A2Z Drone Delivery has launched a multi-use drone dock network operating beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) with a single operator managing a fleet of four drones simultaneously. Conducting both autonomous patrol of protected urban waterways, supporting water rescue, and expediting regional retail delivery, the deployment marks the company’s first as a drone service provider.
In the first phase of this network rollout, A2Z Drone Delivery is partnering with the Anji Bureau of Water Resources to conduct an autonomous aerial patrol of the Bureau’s protected waterways and reservoirs that weave through the urban setting of Anji City, China. Using its recently-released A2Z AirDock and companion Longtail uncrewed aerial system (UAS) platform, the multi-purpose patrol drones are also supporting search and rescue operations on the waterways by delivering flotation devices via its onboard commercial drone winch to assist swimmers in distress. Additionally, while on standby, the shared drone fleet is able to conduct local food deliveries. Sharing the fleet capabilities enables retailers to offer drone-borne delivery at a fraction of the cost of a standalone operation.
The phased roll out plan is intended to result in a large-scale regional drone infrastructure built on the backbone of a network of A2Z AirDocks. The A2Z AirDocks automatically recharge the UAS as they conduct their pre-planned flight routes throughout the built environment. With the Longtail drones both operating and automatically charging at altitude, the company says spinning propellers can be kept far from the structures, power lines, and other potential urban obstacles as the drones relay actionable patrol intelligence in near real-time.
In this initial phase, A2Z Drone Delivery is conducting autonomous BVLOS patrols of 37 kilometers of urban waterways in and around the built areas of metro Anji City. Currently, a small fleet of A2Z Longtail Patrol UAS, supported by eight strategically located AirDocks, conduct autonomous daytime and nighttime monitoring flights. With a single pilot overseeing the entire network of AirDocks, patrol data is relayed to the operations center where AI computer vision tools automatically identify potential activities of concern for the water Bureau team. The Longtail Patrol drones also carry a megaphone so operators can communicate with people on the ground when required, and an onboard bright LED light can illuminate the darkness for a better view.
“With our water sources navigating much of the urban center of Anji City, it has traditionally required a great deal of manpower and resources to patrol those areas with standard ground vehicles and personnel. We recognised the transformative efficiencies of autonomous unmanned aerial patrols to deliver near real-time monitoring of our water infrastructure, especially amongst our high-traffic urban centers,” said ChongShan Wan, director of the Anji Bureau of Water Resources. ChongShan Wan said the uAS deployment has “massively improved” monitoring operations and also “opens the door to other advanced drone services for our county’s residents.”
A2Z Drone Delivery said that previously, traditional ground patrol methods required multiple days to patrol the waterways throughout urban Anji City, and some areas were rarely visually inspected by staff. “Now, with just two Longtail Patrol drones (from the four-drone fleet) hopping between eight AirDocks on a series of pre-planned routes, the Bureau is able to patrol the 315 square kilometre city in just 1.5 hours, which includes an average of 30 minutes perched atop the AirDocks for intermittent recharging,” the company said.
The second phase of the project will see the sharable infrastructure expand beyond Anji’s urban centre to more effectively safeguard the reservoirs, and people, throughout the entire 1,800 square kilometre mountainous county. As the dock network expands, the sharable infrastructure will also be made available to other more local retail deliveries throughout the county.
A2Z Drone Delivery will be hosting an informational webinar on February 19, 2024 to explore this multi-use BVLOS drone dock network.
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