New Tool Supports Remote Drone Operation

June 2, 2021

There are many applications where remote drone operations can solve certain problems and get benefits. Mainly this is about the reduction of operating costs but there are other reasons, like work safety and operation in remote or hard-to-reach locations. A quick internet search can lead you to numerous reports describing where remote drones are used and what benefits can be gained from their application. The main idea of this article is to reveal another aspect of this technology – the effective tool that enables implementing remote drone operations.

The highest value that remote drone operations can provide is a solution that is cheap and universally compatible with different drone models. Low initial and operational costs make scaling the business possible, whereas universality enables quick upgrade/replacing the drones when needed.

Recently, Valo Industries released its Universal Charging System which is based on the open charging platform and the plugin adapter that attaches to the drone, enabling wireless charging. The drone can land on the platform and recharge its battery automatically, using the adapter.

Open platform in combination with wireless charging enables compatibility with the majority of available on the market drones produced by DJI, Skydio, Parrot, Autel, etc. Since the energy is transmitted wirelessly from the charging platform to the drone battery, neither corrosion nor dust, or even snowdrift can disrupt the charging. Additionally, avoiding integration of the mechanical parts in the system results in a significant reduction of the maintenance and operational costs.

An integral part of this system is the plug-in adapter matched to specific drone models. You can use your own drone with this system as well, and switch your adapter from one drone to another without any additional costs (e.g., DJI Mavic 2 Pro/Zoom/Enterprise use the same adapter).

For the protection of your drone from rain or snow we suggest using an insulating spray or just tape at the places where the water may reach. This can expand the lifetime of the drone and reduce the cost of repairs. The other way is to get a drone from Valo as the part of the charging system, in which case all operational costs will be covered by Valo.

Because the charging system is compact it can be deployed in hard-to-reach places (like light poles or the roof of your office or even billboards) or you can easily transport it in the back seat of your car to the places where you are planning to perform remote flights (like several-day inspection in one location followed by a several-day inspection in another, etc.).

The final step of implementing of the remote drone operation is choosing the proper software that enables communication and data processing. Since Valo provides an universal solution, it is possible to use different software products, depending on your applications. You can choose one of them or use them all by switching between them before, or even during the flight. Our experts will provide you full technical support to make it easier.

In the next articles we’ll provide you more information about the integration of various software products in remote drone operations using Valo Universal Charging System.