Aerial Inspection Drones & UAV

Drones for Inspection

Capable of operating at height, and within confined spaces, inspection drones and unmanned systems are used routinely to carry out inspections for a broad spectrum of industries including:

• Oil and gas (offshore platform and pipeline inspection),
• Alternative energy (wind turbine and solar panel inspection)
• Critical infrastructure (powerline, sewer, rail and bridge inspection)
• Agriculture (livestock and crop inspection)

Advantages of Using Drones for Inspection

Using autonomous and unmanned technology for inspection purposes greatly reduces risk to workers and is dramatically faster, which reduces both shutdown times and costs. Capable of producing high resolution, real-time data capture, with minimal environmental impact, industrial drones for inspection are cost effective, non-disruptive and capable of getting very close to high risk, difficult to reach areas and structures with minimal risk to human life.

Aerial Inspection UAV

VTOL Fixed Wing Inspection UAV by Censys

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) also referred to as Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), are capable of close range, low level flight and can carry a range of inspection payloads such as :

• LiDAR
• Electro Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) sensors
• Multispectral cameras
• Thermal imagery cameras
• Photogrammetry solutions
• Emissions monitoring sensors

Aerial inspection reports can include data gathered using thermal and infrared imagery, real-time HD video, high resolution images and point cloud data.

Inspection Quadcopter by ARS

The long flight times of Fixed Wing UAVs means that they are capable of flying over vast areas and so are suited to long range inspection tasks such as checking remote pipelines or monitoring large agricultural areas.

Hybrid VTOL Fixed Wing Drones combine the long distance capabilities of fixed wing drones with the ability to take-off and land vertically. Requiring less space for launch and landing than standard fixed wing drones, makes them ideal for maritime aerial inspection as they can be easily launched from the deck of a ship.

Fixar Indoor Inspection Drone

Multirotor drones such as Quadcopters and Unmanned Helicopters have the ability to hover in place and to navigate very close to structures such as mountain faces, towers and bridges.

Equipped with obstacle avoidance capabilities and cages to protect the propeller blades, Indoor Drones can safely navigate inside confined spaces including sewers and storage facilities, as well as investigating areas that could contain noxious and flammable gases, such as cargo holds and ballast tanks.