At this week’s InterGeo Conference in Stuttgart, the h-aero flew around the floor at Interaerial Solutions. Indoors, and over people’s heads, and in perfect safety – because the floating balloon style is lightweight, maneuverable, and very quiet. At a session on the h-aero and some of the innovative applications that the aircraft is being used for, Singer says that the h-aero dirigible combines the characteristics of a balloon, helicopter and airplane in order to keep the advantages of each aircraft while leaving behind the disadvantages.
One of the exciting projects that h-aero is working on is creating aerial 3D reconstruction of antique buildings. h-aero’s unique design means that it is safe to use inside of priceless heritage buildings, where it cannot damage the structure by accidentally brushing against a surface. “The wider your field of view, the closer you must fly to get higher resolution, ” Singer explains. “With h-aero you can get better 3D models because you can get close. ” To get good models, the images collected must overlap by 80%: Singer says that with the aircraft’s 360 degree rotation for scanning and high controllability, it’s proven extremely effective.
Since the aircraft can carry multiple sensors at the same time, applications in agriculture and forestry, search and rescue, surveillance and inspections abound. The h-aero isn’t perfect for every mission: they aren’t the right solution for wind or rough weather. Despite obvious military applications, Singer says that the company is developing the product first for the civil market, which will help them lower their risk while increasing their learning curve.
As the h-aero finds more applications, the definition of h-aero’s unique characteristics may become less important: h-aero’s unique uses may say it all.
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
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