UAV Sensor Suite for Real-Time Insurance Damage Assessment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current insurance claim processes are inefficient in capturing all damage information, assessing potential risks, and processing claims in real-time, especially when damage is to inaccessible properties or requires specialized skills, and often lack immediate scene investigation capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to collect damage information using onboard sensors such as optical, infrared, hyperspectral, LIDAR, thermal, and chemical sensors, which can be deployed to inspect vehicles and real estate properties, monitor traffic intersections, and assess damage, enabling real-time insurance decision-making and payout calculations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If human insurance agents are dispatched to inspect damage, then they can assess damage and make decisions, but they cannot be immediately dispatched and cannot access inaccessible property areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of human insurance agents physically traveling to and inspecting damage sites with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system equipped with sensors. The UAV can immediately deploy to any location, including inaccessible areas, and collect damage information autonomously, eliminating the physical constraints that prevent human agents from immediate and complete site access.
2Measurement precision
If human insurance agents inspect properties, then they can capture damage information, but they lack specialized tools and skills to detect all types of damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies multi-functionality by equipping the UAV with multiple types of sensors (optical, thermal, LIDAR, hyperspectral, chemical) that enable it to perform various detection functions. This single platform can detect different types of damage through different sensing modalities, providing both high precision for specific measurements and broad versatility for detecting all damage types without requiring multiple specialized human inspectors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces human sensory and detection capabilities with advanced sensor systems on the UAV. These sensors provide superior measurement precision and detection accuracy for various damage types, including thermal anomalies, structural deformations, and chemical signatures that are imperceptible to human inspectors.
3Productivity
If conventional insurance systems process claims, then they can make insurance decisions, but they cannot process claims in real-time as damage information is collected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous action by establishing an real-time data flow from the UAV's sensor collection through immediate processing and analysis to continuous updates of insurance decision-making. The system processes damage information as it is collected, enabling continuous productivity improvement rather than batch processing, and eliminates time loss by making insurance decisions in real-time alongside the inspection process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies feedback by creating a closed-loop system where damage information collected by the UAV is immediately fed back to the insurance decision-making system. This real-time feedback enables dynamic adjustment of claims processing and immediate insurance decisions based on actual damage assessment, significantly improving both productivity and reducing time delays.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables comprehensive and accurate damage assessment and risk evaluation, facilitating immediate and cost-effective insurance claims processing, including real-time insurance decisions and payouts, by leveraging UAVs to collect and analyze data from various sources.
Implementation Method 1
LIDAR
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for performing insurance damage inspection by a vehicle are provided. A computing device may receive a request to inspect of property, the request comprising a location of the property. The computing device may identify a vehicle from a plurality of vehicles that is located closest to the location of the property from other vehicles in the plurality of vehicles. The computing device may instruct the vehicle to travel to the location of the property. The computing device may instruct the vehicle to collect damage information on the property using one or more onboard sensors of the vehicle. The computing device may determine an amount of insurance payout to approve for repairs to the property based on the damage information collected by the vehicle.