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NETWORK / 31 / SEPTEMBER 2017 nel, while increasing inspection efficiency offshore, Texo says. "But UV corona is a big part of what we do. We are currently ramp- ing up for a project in Oman to begin survey- ing of all their overhead power lines for UV corona," explains Wood. LIDAR for high accuracy The survey grade LIDAR system, unusually, is accurate to one millimetre, Texo says, and can be used for building information modelling of structures such as pylons and corridor mapping. "We have the only sur- vey grade integrated UAV LIDAR system in the world," Wood claims. "That is used for building information modelling (BIM) and corridor mapping of pylons. We can go to measure a pylon and measure it to millimetre precision in 40 seconds, during one flyover, rather than operatives having to climb up and measure specific aspects or components. From that we can create a point cloud, which the client will turn into a relevant CAD or BIM model." This can help assess the structural integrity of a pylon or series of pylons, for example. The company owns its fleet of UAVs, many of which are modified by a team of engineers to integrate each payload. "There is a lot of UAV operators out there who are providing visual inspection. From a supplier rationalisation point of view, operators are looking for companies like us to supply a single integrated solution – UAV plus pay- load. You can't just put a LIDAR system off- the-shelf onto the UAV." About 30% of the equipment Texo DSI is using is off-the-shelf, but much of it is specially modified, Wood explains. It has a fleet of AscTec Falcon 8 drones, many of which are optimised to the company's requirements. "For example, we will swap the antenna systems for live feeds and greater range, with greater flexibility, or different camera angles. We will fit carbon propellers for offshore. You can't do that if you lease this equipment. Our is a capex asset. It is an extensive UAV fleet and we own and operate every single nut and bolt." He adds that Texo's offshore UAVs might carry payloads worth more than a million pounds. "It's like a Formula One set-up when we turn up on site. For the UV corona the cameras themselves are £80,000– £100,000 for the camera. And then you have to integrate it on a viable UAV platform. It is a very complicated industry to be in at this level, very technological. And there are big barriers to entry." Drones without pilots? In terms of the future, Texo DSI is work- ing on semi-autonomous and autonomous technologies for offshore inspection of wind turbines, it says. It is also part of a project, with Cranfield University, looking at the use of robotic UAVs and semi-autonomous drone deployment for scheduled maintenance. For wind turbine maintenance, it would be pos- sible to LIDAR scan the turbine, store the data, and fly out again a few months later to check if there is any buckling to the nacelles or turbine blades – without the need to deploy personnel offshore. Operators would subsequently go out to make repairs if dam- age to the turbine was detected. Texo DSI is also interested in developing drone technol- ogy that can be used inside buildings, and in confined or dangerous areas. Wood says: "It's all about repeatability and comparative analysis – that is what clients want, without having to deploy per- sonnel. We can inspect wind turbines from 200km away now. We have unmanned heli- copter systems that can fly from the shore, fly 100km out over the North Sea to inspect a wind turbine for structural integrity via visual reference, and fly back again. There's no need to deploy people on boats." It may take some time for the regulations governing the use of drones for inspec- tion to catch up with the capabilities of the technology, however. Currently, as a sur- vey is carried out, drone pilots are required to be in line of sight with the drone by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). "It's the CAA holding us back, not the technology," Wood suggests. "Extending beyond visual line of sight would give us the capability to send out fixed wings and our bigger multi- rotors beyond visual, so that we can oper- ate offshore for longer distances, or carry out extended corridor mapping for pylons by our fixed wings. You can type in an auto- mated flight path – and off it goes." Ultimately, rules and regulations will dictate how and where drone inspection operators such as Texo DSI can operate. "The natural advancement would be that we have an operating base, and drones have interoperability with manned aircra¢ and unmanned aircra¢, and are equipped with AI for obstacle avoidance," Wood says. "Our UAV would be launched from a cen- tral hub and go 300 or 400 miles away to detect a fault on a pylon or a turbine, with- out the need to deploy pilots. That's where the future is." How far away is this vision from becom- ing a reality? "It won't for another ten to 15 years," Wood predicts. "But that is the next big step – It will not be in payload, or appli- cations; it will be in deployment."