Information technology company IBM is joining forces with Dronehub, a Poland-based manufacturer of drone-in-a-box systems, to automate drone inspection missions with machine learning and AI solutions.
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SSEN Transmission has stepped its drone presence up a notch by utilizing Cyberhawk’s iHawk drone data collection platform. The platform’s introduction has allowed SSEN to inspect and monitor over 11,500 transmission towers and almost 150 substations across the Scottish Utility Network.
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Norwegian-based drone inspection company Scout Drone Inspection has secured 27.5 krone ($3.2) million in funding to develop its drones and related technologies further. The funding round was lead by Equinor Ventures and DNV, with support from existing shareholders.
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Estonian drone company Hepta Airborne has announced a freemium version of its uBrid platform to allow more people to benefit from it. The company has perfected the software for the last couple of years, working with clients to improve it.
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Iris Automation is working with Aerial Production Services (APS) to help jump-start FAA-approved pipeline inspections. The two are helping a client switch from satellite and plane images for inspections to high-quality drone images.
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Auterion, which you may recall is the largest open-source drone software platform, has partnered with project management firm C2 Group. The company will be deploying Auterion-powered drones for a number of use-case scenarios in the critical infrastructure and utilities industries.
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Four years on from the Grenfell Tower fire, drones are being used to inspect other towers in the UK to ensure the cladding is safe or removed if not. The drones have been able to speed up inspection times and drastically lower costs.
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PrecisionHawk has announced a multiyear alliance with American Tower to make cell tower inspections safer and more efficient. PrecisionHawk will hand over its AI-backed cell tower inspection software to American Tower to use on upcoming inspections.
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Autonomous surveillance and inspection drone company Azur Drones has tested its Skeyetech drone-in-a-box at the Orano La Hague nuclear fuel site in France. The drones will aid the security and surveillance team currently deployed at the site.
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The Arecibo telescope in Puerto Rico met its sad fate when it unexpectedly collapsed. An inspection drone was in the air at the time of the collapse, as we now have aerial footage of the support wires giving way.
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Finnish energy company Järvi-Suomen Energia has turned to drone company Hepta Airborne to inspect its powerline network with drones. The drones will first be used to inspect powerlines after storms as a part of a test before the company moves to drones permanently.
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Percepto has announced it has secured $45 million in funding led by Koch Disruptive Technologies and is partnering with Boston Dynamics to introduce autonomous ground and aerial inspections to industrial sites.
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The FAA has granted Verizon Skyward a temporary waiver that allows its pilots to inspect critical communications infrastructure near the Big Hollow wildfire in Washington from home using network-connected drones. The pilots are allowed to operate 24 hours a day with less than three miles of visibility and no person onsite to monitor the operation.
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Aerodyne has partnered with the leading infrastructure provider in the Middle East, Al-Babtain LeBlanc to transform inspections with drone technology. The partnership will allow both companies to leverage each other’s strengths and make a mark in local markets.
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Aerodyne Measure has announced a partnership with Mexico’s renewable energy provider, Ecopulse to provide AI-backed aerial inspections. Aerodyne Measure will work to provide aerial inspections of Ecopulse’s energy assets throughout Mexico.
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Aerodyne Group’s US headquarters, Aerodyne Measure, has partnered with The Sky Guys to bring AI-backed drone inspections to Canada. The partnership will enable Aerodyne Group to solidify its position within North America.
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CyberHawk has won a drone inspection contract with a major California utility provider after a long competitive process. CyberHawk will provide inspection services to maintain and detect any issues with the state’s electrical infrastructure.
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For the last 18 months, Aerodyne and PwC have been demonstrating the benefits of using drone-based assets for inspections with UK’s leading port owner and operator, Associated British Ports (ABP). The lengthy demonstration has resulted in ABP implementing the drone technology into its asset management practices.
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Electricity provider Edison is turning to drones to inspect its electrical equipment across Santa Barbara County’s south coast. The company began with helicopters, but is likely to switch to drones after the end of the week.
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Skygauge Robotics’ inspection drone is now available for pre-order, with the first 10 units receiving a special early adopter price. The drone is equipped with a 4k 30 fps camera, a Olympus 38DL PLUS® ultrasonic thickness gauge, and a dual transducer to measure the thickness of paint and the metal behind it.
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The Federal Aviation Administration is a very conservative organization, and rules for commercial drones are strict. But the agency does have a mechanism for issuing waivers to these rules. And it appears that the FAA has finally issued its first COVID-19 drone waiver. Expand
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Japanese mobile service provider Rakuten Mobile has announced it will begin to use drones for inspections to replace the need for humans to manually check its base station. The drones will take various photos of each mask for later inspection by the team.
Drones demonstrated their usefulness during a recent Tokyo Metro Co. demonstration, showing reporters how it’s utilizing drones to improve tunnel safety. The inspection drones were flown at the Koto Ward facility in Tokyo and have been using drones since the 6th of February to inspect tunnels.
New York City Council is pushing to use drones for facade inspections in New York City following a horrific accident last year, when a piece of facade came loose from a building and killed a pedestrian.