Enhancing Wind Turbine Blade Damage Detection with YOLO-Wind

Posted: 2025-5-30

Source: Nature.com

https://www.nat...598-025-03639-8

This study presents an enhanced YOLOv8n framework for wind turbine surface damage detection, achieving 83.9% mAP@0.5 on the DTU dataset—a 2.3% improvement over baseline models. The architecture replaces standard convolutions with depthwise separable convolutions (DWConv) to optimize computational efficiency without compromising detection accuracy. The C2f module is restructured by integrating MobileNetV2’s MBConv blocks with efficient channel attention (ECA), which improves gradient flow and enhances discriminative feature extraction for sub-pixel defects. Furthermore, a newly added P2 detection layer enhances multi-scale defect recognition in complex environments.

Cross-dataset evaluations validate the model’s robustness and adaptability, with 15.2–16.3% mAP@0.5 improvements in blade damage detection and a 3.1% accuracy gain in agricultural defect identification. Although the performance on steel surface datasets varies, the systematic integration of DWConv, MBConv, and ECA mechanisms establishes a methodological advancement for industrial vision applications. The proposed framework demonstrates an effective trade-off between precision and efficiency, contributing to real-world computer vision solutions for wind energy infrastructure maintenance.

With the continuous development of society, renewable and sustainable energy sources have become key trends in energy development. Wind energy, as an efficient and clean source of energy, plays a crucial role in the transformation of the energy structure. Wind energy utilization dates back more than 3,000 years1. In 1891, the Danish inventor Poul LaCour successfully constructed the first windmill for electricity generation. In 1941-42, the windmill constructed by the Danish company F.L. Smidth was regarded as the prototype of the modern wind turbine.

The development of propeller-driven aircraft during World War I contributed to the practical application of modern aerodynamic theory, which, in turn, spurred innovation in the design of high-speed wind turbine blades. Following World War II, the global demand2 for energy surged, thereby accelerating the development of wind turbines. Large-scale wind turbines emerged, but their widespread adoption was limited due to unstable performance3 and poor economic efficiency, which hindered their short-term application.

It was not until the early 1970s, when the oil crisis occurred, that the focus shifted back to renewable energy, with wind power receiving significant attention. By the 1950s, scientists began exploring the design4 and construction of wind turbines, accumulating valuable experience. While wind power technology was not fully mature at the time, it laid a solid foundation for future advancements.

Read the full article at Nature.com.