DroneDeploy

This collaboration project demonstrates how to place sensor equipment in difficult and critical locations. I.e. places that would normally be difficult to reach (e.g. critical structural parts of bridges or buildings)

Information

Background

Using drones for more than just inspection tasks and enabling them also to physically interact with the environment through appropriate tools, opens up a whole new line of application possibilities and business potentials across domains - for instance, painting, cleaning, cutting, blowing, deploying, gluing, grouting, grinding, drilling, hammering, pushing, pulling, scraping - and so forth.

Currently only few attempts have been made in Denmark at drone flight with manipulation abilities, and most of this work has been demonstrated in the lab - this collaborative project will break new ground changing that, unveiling new application opportunities in real life.

Purpose / Vision

The focus of DroneDeploy is to assess the technological and business feasibility of drones that mount sensors on infrastructures and large constructions – e.g. buildings, bridges, and the like - to support gathering data for improved infrastructure health monitoring without human intervention.

The goal is to demonstrate technological concept for mounting sensing equipment with drones, while understanding the challenges that need to be overcome for real application of the Dronedeploy solution. The demonstration will focus on the infrastructure domain, where the generated data is of high value, but the installation of the sensory equipment is limited by costs and access to the desired locations.

A broad anchoring with SMEs and non-SME companies is anticipated counting potentially:

1-2 larger infrastructure operators providing test case and testing grounds – e.g. bridge or building owners, construction operators or the like, who can provide access to facilities for testing
2-3 SME drone related companies (producers, operators, integrators, tech-suppliers) to provide insights regarding the challenges that the project will face and to develop business models for different sectors.

Expected results

The outcome of the project will be a demonstration at TRL5 (Technology validated in relevant environment) which will serve as a proof-of-concept for application to national and international fundings. A collaboration for a project proposal for IFD Grand Solutions, is envisioned by the partners in the expected 2021 winter call for proposals. DTI will furthermore seek synergy with the DIH-RIMA activities helping pave the way fora stronger Danish SME participation. The technology will require further investigation and increase of TRL. It is expected that it will take at least 3 years to achieve commercialization of services with the developed technology. This will be done via technology transfer from academia and GTS to private companies and the sharing of knowledge will be open and with high visibility also by the general public.