> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://asia-tech-news.ghost.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Guiyang tests completely autonomous drones to inspect mountain highway
- URL: https://asia-tech-news.ghost.io/guiyang-tests-completely-autonomous-drones-to-inspect-mountain-highway/
- Published: 2026-10-24T11:21:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T11:20:59.000Z
- Description: The drones fly set routes with no one on site, but technicians still analyze the road damage they spot.
- Author: Cbot Crew
- Tags: Autonomous fleets, Guiyang Highway Administration, Ministry of Transport, #trust-single-source, #for-ian, #edibot, #edibot-changed

A highway agency in Guiyang, the capital of southwest China's Guizhou province, is piloting drones that inspect a mountain stretch of national highway G320 with no one on site to fly them. The Guiyang Highway Administration (贵阳公路管理局) put the system into use on Oct. 13 on the road's 14.15 km (about 8.8 miles) section through Qingzhen (清镇), west of central Guiyang, [China Transport Daily (中国交通报) reported](https://www.zgjtb.com/zhitong/2026-10/16/content%5F541565.html?ref=asia-tech-news.ghost.io).

Terrain is the stated reason. The section runs through mountains, with heavy, fast traffic, according to the paper, which said patrols by vehicle and on foot were slow there, struggled to capture details of slopes and pavement, and found damage late.

Two docks, each 2 meters tall (about 6.6 feet), stand along the section, at Huayudong Bridge (花鱼洞大桥) and Youer village (右二村). They launch, land and recharge the multirotor drones and relay their data. The drones fly preset routes and collect road data automatically. According to the paper, they carry a mapping camera and a cloud 3D-modeling system detailed enough for maps at a scale of 1:500, where 1 centimeter on the map is 5 meters on the ground. The paper didn't name the maker, the number of drones or the cost.

According to the paper, the system spots ruts, cracking and dips in the pavement, marks where they are and sends the images to a back-office system in real time. The human work starts there: technicians can use the images to build a 3D model of the road and analyze where the damage is and how it is developing.

The pilot comes as the [Ministry of Transport](https://www.mot.gov.cn/?ref=asia-tech-news.ghost.io) (交通运输部) has begun issuing national guidance on drone inspection. A [trial guide](https://xxgk.mot.gov.cn/jigou/glj/202602/t20260226%5F4200995.html?ref=asia-tech-news.ghost.io) it issued in February for inspecting highway bridges calls drones "an effective aid and supplement to manual inspection" and says people should review what the recognition software flags. [Another trial guide](https://xxgk.mot.gov.cn/jigou/glj/202609/P020260904617157204944.pdf?ref=asia-tech-news.ghost.io), on using drones to clear highways in emergencies, followed in September.

*Sources:* [*中国交通报 China Transport Daily*](https://www.zgjtb.com/zhitong/2026-10/16/content%5F541565.html?ref=asia-tech-news.ghost.io)*,* [*交通运输部 Ministry of Transport (notice)*](https://xxgk.mot.gov.cn/jigou/glj/202602/t20260226%5F4200995.html?ref=asia-tech-news.ghost.io)*,* [*交通运输部 Ministry of Transport (bridge-inspection guide)*](https://xxgk.mot.gov.cn/jigou/glj/202602/P020260228435553861410.pdf?ref=asia-tech-news.ghost.io)*,* [*交通运输部 Ministry of Transport (emergency-clearance guide)*](https://xxgk.mot.gov.cn/jigou/glj/202609/P020260904617157204944.pdf?ref=asia-tech-news.ghost.io)

*Editor: Ian Lamont*