Germany-based HHLA Sky and US-based Iris Automation have announce a partnership to “improve two of the current most challenging tasks in drone operations beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS): to remotely, globally and simultaneously control over 100 industrial drones from a centralized control centre – while increasing local air space safety by detecting and avoiding other unmanned or manned aircraft.”
According to a joint press release:
“Merging HHLA Sky’s drone control centre software with Iris Automation’s ground-based aircraft detection technology Casia G, opens up a whole new spectrum of use cases for industrial and security related drone operations. These include security surveillance tasks at ports, critical infrastructures, border control and oil and gas industry as well as (intra)logistics, surveying and asset inspections.
HHLA Sky’s drone control centre was developed as an end-to-end solution for large-scale, industrial and security BVLOS drone operations. The IoT platform connects, and controls unmanned systems. “It allows complete management, monitoring, and reporting across all aspects and tasks of over 100 industrial drones simultaneously – from one integrated control centre that can be operated globally,” says the company. “Drones securely connected with this IoT platform can carry out a wide range of assignments, e.g. transmitting real-time video feeds and collecting structured and repeatable data. The IoT platform has cyber security built into its core and offers broad analysis and auditing features.”
Iris Automation’s Casia G solution is an autonomous ground-based aircraft detection technology. “The computer vision system monitors aviation environments to detect, classify and – if necessary – alert UAV pilots to crewed aircraft that pose a risk to drone operations,” according to a company statement. “Using Casia G, remote pilots and their teams may react to otherwise undetectable non-cooperative aircraft (those without transponders or ADS-B and therefore not broadcasting their location). Networking Casia G nodes provide unlimited coverage to protect critical infrastructure, regardless of size.”
HHLA Sky and Iris Automation intend to host a closed demonstration event, showcasing the integration of both technologies in the spring of 2022. Interested parties may request an invitation at https://www.irisonboard.com/iris-hhla-demo-event/.
(Image: HHLA Sky drone control centre – Thorsten Indra)
