Flyability launched its Elios 3 Surveying Payload in October 2023. Goal: to market a LiDAR payload with real added value to the Elios 3. Namely, the device has features that enable greater data coverage, mapping efficiency and accuracy.
Droprise is totally convinced of the impact of this technology and its return on investment. Only we wanted to be able to prove this to potential customers. So we worked with Flyability to map a long bridge in Belgium.
Benefits in a nutshell
- Safety
The Survey Payload collected data over the entire 600 metres of the bridge. And in doing so, accurately inspected areas that would normally need to be reached at altitude. The drone also flew in a safe manner that did not distract traffic. - Efficiency
The Elios 3 did this outdoor inspection in only 4 flights ánd in less than 1 day. This did not interfere with traffic. And it also immediately determined whether maintenance work was needed. - Accuracy
The land survey payload can collect more than 90% of the data to within 1 centimetre. This makes the results very detailed and accurate.
Understanding Elios 3 LiDAR payloads
For professional drone surveyors and land surveyors, there are two LiDAR payloads compatible with the Elios 3. They make their choice based on what best suits their needs.
One is the standard configuration with the Rev 6.2 LiDAR. This is better suited to projects requiring a general survey of an area with medium accuracy.
The surveying payload, on the other hand, is tailor-made for inspections or measurements where accuracy is very important. With its Rev 7 LiDAR, it is best suited for mapping challenging and complex environments. Think underground mines, sewers or other projects where centimetre-accurate results are extremely important.
With this new payload, data gaps in challenging environments can be bridged thanks to better physical capabilities and the partner processing software FARO Connect. Droprise found the capabilities of the surveying payload already impressive. During tests, more than 90% of the data collected was accurate to within 2 centimetres, with 1.3 million points scanned per second and a range of up to 100 metres. In turn, data processing with FARO Connect enabled automatic merging of point clouds. And provided automatic noise reduction thanks to processing settings designed for Flyability's drones.
Mapping a highway bridge without obstructing traffic
Droprise has been a Flyability reseller and partner since 2019. We saw the evolution of the Elios drone. So we decided to put Flyability's latest flagship drone to the test.
The bridge we were going to inspect was built in 2014 and is partly above water through which ships pass daily. No structural problems are expected for such a new bridge. But we would never reach its underside for inspection without building special scaffolding above the water. This makes it the ideal test site for the Elios 3.
When surveying the highway bridge, it was important that we did not distract traffic. Therefore, we did not conduct flights directly above the live bridge deck. Nevertheless, we managed to mimic the entire bridge within the desired survey area.
LiDAR bridge
So we conducted the survey using the Elios 3 Surveying Payload. A team of pilots from Droprise and Flyability were given permission to inspect key elements around the bridge, on a busy section of highway. The aim was to create a 3D model based on data collection under and next to the structure.
Methodology
A survey using the Elios 3 provided an opportunity to demonstrate the quality of the data and the versatility of the application. In flight, the Elios 3 does not use GPS but a visual camera (VIO) and LiDAR stabilisation to guide itself. Moreover, it is compatible with Remote ID, essential in some global markets. The fact that the Elios 3 does not use GPS has the advantage that it cannot lose the GPS signal in flight. This allows the drone to fly close to or even under a bridge, where other drones would lose the GPS connection. This highlights the added value of the Elios 3 thanks to its clear results and extensive capabilities.
As you read earlier, traffic was not allowed to stop for this inspection. Therefore, we had to ensure that we controlled the drone in a way that would not distract or even endanger car drivers. With this in mind, we chose to fly at a specific altitude angle relative to the road and not directly above it.
The bridge we examined is 600 metres long. We inspected it from multiple angles in just four flights. Care was needed, as the pilot was not allowed to cross the highway during the inspection. And still had to fly as close as possible to the underside of the bridge to collect all the data. Since the Rev 7 LiDAR records as many as 1.5 million points per second, we had a very dense point cloud as a result. Thanks to the FlyAware live model, this allowed us to see that we still had a very comprehensive view of the bridge. We then processed the results with FARO Connect. This allowed us to align all the flights and recreate the bridge in 3D.
Results of a drone inspection of a bridge
The point cloud of the bridge we generated with these flights shows great clarity and detail of the structure. It simultaneously provides us with a comprehensive picture, despite the fact that data was only collected from certain angles.
At Droprise, the goal has already been achieved. We can use this video to demonstrate the quality of the acquired data to potential customers. This test case is specifically very interesting for large infrastructure management projects across the country. We are therefore planning a follow-up flight in the future. Here we will use the increased accuracy of the Surveying Payload and the automated georeferencing of FARO Connect. The latter will allow us to streamline the digitisation process and create a centimetre-accurate, localised model of the bridge.
