Dongbu adopts autonomous drones, AI to upgrade construction site safety

Dongbu is introducing a construction site safety management system powered by autonomous drones and artificial intelligence. The company plans to make the system mandatory at sites with construction costs of 220 billion won ($161 million) or more starting in 2027, with a full rollout to all sites by 2029.

Dongbu said Wednesday it jointly developed construction-specific smart safety management features with spatial AI firm Meisa and has already deployed them at three sites: the new Ottogi Logistics Service Baekam logistics center, the Jinhae New Port dredged-soil disposal zone Section 3-1, and the Namyangju Wangseok A-25BL private-participation public housing project.

The system combines an unmanned automated drone station with an AI-based platform, with functions tailored to the work environment and safety management requirements of each site.

Following this pilot deployment, Dongbu plans to require the system at all sites with construction costs of 220 billion won or more from 2027, then expand it in stages to every site by 2029.

The automated drone station allows drones to take off, fly preset routes, and land without an on-site operator. The setup enables periodic inspections of wide areas and sections that are difficult to access.

Footage and images captured by the drones are analyzed on a dedicated platform for safety management purposes. The system sends alerts when personnel unrelated to an operation enter a heavy-equipment work zone, and allows managers to track the real-time locations of high-risk workers and vulnerable employees.

AI vision technology is also built in. The AI automatically detects and analyzes whether workers are wearing hard hats, high-visibility vests, and safety harnesses, and relays the findings to site managers.

Data accumulated on site feeds into both progress management and safety training. Daily drone footage is used to generate three-dimensional renderings of the site, visualizing construction progress and helping identify potential work conflicts between subcontractors and hazards before they arise. Key risks associated with planned tasks are flagged and shared with workers, and the data will also support safety training.

Going forward, Dongbu plans to link drone-captured orthophotos of each site to an AI-based risk assessment system that analyzes work hazard levels and delivers information on major risks and recommended responses to both managers and workers.

"Unmanned drone stations and AI platforms are drawing attention as practical safety management tools that allow hazards to be identified and addressed before incidents occur," a Dongbu official said. "We will strengthen on-site monitoring and data-driven safety management to build smart construction sites where workers can do their jobs with greater peace of mind."