Flyability, a pioneer in confined space inspection drones, has unveiled the world’s first collision-tolerant drone equipped with a LiDAR sensor for indoor 3D mapping, the Elios 3. The drone, powered by Flyability’s new SLAM engine FlyAware™, creates 3D models as it flies and comes with a new version of Flyability’s software for inspectors, Inspector 4.0.
The Elios 3 addresses the need for reliable inspection tools as industries around the world scale up their use of drones. It is easy to use, performs consistently, and remains stable when working inside highly sensitive assets. The drone is a key enabler of Industry 4.0, presenting an inspection solution that makes inspections safer, more efficient, and less expensive than ever before.
One of the biggest challenges in inspection is mapping areas that are out of reach or too dangerous for humans, yet critical to support operational decisions in many industries. The Elios 3’s Ouster OS0-32 LiDAR sensor allows inspectors to collect data for the creation of survey-grade 3D models using software from Flyability’s new partner, GeoSLAM. Flyability’s partnership with GeoSLAM enables professionals to produce survey-grade point clouds of the most inaccessible places in their workplace, completely removing the strain of approximations and guesswork from their operations.
The Elios 3 is incredibly easy to operate and customizable for each individual user’s needs. The drone’s LiDAR data is turned into 3D models in real-time using FlyAware™, providing groundbreaking stability by combining data from the drone’s three optical cameras and its LiDAR sensor to catch even the tiniest unpredictable movement and instruct the flight controller to compensate for it.
Flyability’s new Inspector 4.0 software made for reporting with the Elios 3 allows inspectors to visualize points of interest found during an inspection in a high-resolution 3D map using Inspector 4.0’s 3D Map Viewer. This feature lets stakeholders navigate from POI to POI in a digital representation of their assets, providing a clear visualization of the defects found within them to support planning, monitoring, and maintenance efforts.
The Elios 3 is the single biggest project that Flyability has ever undertaken, and the company has been working on it for four years. Flyability collaborated with top universities around the world by joining Team Cerberus, which competed in—and won—DARPA’s multi-year Sub-T challenge for autonomous robotics in underground environments.
In conclusion, the Elios 3 is a game-changer in industrial inspections, providing the reliability, stability, and customization needed to make inspections safer, more efficient, and less expensive. The drone’s ability to map areas that are out of reach or too dangerous for humans makes it an invaluable tool for many industries. The Elios 3 is a clear example of how technology is advancing to keep humans out of dangerous places and perform the most demanding inspection tasks.
Source: Flyability
