From Insitu: A Swarm of Solos for Autonomous Mapping Missions
Frank Schroth
The Roswell Test Flight Crew met with several companies while attending the Future Farm Drone Rodeo in Portland. In this episode, they speak with John Leipper, the Solutions Architecture Manager for drone manufacturer Insitu. At the Future Farm Drone Rodeo in Pendleton, Oregon, Insitu conducted a drone swarm demonstration using three 3DR Solos – all controlled by a single pilot using a computer. Of course, to stay in compliance with FAA regulations, an individual pilot for each aircraft was on standby should immediate human intervention be required. The long-term goal is to make drones more efficient through automation, requiring less direct human input to gather data more quickly than would be possible with a single drone. Such a control system would also allow the drones to be operated remotely via the Internet or other networks.
Frank Schroth is editor in chief of DroneLife, the authoritative source for news and analysis on the drone industry: it’s people, products, trends, and events. Email Frank
TWITTER:@fschroth
