Solutions
The right sensor, on the right drone.
Knowing exactly what the data has to show tells us which sensor is required. The sensor then determines the drone that carries it, the endurance it needs and the conditions it has to work in.
Specifying in that order means you buy the platform the job requires, rather than adapting the job to a platform you already own.
Where it is used
- Structural survey. Bridges, viaducts, buildings and industrial structures, without scaffolding, rope access or possession.
- High voltage assets. Corona and ultraviolet inspection of overhead lines, substations and insulators while energised.
- Building envelope. Thermal survey identifying heat loss, water ingress and insulation failure.
- Solar and mechanical plant. Thermal survey locating underperforming strings, cells and components.
- Confined and hazardous spaces. Tanks, silos, vessels, sewers and voids where access is restricted or the atmosphere is unsafe.
- Topographic and corridor survey. LiDAR capture across sites, routes and infrastructure.
Sensors and payloads
Thermal and radiometric. Survey grade LiDAR. Corona and ultraviolet. Multispectral. High resolution visual and defect mapping. Gas detection and environmental monitoring.
Where the sensor you require has not previously been flown, integration is part of what we do rather than a reason to decline the work.
Delivered to date
Survey grade LiDAR platforms capturing bridge and viaduct structures for Network Rail contractors, without track possession or rope access. Corona inspection systems built for utilities operators. Confined space surveys of parts of the London sewer system. Aerial camera platforms approved for feature film production. Payload capacities extending to 125 kg.
What we supply
The drone, payload and ground control configuration specified against the data required.
Pilot training is available as an additional service, and we can advise on preparing the operations manual and supporting documentation required for CAA authorisation.
Parts are held in the United Kingdom, repairs are carried out in our own workshop, and the enhanced warranty option provides priority servicing and maintenance, with loan equipment where parts are unavailable.
Regulatory position
Inspection and survey operations fall within the Specific Category where they are conducted near people, structures or infrastructure, and require an Operational Authorisation from the Civil Aviation Authority.
The scope depends on the environment rather than the sensor. Work over a controlled industrial site, alongside a live railway, or above a public highway are three materially different applications, and the authorisation should be scoped to cover the range of work intended rather than the first job.
Confined space operations are assessed differently again, since the drone is enclosed and separated from satellite positioning.
The Operational Authorisation is held by the operator and not the supplier. The Bionic Eye assists clients in attaining their own.
Tell us what the data has to show, to what standard and in what conditions. We will come back with a specification and the reasoning behind it.