Unmanned Systems Technology 028 | ecoSUB Robotics AUVs I ECUs focus I Space vehicles insight I AMZ Driverless gotthard I InterDrone 2019 report I ATI WAM 167-BB I Video systems focus I Aerdron HL4 Herculift

78 In conversation | Matt Dunlevy the typical design of this hexacopter UAV features a carbon fibre frame with an empty weight of 23 lb (without batteries), and is controlled by a DJI A3 Pro or Pixhawk flight controller with a triple- redundant GNSS-IMU. It also integrates data links for pilot control and gimbal operation, and six DJI E5000 motor-ESC- propeller combinations. For power, the system tends to carry four battery modules, each containing six cells in series with 8-16 Ah each of capacity. These typically give a maximum flight time of 30 minutes and a top speed of 72.4 kph; its payload capacity is 18.14 kg, and it has a MTOW of 34 kg. The company’s Lidar sensor is Phoenix Lidar’s Alpha Series AL3-32 scanner, a 3.2 kg package that captures 700,000 points per second. This spec is key to why it was chosen, as the density of the point cloud directly correlates with the detail and accuracy of a data set, and thus how ‘actionable’ it is by the engineers or other workers in charge of the energy assets being surveyed. The AL3-32 has a maximum range of 120 m, and is accurate to 55 mm at 50 m range. It is designed to scan over a vertical FOV of +10 º to -30 º , and over a horizontal FOV of 360 º , although on SkySkopes’ MFD 5000 the sensor is ‘tilted’ 90 º forward in order to generate a 3D cloud about the UAV’s flight path as it travels forwards. “We use that in tandem with a 24 MP EO camera, to generate RBG colourised point clouds – this is really where I feel autonomy comes into its most crucial use-case,” Dunlevy says. “We’ve gone through a lot of different autopilots, from DJI, Pixhawk and others, and different GCS software to match those, but really they all boil down to planning and executing the autonomous flight profiles that the missions need. “The Lidar missions are 90% autonomous, and the UAV needs to follow precise ‘lawn-mowing’ waypoint patterns in the air, or down-and-back corridor flights. The data generated from those flights and technologies are what the energy companies need. They’re insatiable when it comes to Lidar data, and are always looking for improvements in how it’s collected.” Musing on some of his team’s proprietary processing capabilities, he says, “Even after in-field processing through fog computing – with LTE links to move packets of data back and forth between the GCS and the edge-computing processors – AI can increasingly be applied during post- processing to detect and remove faults, and apply refined analytics to reveal more useful information for the end-user.” The newest survey offering from SkySkopes is the use of optical gas imaging (OGI) sensors, for oil companies concerned about leaks (or ‘fugitive emissions’ in industry jargon) of hydrocarbons from their pipelines and oilfields that cannot be clearly detected or quantified using most thermal sensors. Rather than use a COTS sensor, SkySkopes has built its own OGI package by integrating several technologies. These include thermal and OGI components from Infrared Cameras Incorporated, laser spectrometers and an EO camera for added visual context in surveys. The result is a system that collects radiometric temperature data in 640 x 512 resolution, and offers an ‘enhanced mode’ to clearly depict gas leaks in real time as the MFD 5000 flies. “We were first introduced to OGI while working in Minot, ND, where there was a grant programme that funded companies to acquire equipment that would expand their capabilities,” Dunlevy says. “Since our core capability is data capture, we applied to the programme for an OGI sensor, which resonated with city officials who wanted more UAS activity in Minot and improved surveys of the Bakken oilfields. “That sensor is flown in a similar way to the Lidar missions, albeit at about 75- 100 ft, around 125-200 ft lower than the Lidar. Since end-users tend to want to zoom in on leaks in real-time, however, the payload tends to be controlled manually, with the flight itself being handled fully autonomously.” Since 2017, the company’s October/November 2019 | Unmanned Systems Technology SkySkopes is using UAVs to carry lead lines for power wires onto power poles, a far safer and cheaper alternative than the usual ladder or helicopter methods (Courtesy of SkySkopes)