The Path to NDE 4.0: A Review of Algorithms, Techniques, and Strategies for Autonomous Inspection

Abstract

Non-Destructive Inspection (NDI) is a cornerstone of modern quality assurance, critical for ensuring the safety and reliability of infrastructure and manufactured components without causing damage. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the current NDI landscape, analyzing the field through four distinct lenses, namely, computational algorithms, physical techniques, industrial applications, and research objectives. We synthesize a broad range of academic literature to illustrate the rapid evolution from manual, analog interpretation to a digitized, data-centric paradigm known as NDE 4.0. Our analysis highlights the dominance of ultrasound and visual inspection as primary physical techniques, while revealing a significant shift toward deep learning and generative models for automated defect recognition. Despite these technological strides, the industry faces critical bottlenecks, notably the scarcity of standardized open-access datasets and the "black box" nature of AI models, which hinders widespread adoption. By charting these developments and identifying key research gaps, such as the need for explainable AI (XAI) and standardized digital twin protocols, this review offers a strategic roadmap for future research. It concludes that the future of NDI research should focus on the successful integration of intelligent, autonomous fusion of inspection data with advanced sensor technologies into asset lifecycle management.