scholarly journals A low cost way for assessing bird risk hazards in power lines: Fixed-wing small unmanned aircraft systems

2014 ◽  
Vol 02 (01) ◽  
pp. 5-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margarita Mulero-Pázmány ◽  
Juan José Negro ◽  
Miguel Ferrer
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft Systems ◽  
Power Lines ◽  
Wildlife Monitoring ◽  
Aircraft Systems ◽  
Practical Tool ◽  
Conservation Projects ◽  
Technical Solutions

Accidents on power lines are one of the most important causes of man-induced mortality for raptors and soaring birds. The factors that condition the hazard have been extensively studied, and currently there are a variety of technical solutions available to mitigate the risk. Most of the resources in conservation projects to reduce avian mortality now are invested in fieldwork to monitor the lines, which diverts the resources available to install actual corrective measures to mitigate bird hazard. Little progress has been achieved in the methodology to characterize line risk, which is an expensive, tedious, and time-consuming task. In this work we describe the use of low cost small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) equipped with on-board cameras for power line surveillance. As a case study, we characterized four power lines, geo-referenced every pylon in selected portions, and assessed their hazard for birds. We compare the effectiveness of two variants of the sUAS method for data acquisition and two methods of plane control. This work provides evidence of the usefulness of sUAS as a fast, inexpensive, and practical tool in conservation biology, adding to their already known applications in wildlife monitoring, the environmental impact assessment of infrastructures.

scholarly journals Testing a key assumption of using drones as frightening devices: Do birds perceive drones as risky?

The Condor ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Conor C Egan ◽  
Bradley F Blackwell ◽  
Esteban Fernández-Juricic ◽  
Page E Klug
Keyword(s):  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft Systems ◽  
Agelaius Phoeniceus ◽  
Wildlife Monitoring ◽  
Aircraft Systems ◽  
Predator Model ◽  
Human Wildlife Conflict

Abstract Wildlife managers have recently suggested the use of unmanned aircraft systems or drones as nonlethal hazing tools to deter birds from areas of human-wildlife conflict. However, it remains unclear if birds perceive common drone platforms as threatening. Based on field studies assessing behavioral and physiological responses, it is generally assumed that birds perceive less risk from drones than from predators. However, studies controlling for multiple confounding effects have not been conducted. Our goal was to establish the degree to which the perception of risk by birds would vary between common drone platforms relative to a predator model when flown at different approach types. We evaluated the behavioral responses of individual Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) to 3 drone platforms: a predator model, a fixed-wing resembling an airplane, and a multirotor, approaching either head-on or overhead. Blackbirds became alert earlier (by 13.7 s), alarm-called more frequently (by a factor of 12), returned to forage later (by a factor of 4.7), and increased vigilance (by a factor of 1.3) in response to the predator model compared with the multirotor. Blackbirds also perceived the fixed-wing as riskier than the multirotor, but less risky than the predator model. Overhead approaches mostly failed to elicit flight in blackbirds across all platform types, and no blackbirds took flight in response to the multirotor at either overhead or head-on approaches. Our findings demonstrate that birds perceived drones with predatory characteristics as riskier than common drone models (i.e. fixed-wing and multirotor platforms). We recommend that drones be modified with additional stimuli to increase perceived risk when used as frightening devices, but avoided if used for wildlife monitoring.

Are unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) the future of wildlife monitoring? A review of accomplishments and challenges

Mammal Review ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 239-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Linchant ◽  
Jonathan Lisein ◽  
Jean Semeki ◽  
Philippe Lejeune ◽  
Cédric Vermeulen
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aircraft ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft Systems ◽  
Wildlife Monitoring ◽  
Aircraft Systems ◽  
The Future

scholarly journals Experimental Determination of Low-Cost Servomotor Reliability for Small Unmanned Aircraft Applications

2014 ◽  
Vol 629 ◽  
pp. 202-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jarrow Sarson-Lawrence ◽  
Roberto Sabatini ◽  
Reece Clothier ◽  
Alessandro Gardi
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Test Bench ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft Systems ◽  
Time To Failure ◽  
Aircraft Systems ◽  
Commercial Off The Shelf

One of the key challenges of designing low-cost Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) is to ensure acceptable and certifiable reliability factors for the adopted Commercial-off-the-Shelf (COTS) components since their reliability is often not quantified. In this paper, the experimental results obtained for quantifying the reliability of mini Unmanned Aircraft (UA) servomotors (by recording their time-to-failure on a defined set of test runs) are presented. The Weibull prediction model is adopted for quantitative analysis and the associated key mathematical models. The methodology adopted for performing the reliability analysis including the test bench setup used for the experiments is described. The results indicate a level of reliability expected for low-cost servos. Such servos could be used for low-risk UAS operations (e.g. small UA operating over sparsely populated regions) and where the economics of the business case permitted higher loss rates.

scholarly journals POTENTIAL OF UAV-BASED LASER SCANNER AND MULTISPECTRAL CAMERA DATA IN BUILDING INSPECTION

2016 ◽  
Vol XLI-B1 ◽  
pp. 1135-1142 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Mader ◽  
R. Blaskow ◽  
P. Westfeld ◽  
C. Weller
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Laser Scanner ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft Systems ◽  
Heavy Vehicles ◽  
Bridge Inspection ◽  
Aircraft Systems ◽  
Cost System ◽  
Thermal Cameras ◽  
Aerial Vehicle

Conventional building inspection of bridges, dams or large constructions in general is rather time consuming and often cost expensive due to traffic closures and the need of special heavy vehicles such as under-bridge inspection units or other large lifting platforms. In consideration that, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) will be more reliable and efficient as well as less expensive and simpler to operate. The utilisation of UAVs as an assisting tool in building inspections is obviously. Furthermore, light-weight special sensors such as infrared and thermal cameras as well as laser scanner are available and predestined for usage on unmanned aircraft systems. Such a flexible low-cost system is realized in the ADFEX project with the goal of time-efficient object exploration, monitoring and damage detection. For this purpose, a fleet of UAVs, equipped with several sensors for navigation, obstacle avoidance and 3D object-data acquisition, has been developed and constructed. This contribution deals with the potential of UAV-based data in building inspection. Therefore, an overview of the ADFEX project, sensor specifications and requirements of building inspections in general are given. On the basis of results achieved in practical studies, the applicability and potential of the UAV system in building inspection will be presented and discussed.

scholarly journals Performance of Hyperspectral Imaging with Drone Swarms

2018 ◽  
Vol 2672 (45) ◽  
pp. 36-44
Author(s):  
Raj Bridgelall ◽  
James B. Rafert ◽  
Denver D. Tolliver
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Hyperspectral Imaging ◽  
Spatial Resolution ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft Systems ◽  
Aircraft Systems ◽  
Sensing Platforms ◽  
Spatial Coverage ◽  
Ground Coverage

The ongoing proliferation and diversification of remote sensing platforms offer greater flexibility to select from a range of hyperspectral imagers as payloads. The emergence of low-cost unmanned aircraft systems (drones) and their launch flexibility present an opportunity to maximize spectral resolution while scaling both daily spatial coverage and spatial resolution simultaneously by operating synchronized swarms. This article presents a model to compare the performance of hyperspectral-imaging platforms in their spatial coverage and spatial resolution envelope. The authors develop a data acquisition framework and use the model to compare the achievable performance among existing airborne and spaceborne hyperspectral imaging vehicles and drone swarms. The results show that, subject to cost and operational limitations, a platform implemented with drone swarms has the potential to provide greater spatial resolution for the same daily ground coverage compared with existing airborne platforms.

scholarly journals Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) for Bridge Inspection Safety

Drones ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 40
Author(s):  
Bryan Hubbard ◽  
Sarah Hubbard
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aircraft ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft Systems ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
Bridge Inspection ◽  
Potential Harm ◽  
Aircraft Systems ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Benefit Cost ◽  
Excellent Tool

Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are an excellent tool to remove bridge inspection workers from potential harm. Previous research has documented that UAS for bridge inspection is a strategic priority of a state’s Department of Transportation (DOT), and this paper presents how they can increase safety and presents one methodology to quantify the economic benefit. Although previous studies have documented the potential benefits of using UAS for bridge inspection, these studies have primarily focused on efficiency and capabilities. This paper investigates in greater detail the potential to use UAS to increase the safety of bridge inspection, and includes the results of a survey of bridge inspectors, as well as a benefit cost methodology that utilizes worker compensation rates to quantify the safety benefits of UAS; the methodology is demonstrated using a case study for a DOT. The results of this research present evidence that UAS can increase the safety of bridge inspection, and the benefit–cost methodology and analysis suggest that using UAS to increase safety will provide benefits that are greater than agency costs.

scholarly journals POTENTIAL OF UAV-BASED LASER SCANNER AND MULTISPECTRAL CAMERA DATA IN BUILDING INSPECTION

2016 ◽  
Vol XLI-B1 ◽  
pp. 1135-1142 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Mader ◽  
R. Blaskow ◽  
P. Westfeld ◽  
C. Weller
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Laser Scanner ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft Systems ◽  
Heavy Vehicles ◽  
Bridge Inspection ◽  
Aircraft Systems ◽  
Cost System ◽  
Thermal Cameras ◽  
Aerial Vehicle

Conventional building inspection of bridges, dams or large constructions in general is rather time consuming and often cost expensive due to traffic closures and the need of special heavy vehicles such as under-bridge inspection units or other large lifting platforms. In consideration that, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) will be more reliable and efficient as well as less expensive and simpler to operate. The utilisation of UAVs as an assisting tool in building inspections is obviously. Furthermore, light-weight special sensors such as infrared and thermal cameras as well as laser scanner are available and predestined for usage on unmanned aircraft systems. Such a flexible low-cost system is realized in the ADFEX project with the goal of time-efficient object exploration, monitoring and damage detection. For this purpose, a fleet of UAVs, equipped with several sensors for navigation, obstacle avoidance and 3D object-data acquisition, has been developed and constructed. This contribution deals with the potential of UAV-based data in building inspection. Therefore, an overview of the ADFEX project, sensor specifications and requirements of building inspections in general are given. On the basis of results achieved in practical studies, the applicability and potential of the UAV system in building inspection will be presented and discussed.

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