Services

The Delft Dynamics robot helicopters are suitable for obtaining an aerial overview using photo- and videocameras or other sensors.

Aerial overview

Due to their ability to quickly provide an overview of the situation from the sky, robot helicopters can serve police, fire brigades and other emergency services very well. Compared to manned helicopters, robot helicopters have the advantage that they can be deployed from areas very close to the scene of interest. Furthermore, since they are unmanned, they can also be used in potentially dangerous situations. Some examples:

• Overview of traffic accidents
• Localizing 'hot spots' in fires
• Measurements of concentration of dangerous substances
• Inspection of dikes
• Coast guard and border patrol

Routine inspection

Manned helicopters are often used for routine observation of traffic jams, railways, power lines and gas and oil pipes. Since a robot helicopter does not suffer from fatigue or boredom, it can fly a preprogrammed trajectory effortlessly, time and time again, at much lower cost.

In cooperation with Liandon, a transmission tower was inspected for TenneT, the national transmission systems operator. The inspection was carried out using both photos and videos of daylight and thermal cameras. The picture on the right demonstrates the quality of the images.

Film and photography

The film industry uses helicopters on a regular basis since they are the only vehicles that allow virtually unlimited 3D positioning. Needless to say, robot helicopters share this freedom, but at much lower expenses. Furthermore, the robot helicopter can repeatedly fly a preprogrammed track with high accuracy, as often as the director pleases. Since the robot helicopters are small and lightweight, they produce less noise and airflow compared with manned helicopters which means its presence has far less impact on the filming.