Goal Is To To Carry Out Industrial Inspections By Using Drones

The Center for Advanced Aerospace Technologies (CATEC) based in Seville, Spain has designed a new drone that is able to performing inspections that require contact with devices like ultrasonic sensors.

The aircraft "represents a great step further for the use of this type of aerial robots in different tasks, as they not only could see from the air but also touch and feel," explains Antidio Viguria, Head of Avionics & Systems Division in CATEC.

CATEC has focused on developing a new technology that is able to maintain contact in a safe and reliable way. The drone performs very precise movements and includes a completely new contact device that allows it to decouple and dampen external disruptions that may occur during work done in flight.

This aspect is critical in order to keep stability while the drone is performing contact operations, the company says. The initiative is part of the AEROARMS project, led by the University of Seville and funded by the European Commission program Horizon 2020 for Research and Development.

This aerial contact technology developed by CATEC is a major step into this vision that already allows the completion of industrial contact inspections using a drone, which not only minimizes time and resources, but also decreases human risks working at height.

This new technology has been named for the winner 2017 Innovation Radar Prize promoted by the European Commission.

(Image provided with CATEC news release)

FMI: www.catec.aero/en