Major infrastructure and construction firm Amey has completed what is believed to be the UK's first drone inspection of infrastructure to go beyond visual line of sight (BVLoS).
The VTOL flying wing drone surveyed a 2km area autonomously and out of sight of the pilot - previous to this, drone inspections were limited to flight within visual line of sight (WVLoS) and so could not go beyond 500 metres from the pilot.
The successful trial opens up possibilities of BVLoS inspections of long linear infrastructure such as roads and railways, saving time and inspection costs. It also increases the quality, volume and repeatability of data - according to AmeyVTOL.
It's another significant step in bringing a level of automation to the construction site - Hilti trialled automated robots on building sites last year for routine tasks like daily site scans, progress monitoring, asset management and remote support.
AmeyVTOL’s VTOL Flying Wing can fly up to 100km on a single charge due to a unique hybrid design and an optimised energy system. Preparation and execution of the trial was made possible through AmeyVTOL’s operational control centre which enables the planning, simulation, and remote monitoring of BVLoS drone operations. Advanced communications and simulation capabilities were developed in partnership with Collins Aerospace.
AmeyVTOL will now be offering this capability to infrastructure owners and operators who want to deliver efficient and repeatable asset safety and condition inspections, and topographical surveys, without placing people in hazardous environments.
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Alex Gilbert, Managing Director, Amey Consulting said: “We are delighted to have successfully trialled a UK first for asset management. Through our collaboration with SME VTOL technologies we have developed a genuine innovation that could transform inspections and surveys for asset owners in both the public and private sector. Being able to go beyond visual line of sight will not just provide safer, more effective inspections but it will empower asset managers with increasingly reliable data, resulting in informed, intelligent decision making.”
