Autonomous drone for 24-hour operation
The latest drone from U.S. company Skydio does its work completely autonomously, flying back to its recharging station automatically and then continuing on its own once the battery is full again.
The latest generation of drones from U.S. manufacturer Skydio is in action around the clock when needed. The drones do not need human pilots or overseers. They do their jobs autonomously and fly to a recharging station when the on-board battery runs out of energy. There, it docks autonomously and continues flying as soon as the battery is full again.
"The concept of remote-controlled drones is incredibly compelling. But it will never work the way customers want it to. It's a very different story when you can trust the drone to do what it's supposed to do on its own. That's our core focus," says Skydio CEO Adam Bry.
Alternative to remote control
In 2019, the startup introduced the first automatic charging station. A mechanical arm caught the drone and placed it so that electricity could flow into the battery. Now the company presented the world's smallest and lightest docking stations. It can be mounted virtually anywhere. The control software is based on artificial intelligence and guides the drone not only during its inspection or measurement work, but also when approaching the charging station.
The larger dock is made of aluminum and polycarbonate, has a footprint of only 0.37 square meters and weighs 30 kilograms. It is robust and weatherproof for outdoor use. The "Dock Lite" has the same functionality, but is much smaller and can be mounted on vertical surfaces and installed in confined spaces.
Live info for civil engineers
Among the first users is the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT)., which moves people and goods "safely and efficiently with customer focus, accountability and environmental sensitivity to improve the economy and vitality of North Carolina. With this technology, we are able to monitor construction progress more efficiently than ever before," says NCDOT Manager Thomas Walls. "We use it to record video and send it to our engineers in real time. It's a big cost savings for us."
