountered during the process were also shared, along with the proposed solutions to overcome them.

As for the conclusions, both entities confirmed that their respective tasks had been practically completed, with only a few technical conclusions and the final documentation remaining pending. In addition, the next follow-up meeting was scheduled to take place on Friday, 26 September 2025, at the CETEM facilities in Yecla (Murcia).

This innovative, highly technological project aims to develop advanced monitoring systems using drones, integrating smart sensors and artificial vision algorithms in order to detect potential occupational hazards in industrial environments at an early stage..

The IA-DRON project is financed with ERDF funds under the ERDF Operational Programme 2021-2027, managed by the Murcia Region Development Institute, within Action 3 ‘Promotion of business investment in R&D’, and with file number 2024.08.CT01.000034.