Dammika Vitanage

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Dammika Vitanage is a leading researcher in the field of robotic condition assessment for underground infrastructure, with a primary focus on wastewater pipe networks. His work addresses the critical challenge of inspecting and maintaining concrete wastewater pipes, which suffer from microbial-induced corrosion costing billions of dollars annually worldwide. Vitanage’s major contributions center on developing integrated robotic and sensing systems for real-time, in-pipe 3D profiling. His most cited work, "Real-Time 3D Profiling with RGB-D Mapping in Pipelines Using Stereo Camera Vision and Structured IR Laser Ring" (2019), introduces a crawler robot equipped with a structured infrared laser ring and stereo camera system that can scan and reconstruct the 3D profile of pipelines in real time as the robot moves inside. This innovation enables precise detection of structural defects and corrosion. His subsequent paper, "Robotics and Sensing for Condition Assessment of Wastewater Pipes" (2023), synthesizes these advances, highlighting their potential to transform infrastructure maintenance. With each paper garnering 2 citations, Vitanage’s work is foundational in the niche but vital field of underground asset management, offering practical solutions to prevent catastrophic failures and reduce economic losses.