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.
A warm thank-you to Feye de Zwart, Co-founder and CEO of the Dutch Drone Company, for hosting the group and sharing his insights.
🎥 Watch the video below.

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.

WP3 Progress Meeting and Workshop on Sustainable and Reliable Steel Infrastructure
On 11 September 2025, the SUBLIME consortium convened at Leiden University for the WP3 progress meeting and workshop on sustainable and reliable steel infrastructure. Presentations by PhD researcher Faysal Tareq (Leiden University, CML) and Mic Barendsz (Bouwen met Staal) addressed material flows, carbon emissions, and circular design strategies. In the afternoon, Dr. Mohammad Hamida (TU Delft) led an interactive workshop exploring technical, environmental, economic, legal, and social challenges, and identifying possible solutions. The event highlighted the importance of combining material analysis, design practice, and governance perspectives to guide the transition toward circular and climate-resilient steel infrastructures.

