Singapore is considering using drones and unmanned vehicles to inspect its underground railway tunnels, its transport regulator said today, its latest experiment with new technology.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has put out a request on the possibility of industry participation in the use of unmanned aircraft and vehicle technology for inspections of its Mass Rapid Transit system and road tunnels.

Labour-intensive manual inspections are carried out regularly on the rail system and road tunnels to check for problems such as cracks or water leaks.

“The use of automated technologies ... will not only improve the accuracy of inspections, but will also free up engineers’ time, enabling them to focus on the analysis of the data captured to recommend any necessary remedial measures,” the LTA said in a statement.

Singapore has announced plans to begin testing driverless buses and trucks.

Self-driving cars are already being tested on public roads in a high-tech company district in the west of the city.

- Reuters