The SUBLIME consortium is proud to share that Ali Sabzi Khoshraftar, EngD researcher at the University of Twente’s Pervasive Systems Research Group, presented his latest research at the IEEE SmartNets 2025 conference. The conference took place from 22-24 July 2025 and hosted by Istinye University, Turkey, and brought together global experts in digital systems, monitoring technologies, and smart infrastructure. Ali’s paper, titled “Digital Twins for Bridge Assessment and Maintenance,” addresses a critical challenge faced by asset managers worldwide: how to efficiently and accurately monitor and maintain an aging stock of bridges in a safe, cost-effective, and environmentally conscious manner. Developed as part of Work Package 2 of the SUBLIME project, his work introduces a reference architecture for a predictive digital twin (DT) system tailored specifically for steel bridge maintenance. Read more on the M2i website
Smarter Cameras from Fewer Views — A Sparse-View Pose Estimation
How do you recreate a 3D scene using just a few pictures from different angles? That’s a challenge many fields face — from drone-based inspections to 3D mapping for remote sensing or structural health monitoring. Qingyu Xian, PhD researcher at the University of Twente, is tackling this challenge head-on in the SUBLIME project with a novel tool that’s already showing strong results: the T-Graph module.
Smarter Testing for Steel Bridges: How Few Tests Can Tell Us More
Many steel bridges across Europe are reaching the end of their intended service lives, raising critical questions about how to assess and extend their safe use. Within the SUBLIME program (“Sustainable and Reliable Macro Steel Infrastructures”), our mission is to ensure that these critical structures remain safe, sustainable, and serviceable for decades to come. One of the program’s key objectives is developing smarter assessment tools that help us better understand the condition of ageing steel — particularly when data is limited. That’s where the work of Elena Zancato, PhD researcher at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), comes into focus.
Researchers Get-Together-Day at DDC
On 9 October 2025, researchers from the SUBLIME project came together to explore how digital twins and drones can make our steel infrastructures more sustainable and reliable. The Get Together Day featured visits to the Dutch Drone Company (DDC) and the RDM innovation campus in Rotterdam — connecting research with real-world innovation and strengthening collaboration within the SUBLIME community.