Review of state-of-the-art surface defect detection on wind turbine blades through aerial imagery: Challenges and recommendations

Imad Gohar, Weng Kean Yew, Abderrahim Halimi, John See

Abstract: Highlights•Providing an in-depth understanding of the object detection pipeline.•Highlighting the challenges associated with using aerial imagery.•Discuss the various types of surface defects that can affect wind turbine blades.•Elucidate their impact on the operational performance of wind turbines.•Analysing the contemporary state-of-the-art image acquisition and analysis techniques.•Possible directions for enhancing the detection process in the future.