Use Case: Drone-Based Safety Inspections for Airports
At the Smart Airport of the future, we will use drone based robotic systems, equipped with multiple optical and laser sensors (high-resolution cameras and 3D scanners) to perform automatic aircraft inspections.
These high-definition imaging, 3D scanning, and optical/LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) components can detect paint chips, rivet rash, stress cracks, dents, and other visible damage. Drone based inspections will reduce inspection time/cost, deliver more comprehensive/accurate documentation, and provide traceability for sub-sequent maintenance activities.
The automated inspection subsystem will include:
- High definition optical and laser imaging with resolutions significantly below 1mm
- Metallurgical systems to perform eddy current analytics
- High accuracy positioning technology directly referenced to the aircraft datum
- Control software that allows quick deployment
- Automated aircraft and area inspection profiles
- A data platform to collect reliable, repeatable and consistent data sets
- A user interface that is intuitive and requires minimal training