The proliferation of drones in the global marketplace has increased, and not only in the case of consumer delivery options via unmanned aerial systems (UAS).
These applications include the growing use of drones for inspection of large, complex structures such as oil rigs or dams where it is dangerous for humans to inspect the area and where autonomous, unmanned systems are becoming a preferred means of digital inspection.
Now, Skydio, a U.S. drone manufacturer, is teaming with Qii.Ai to make drone-powered inspection more efficient and effective for the North American market.
Skydio’s 3D Scan autonomous flight engine with artificial intelligence (AI) automates photographic data collection and mapping tasks including infrastructure asset inspection and crime and accident scene reconstruction. This software will be combined with Qii.Ai’s computer-assisted detection and quantification of corrosion-related defects technology. This will allow for large, complex structures to be inspected more efficiently while reducing the time required to identify and classify defects.
Earlier this year, the two companies demonstrated the corrosion detection technology on naval ship hulls for the Canadian Department of National Defense in Halifax, Canada. During the demonstration, Skydio’s drones captured data from two naval ships and created digital twins of both ships before importing the models and data through the Qii system for auto-detection, classification and quantification of visible corrosion.
