captured 3D path. When the project started, drones were able to fly off a grid from above, but not with 3D. So we introduced height as a variable and calculated the dynamics of the drone in order to create an algorithm". It was quite a challenge. Joop continues: "Because with drone technology is what it is: it works perfectly, or it doesn't work. But it has succeeded. Flying a 3D path, that wasn't possible at the beginning of the project. Over time, our drone was able to fly neatly along the installation according to a 3D flight plan, with descents and ascents, and take exactly the right photos at pre-programmed locations. The location of the images was accurately recorded. Because flying and photographing correctly is one thing. Collecting and processing the data is just as essential". REPEATED INSPECTIONS Because the route is programmed, the mission can be repeated for repetitive inspections. This meant, the time course of the corrosion can be made visible opening the door for trend analyses. In order to be able to make a 16 correct diagnosis, the analysis of suspicious points is usually carried out with contact inspections, which can be based on ultrasound, radioactivity or eddy currents. DATA Jan Leyssens (COO at Airobot): "Drones can therefore be a useful tool to identify these weaknesses with the right data. The intention was to end up with a fully assembled, industrially deployable drone including software for the inspectors. Our company offers data recording technology, including accurate GPS positioning. For this project, we used ultrasonic sensor technology for accurate distance measurement, and developed a software library in the Cloud for geo-tagging and labelling of images. This software can also automatically create a 3D image of the installation based on the photos. The software is very flexible, adaptable to the type of drone and the mission, for each asset owner".
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