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New unmanned aerial vehicles to be showcased at mining exhibition

13th September 2013

By: David Oliveira

Creamer Media Staff Writer

  

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Germany-based hexacopter manufacturer Aibotix’s Aibot X6 and unmanned aircraft systems manu- facturer SwissDrones’ Dragon 35 are the new generation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) displayed at Switzerland-based products and systems for surveying and geographical measurement pro- ducer Leica Geosystem’s mining stand at the Asia-Pacific’s Mining Exhibition (Aimex), which ran from August 20 to 23 in Sydney, Australia.

The UAVs are crafted to cater to a wide spectrum of applications, providing various safety and productivity benefits for both the mining and nonmining scope of work.

The vertical takeoff and landing Aibot ×6 hexacopter features advanced, multi- sensor, intelligent guidance systems that make it safe and easy to operate.


The Australian announcement of the Leica SwissDrones dual-rotor UAV also took place at Aimex 2013. Known as the SwissDrones Dragon 35, this streamlined synchropter – as seen at MINExpo 2012, which ran from September 24 to 26 in Las Vegas, Nevada, in the US – caused a buzz in the mining market by setting an entirely new standard for UAV technology.

The Dragon 35 boasts superior payload capacity and flying time endurance while tightly integrating Leica Geosystems’ multispectral metric camera and imaging technologies. SwissDrones has granted Leica Geosystems the licence for worldwide distribution of the Dragon 35.

Ties with Geosystems

In March, Aibotix announced that it had awarded the worldwide distribution rights for the Aibot ×6 to Leica Geosystems and its partners.

UAVs are becoming increasingly impor- tant in many of the applications served by Leica Geosystems’ solutions. The clear safety and productivity benefits when UAV technology is used for aerial mapping and imagery in mining mean it has become a cheaper alternative to the costly and time-consuming piloted aeroplane and helicopter solutions currently used. Unrestricted positioning of various measuring technologies on the UAV platforms will lead to new applications as the full potential of this transformative UAV technology unfolds.

“For many critical applications, access is risky, impossible or simply too time consuming, using conventional methods or platforms,” said Leica Geosystems’ Geospatial Solutions Division solutions GM Rudiger Wagner, adding that the company “chose the Aibotix Aibot ×6 because it is one of the best aerial platforms available for safe, reliable manoeuvring of important payloads, not only in tight spaces”.

Aibotix MD Joerg Lamprecht says, “Leica Geosystems is synonymous with spatial information products and an ideal partner for distribution of Aibotix UAVs. Existing segments will benefit and new markets will be discovered as great products from Leica Geosystems reach new heights.”

The multirotor systems of Aibotix can automatically navigate according to waypoints in autonomous mode. The flight route is scheduled through the flight planning software, AiProFlight, and transmitted wirelessly to the Aibot. With the help of preplanned routes, the Aibot can perform various types of inspection and mapping missions autonomously.

“To create a flight route a user can simply click on a map to set a series of waypoints of the route. This is followed by setting parameters such as altitude, camera orientation and camera shutter button. Routes can be conveniently stored as projects for easy future access, which eliminates the need to re-enter a route for a second flight for the same goal,” the company explains.

Edited by Megan van Wyngaardt
Creamer Media Contributing Editor Online

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