After being charged with the task of conducting the most comprehensive UAS-based inspections in the industry by Norfolk Southern back in early 2016, Virginia Beach-based Hazon Solutions has announced that it has inspected more than 100,000 linear feet of railway bridges.
Over the last year and a half, Hazon has conducted more than 64 complete bridge inspections across the eastern United States, which has left CEO and co-founder David A. Culler, Jr. CAPT USN (ret) extremely pleased.
“We're very proud to announce this remarkable milestone,” Culler says.
Inspection
Inspection
Sharper Shape providing new UAS inspection service for electric utilities
A company that provides UAS-based inspections called Sharper Shape Inc. has announced that electric utilities can now utilize the company’s new automatic detail inspection (ADI) service.
The ADI service has completed field trials, and it is available as a “complete end-to-end inspection package.” Companies also have the option of using their own aircraft and personnel, and can use Sharper Shape’s ADI “Drone Software as A Service” to “maximize the efficiency of their in-house drone operations.”
Deep Ocean Engineering uses ROV to inspect intake riser at Cherry Lake Dam
Deep Ocean Engineering, Inc.’s Phantom T4H remotely operated vehicle (ROV) has successfully completed an inspection of the intake riser at Cherry Lake Dam near Yosemite in California.
During the inspection, the ROV successfully chronicled the “state of the dam’s water intake riser and the position of the gates at a depth of 258 feet (78.6m),” which is approximately a quarter of the ROV’s rated capability.
A Dynamic Positioning (DP) capable triple pontoon boat with a forward mounted ROV Launch and Recovery System (LARS) was used during the inspection, as it sent the ROV to the intake riser’s coordinates, while maintaining a steady position.
DNV GL conducts first offshore UAS survey
DNV GL surveyors have conducted the classification society’s first offshore UAS survey.
The survey was conducted in the North Sea, on the semisubmersible vessel Safe Scandinavia, which supports Statoil’s drilling operations off the coast of Norway.
As a part of the intermediate survey, DNV GL’s UAS pilots checked Safe Scandinavia’s fairleads and their connection with the vessel’s two columns.
“This was a great opportunity for us to demonstrate our drones’ abilities to check the condition of remote external components in challenging offshore conditions,” says Cezary Galinski, Project Manager Classification Poland at DNV GL.
Farmers Insurance launches UAS program
In an effort to “enhance the claims experience for customers who have suffered significant damage to their roof following major weather events,” Farmers Insurance has announced that it is launching a UAS program.
Farmers conducted field tests to examine the “most effective and customer-centric ways” of utilizing UAS technology with its existing claims operation. Now, the company will expand its use of the technology to help with residential property damage assessments, as it seeks to provide a more enhanced experience for its customers.
From Unmanned Systems Magazine: UNMANNED SYSTEMS GO OVER, ON AND UNDER BRIDGES TO MAKE INSPECTIONS CHEAPER AND FASTER
America has a lot of bridges, more than 600,000. Many of them are in disrepair or are reaching the end of their planned lives.
According to the 2017 Infrastructure Report Card from the American Society of Civil Engineers, 9.1 percent of the country’s bridges were structurally deficient in 2016, meaning that drivers made an average of 188 million trips across a deficient bridge every day.
Inspecting bridges, then, is a critical activity for many states. Several states are looking at bolstering that activity by using drones, including Minnesota, which has been studying their use for years and is planning to make them a standard part of its bridge inspection toolkit.
Webinar on Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Inspection Methods, July 26
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 18, 2017
Contact: Tom McMahon, tmcmahon@auvsi.org, (571) 255-7786
Naviator hybrid unmanned vehicle completes first air/water drone inspection of high value assets
On June 18, the first combination aerial and underwater bridge inspection was successfully conducted on the Delaware Memorial Bridge Twin Spans, using a hybrid unmanned vehicle called the Naviator, which can fly and swim.
The inspection was a result of a collaborative effort that included the Delaware River Bay Authority (DRBA), Rutgers University-New Brunswick (RU-NB) and SubUAS LLC.
All parties involved with the inspection have high praises for the Naviator unmanned vehicle, and believe that the vehicle can be a gamechanger for a lot of industries moving forward.
Inspecting Your Site: How Drones Are Changing Your Industry
Unprecedented access to dangerous and hard to reach areas have enabled companies to inspect ongoing projects and assess work sites more thoroughly than ever. More complete inspections allow builders to gauge the projects before them and provide realistic expectations to clients.
Inspection is one of the core tasks to which unmanned technology has been applied across domains. This webinar will include examples of how successful companies use drones to inspect holdings and increase profits. Our panel of users and drone providers will discuss the real applications and advantages of unmanned technology.
Who Should Attend