Inside Unmanned Systems provides actionable business intelligence to decision-makers and influencers operating within the global UAS community. Features include analysis of key technologies, policy/regulatory developments and new product design.
Issue link: https://insideunmanned.epubxp.com/i/643419
ENGINEERING. PRACTICE. POLICY. 19 unmanned systems inside January/February 2016 senseFly eBee • Mfr: senseFly • Type: Fixed-wing • Size: 38-inch wing span • Weight: 1.52 lbs. • Flight time: 50 minutes • Launch: Hand launched • Recovery: Self landing • Other: Automatic 3D f ight planning DJI Spreading Wings S1000 • Mfr: DJI • Type: Octocopter • Size: 386 mm frame arm length • Weight: Platform weighs 9.7 lbs. with a takeoff weight of 24.2 lbs. • Flight time: 15 minutes • Launch: Lift the folding frame arms, lock them in place and power up the system. • Recovery: Retractable landing gear • Other: The current model is the DJI S1000+ (pictured). and hardware components, perform environ- mental inspections and take construction photos of plant operations at two nuclear towers they're building. They've also used various DJI Phan- toms and the Sensefly eBee to map larger tracks of land around electricity generation plants. Because FA A regulations still restrict op- erators from f lying beyond their visual line- of-sight, Lewis said the best uses for UAS to- day are local. One great success story involves Southern Company deploying a UAS to in- spect an osprey bird's nest sitting on top of a transmission tower. Under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, if a nest has eggs in it, the compa- ny must wait to begin a planned construction project until the eggs have hatched and young have grown and left. An already empty nest means they could proceed on schedule. Typically they'd send someone up in a bucket truck to take a look at the nest, but because this tower was in the bay near Mobile, Alabama, that wasn't possible—which normally would leave a helicopter as their only other option. "We went on a boat and f lew a UAS, and within 10 minutes we could see there were no eggs in the nest," Lewis said. "The UAS gave us a different angle we couldn't get from the ground. Using a helicopter would have not only cost more, but operating it at low altitudes near the vertical structure comes with risk. If there's a case where you have a few towers you need to look at or a bird's nest, and everything is in just one location, it's really easy to use a UAS. Those applications are low hanging fruit." Duke Energy Turns to Advanced Cameras The team at Duke Energy spent about three weeks testing UAS applications in its genera- tion facilities. They've assessed about 20 dif- ferent use cases, said Aleksandar Vukojevic, a technology development manager for Duke. These include transmission line inspection, distribution line inspection, solar plant inspec- tion and coal pile inspection. Duke recently worked with an AeroVironment Puma AE, which enabled them to use advanced payloads to gather data far beyond what they need for typical inspections, Vukojevic said. They've completed LIDAR inspections of trans- mission right of ways, they've developed a 3D model to help identify hot spots in coal piles, which could lead to large fires, as well as take measurements of those piles. They can not only identify vegetation, they can see how far that veg- Photo courtesy of Duke Energy They're all interested in what kind of information the platform maker can deliver. They want to know when they should use it and when they shouldn't.˝ –Steve Gitlin, vice president for marketing strategy, communications and investor relations, AeroVironment "