Norfolk Southern has one of the most comprehensive drone-based railroad bridge inspection programs in the nation, recently surpassing more than 100,000 linear feet. To conduct this safety-critical task, NS in early 2016 contracted with Virginia Beach, Va.-based HAZON Solutions, a leading U.S. developer of small, unmanned systems operations, capability development, training, safety and testing programs for drone inspection services.
Category Archives: Non-Military & Commercial UAS
Altus Intelligence Unveils Electric VTOL UAS
Altus Intelligence has announced its new ORC2, a small battery-powered unmanned aerial system capable of up to 60 minute flight time. Continue reading
AT&T Takes Cell Tower Inspections to the Next Level
AT&T already has contracted with vendors who conduct drone inspections of towers. Now, the video analytics team at AT&T Labs has joined forces with our National Drone Team to bring automated cell tower inspections a step closer to reality. With automation in the mix, we can do the job faster, better and more efficiently. With regulatory changes and further research, we hope that automated inspections will be possible. Continue reading
Avion Unmanned and Huntsville Utilities Employ UAS in Daily Operations
With the help of Avion Unmanned, Huntsville Utilities will soon be able to employ UAS in their daily operations. This means a reduction in the level of risk and agency costs associated with the inspection of power poles, line connections, and associated equipment that is typically inspected using aerial vehicles (bucket trucks), or by the physical means of climbing a pole. Continue reading
Walmart Takes on Amazon with Flying Warehouses
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has opened a new front in its battle with Amazon.com Inc. The world’s largest retailer has applied for a U.S. patent for a floating warehouse that could make deliveries via drones, which would bring products from the aircraft down to shoppers’ homes. Continue reading
Visualisation Tool for Hazardous Scene Responders
BMT has developed a mobile application to help responders safely assess hazardous situations. The system processes data captured by drones into real-time 2D and 3D maps of the scene, enabling responders to make fast, informed decisions about how to proceed. Continue reading
NASA-NOAA Mission Studies Storm Intensification in Northern Hemisphere
A group of NASA and National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists are teaming up this month for an airborne mission focused on studying severe storm processes and intensification. The Hand-On Project Experience (HOPE) Eastern Pacific Origins and Characteristics of Hurricanes (EPOCH) field campaign will utilize NASA’s Global Hawk autonomous aircraft to study storms in the Northern Hemisphere to learn more about how storms intensify as they brew out over the ocean. Continue reading
sUAS Helps Edwards Air Force Base Fire Fighters During Exercise
Members of the 812th Civil Engineer Squadron teamed with the Emerging Technologies Combined Test Force to use small unmanned aircraft systems to increase their emergency response capabilities during two aircraft crash exercises held July 31 and Aug. 3. Continue reading