Energy efficient drone inspection system for spotting leakages

The project’s goal is to make a lightweight automated drone capable of inspecting energy leaks in transmission lines, distribution networks, plants and field installations. This has a significant potential for saving energy and reducing CO2 emissions.

Using energy efficient drones for inspection and automating this process three key goals are met: 1) Inspections becomes cheaper and more accurate 2) Energy leaks are more easily found and repaired 3) Even a minor reduction in overall energy loss represents huge savings.

Drone technology is at a stage where this is possible, and sensor technology is available in sizes and weights that allow for relatively lightweight drones to carry them. However this presents the challenge of communicating data from the drone to the ground and control commands back up.

The key technical outcomes, providing the basis for commercial success, are: 1) Designing a very efficient and safe video compression algorithm 2) Implementing the compression algorithm in hardware suitable for aircraft and real-time use 3) Designing the video and IR system incl. control system and transmission link to be power and space efficient  4) Integrating this systems with sensors: IR and RGB cameras. 5) Demonstrating and testing these for inspection of the energy systems.