Resilient infrastructure

BridgeSync

How can engineers inspect bridge conditions in real time when connectivity, security, and spatial context all matter?

Presented at ICUFN 2025, July 8 to 11 at Iscte, University Institute of Lisbon, Portugal

BridgeSync paper SIMaaS Web repository Related publications

Why I built it

How can a bridge twin maintain low-latency monitoring, auditable data, and consistent sensor placement across web and immersive interfaces?

BridgeSync is a digital twin framework for secure and resilient bridge monitoring. It connects structural sensors, edge processing, synchronized 3D representations, and a blockchain-ready data layer.

The project was validated through digital twins of three bridges, with the same sensor coordinates and live readings shared between a browser-based WebGL interface and an immersive Unreal Engine environment.

BridgeSync WebGL bridge digital twin with structural sensors

The WebGL interface lets engineers rotate the bridge, isolate sensors, inspect coordinates, and review live component readings.

How the system works

PureEdge processing

Edge services support low-latency monitoring and continued operation in settings where cloud connectivity may be constrained.

Synchronized 3D twins

FastAPI distributes common bridge and sensor data to WebGL and Unreal Engine, with coordinate transformation preserving alignment across rendering scales.

Blockchain-ready integrity

The architecture defines PureChain integration for traceable, tamper-resistant structural data and lifecycle records.

3bridge twins validated

2interactive visualization platforms

1shared sensor-coordinate source

Real timesensor visualization

What this work contributes

From a research question to an inspectable system.

High-fidelity twins for three structurally different bridges.
Consistent sensor positions between WebGL and Unreal Engine through shared JSON coordinates and transformation logic.
Interactive inspection of bridge components, sensor positions, and current readings.
An edge architecture designed for low latency and connectivity resilience.
A blockchain-ready integrity layer specified through the PureChain architecture.

BridgeSync immersive Unreal Engine bridge interface — The Unreal Engine environment adds spatial depth for inspecting structural geometry, sensor placement, and relationships among bridge components.

How I read the results

What the evidence means

BridgeSync centers on synchronization across monitoring environments. An engineer sees the same sensor identity, location, and reading in the browser and immersive interfaces. A common FastAPI data source and coordinate transformation logic preserve that consistency.

Current scope

What this study validates

The study validates multi-platform visualization, shared sensor identity and coordinates, and real-time interaction across three structurally different bridge twins.

Inside the system

More evidence from the research.

Three-dimensional bridge model developed for BridgeSync — A bridge geometry developed for the multi-bridge validation, preserving the structural elements needed for sensor placement and virtual inspection.

Cable-stayed Gamma bridge model developed for BridgeSync — The Gamma bridge model preserves the cable-stayed geometry required to position structural sensors and inspect relationships between the deck, pylons, and cables.

Multi-span Alpha bridge model developed for BridgeSync — The Alpha bridge model represents a distinct multi-span structure, demonstrating that BridgeSync was evaluated across different bridge geometries rather than one duplicated asset.