Sharper Shape Inc. wants to bring its drone-based 'Automatic Detail Inspection' (ADI) service to major electric utilities companies in the United States. Having just successfully completed field trials, the company is now making its end-to-end drone-based inspection system readily available for commercial use. The company announced its ADI service and field trial completion this week, in hopes to allow the "drone software as a service" to increase the efficacy of electric utilities companies across the country.
How would this work, exactly? Well, the entire process of inspections of "critical infrastructures" would be automated. You'd no longer need people 'on the ground', which eliminates costs. Drones would cut down on a lot of time, further eliminating expenditures.
In addition to the obvious, Sharper Shape has a far more interesting trick up its sleeve. According to sUASnews, before a single inspection takes place, Sharper Shapes ADI Flight Planner software would construct extremely accurate 3D models of the infrastructure in question. After creating a digital map of all power lines, towers, and other critical infrastructure using the lidar (light detection and ranging) data recorded via drone, the Flight Planner software would arrange for the most optimal and efficient inspection routes possible. This would then allow unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to do routine inspections, detect defects anywhere on their path, and communicate with the on-the-ground system or utility company faster than an employee could scale an electric pole.
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