Multi-Use BVLOS Drone Dock Network Launched

A2Z Drone Delivery’s new multi-use drone dock network achieves BVLOS with a single operator managing multiple drones, marking the company’s first drone service deployment By Abi Wylie / 13 Jan 2025

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A2Z Drone Delivery, Inc has launched the world’s first multi-use drone dock network operating beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) with a single operator managing a fleet of four drones simultaneously. 

Conducting both autonomous patrol of protected urban waterways, supporting water rescue, and expediting regional retail delivery, the deployment marks the company’s first as a drone service provider, known before as a developer of commercial drone delivery solutions.

In this first phase of the network rollout, A2Z Drone Delivery is partnering with the Anji Bureau of Water Resources to conduct autonomous aerial patrol of the Bureau’s protected waterways and reservoirs that weave through the urban setting of Anji City, China. 

Leveraging its recently-released A2Z AirDock and companion Longtail UAV platform, the multi-purpose patrol drones are also supporting search and rescue operations on the waterways by delivering flotation devices via its onboard commercial drone winch to assist swimmers in distress. 

Additionally, while on standby, the shared drone fleet is able to conduct local food deliveries. Sharing the fleet capabilities enables retailers to offer drone-borne delivery at a fraction of the cost of a standalone operation.

As China’s first National Ecological County, the local government and the Anji Bureau of Water Resources have gone to great lengths to deliver the cleanest drinking water possible to residents and visitors to the area’s popular ecotourism destinations. Now, the Bureau is partnering with A2Z Drone Delivery in a phased roll out plan for a large-scale regional drone infrastructure built on the backbone of a network of A2Z AirDocks. 

The recently-released A2Z AirDocks automatically recharge the UAVs as they conduct their pre-planned flight routes throughout the built environment. With the Longtail drones both operating and automatically charging at altitude, spinning propellers are kept far from the structures, power lines, and other potential urban obstacles as the drones relay actionable patrol intelligence in near real-time.

In this initial phase, A2Z Drone Delivery is conducting autonomous BVLOS patrols of 37 kilometers of urban waterways in and around the built areas of metro Anji City. Currently, a small fleet of A2Z Longtail Patrol drones, supported by eight strategically located AirDocks, conduct autonomous daytime and nighttime flights monitoring for illegal dumping and external runoff, as well as illegal construction, fishing, boating and swimming in and around the waterways that snake through the city. 

Outfitted with A2Z Drone Delivery’s commercial drone winch, the same Longtail platforms are also supporting local water rescue teams by delivering floatation devices to struggling swimmers, and even towing the victims to shore when necessary. When not on patrol, the fleet leverages the same network infrastructure to speed food deliveries from local cafes to the region’s many ecotourism resorts.

Previously, traditional ground patrol methods required multiple days to patrol the waterways throughout urban Anji City, and some areas were rarely visually inspected by staff. Now, with just two Longtail Patrol drones (from the four-drone fleet) hopping between eight AirDocks on a series of pre-planned routes, the Bureau is able to patrol the 315 square kilometer city in just 1.5 hours, which includes an average of 30 minutes perched atop the AirDocks for intermittent recharging. 

Carrying both a high-resolution camera and an infrared camera, the drones survey the waterways both night and day. With a single pilot overseeing the entire network of AirDocks, patrol data is relayed to the operations center where AI computer vision tools automatically identify potential activities of concern for the water Bureau team. 

The Longtail Patrol drones also carry a powerful megaphone so operators can communicate with people on the ground, and an onboard super-bright LED light can illuminate the darkness for a better view.

With the first phase of this unique multi-use autonomous drone network now in service, the next phase of the project will see the sharable infrastructure expand beyond Anji’s urban center to more effectively safeguard the reservoirs, and people, throughout the entire 1,800 square kilometer mountainous county. As the dock network expands, the sharable infrastructure will also be made available to other more local retail deliveries throughout the county.

Aaron Zhang, CEO of A2Z Drone Delivery, commented, “As drone regulations continue to mature here in the US, customers around the world are embracing the unique advantages of shared drone dock networks to support multiple simultaneous beyond-visual-line-of-sight drone services. 

“This first deployment of our shared dock network in support of the Anji Bureau of Water Resources is delivering massive manpower savings for their reservoir oversight, mitigating the emissions of traditional terrestrial vehicle patrol and delivering real-time actionable patrol footage more efficiently than ever before, all while simultaneously supporting life-saving payload deliveries within the network as well as local food delivery.”

ChongShan Wan, director of the Anji Bureau of Water Resources, added, “With our water sources navigating much of the urban center of Anji City, it has traditionally required a great deal of manpower and resources to patrol those areas with standard ground vehicles and personnel. 

“We recognized the transformative efficiencies of autonomous unmanned aerial patrols to deliver near real-time monitoring of our water infrastructure, especially amongst our high-traffic urban centers.”

Posted by Abi Wylie Edited by Abigail Wylie, Editor and Copywriter experienced in digital media with a keen interest in ocean science technology. Connect & Contact

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