FIXAR 007 Power line LiDAR inspection

Routine inspections of power lines play a vital role in the regular maintenance procedures essential for ensuring a consistent supply of electricity, whether it's to a big city or a small distant village. The timely detection of issues such as wire sagging, pole damage, or potential threats from vegetation is critical in minimizing resource input, controlling costs, and expeditiously restoring electrical services.

FIXAR, in partnership with DronoDat, conducted an autonomous aerial inspection of power lines aimed at identifying potential risks posed by vegetation to electricity poles and wires. Anticipated outcomes include the generation of cloud points for subsequent processing.

DronoDat is a company renowned for its extensive expertise in data collection using cutting-edge drones and leveraging the power of machine learning for data analysis.

An 8-mile (12.5 km) long power line in Germany required a UAV LiDAR scan for inspection.

FIXAR 007 is the most efficient solution for inspections of such prolonged objects. An average flight speed of 38.5 mph (62 km/h) enabled the drone to scan the entire power line in only 12.5 minutes. The whole mission was completed autonomously.

As per the mission goals, a point cloud was created and delivered to the customer for additional processing.

If a DJI drone were used, the drone inspection would need to be split into a few separate flights and would take more than an hour. Additionally, the telemetry connection with the DJI system proved to be unstable, requiring the customer to trail the drone in a car. Without this continuous follow-up, the drone risked losing its connection, impeding the ability to proceed with the mission.

FIXAR 007 UAV is very reliable and is at least 5 times more efficient than a multicopter solution for inspecting and monitoring long infrastructural objects such as power lines, pipes, roads, etc.