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12Doctor of the bridgesDoctors recommend a routine physical exam once a year for those aged 50 or above, or once every three years for those under 30. This is because early diagnosis of sickness allows for prompt action, helping us live longer and healthier lives. The same principle applies to bridges. As vital parts of transportation networks, bridges are the lifelines of a city, and their safety is crucial. But bridges are constantly subject to environmental factors and changing loads that can cause structural damage and even failure. This is why engineers and scientists have developed Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems. These systems continuously assess the health of infrastructure, identify and predict potential damage and material degradation, and help extend their service life.SHM systems are analogous to the human nervous system. In the human body, sensory cells in organs transmit signals to the brain via the nervous system. Similarly, sensors installed throughout the length of a bridge can collect data and send them to a central server via a wireless or wired network for processing and analysis. However, traditional SHM systems are expensive to install and create high computational demand that puts strain on resources. They are also difficult to maintain. To overcome these drawbacks, scholars from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Department of Computing have worked closely together to develop an intelligent SHM system.Footbridge at PolyU FOREVER YOUNG