Terra Drone and KDDI launch drone infrastructure inspection services

April 25, 2019

~Ideal for telecom and transmission steel towers, wind turbines, smokestacks, and bridges~

Terra Drone Corporation (Headquarter: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Toru Tokushige, hereinafter called “Terra Drone”) and KDDI Corporation (Headquarter: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President: Makoto Takahashi, hereinafter called “KDDI”) announce a breakthrough in asset management by launching safe, fast, and cost-effective infrastructure inspection services using drones.

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The solution uses drones with high-resolution cameras to monitor the structural health of industrial systems, such as, wind turbines, telecom and transmission steel towers, smokestacks, and bridges. The data management and report generation is further automated via Terra Inspection software, an online platform based on Terra UTM autonomous flight system and Terra Mapper 3D modeling system (SfM).

The process of infrastructure inspection using drones
Under the solution offered by Terra Drone and KDDI, a drone will generate a 3D model of the heavy industrial asset by flying around the structure, whilst simultaneously determining which components should be inspected. This allows the drone to shoot the inspection points from optimal angles and range designated by the Terra Inspection software.

Auto-generated flight path under drone inspection services by Terra Drone and KDDI

This solution is one of many utilizing the “Smart Drone*1” platform which Terra Drone and KDDI have jointly developed and demonstrated several times since 2016. Smart Drone connects drones with a mobile communication network, weather database and maps to enable remotely planned drone flight paths, as well as monitoring and control of flight operations. Apart from asset inspection, the solution can be used for several other industrial applications, including large-area surveillance, land survey, and precision farming.

*1 Drones with the capability of longer and safer flight using KDDI telecommunication network
For more information, visit Smart Drone website.

■About Terra Drone Corporation
Terra Drone Corporation is the world’s leading provider of industrial drone solutions. Established in 2016, the company’s head office is located in Tokyo, Japan, with more than 30 branches spread across the APAC, European Union, and South America. Terra Drone provides innovative drone technologies empowered with LiDAR and photogrammetric surveying methods for industries like construction, electricity, energy, and oil and gas. Terra Drone specializes in high-performance hardware, cutting-edge software, and drone traffic management systems (UTM).
Terra Drone held its maiden global summit attended by the top executives of Terra Drone group companies from over 20 countries in Asia, South America, Africa, and Europe in early March.

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◼️About KDDI
KDDI is a telecommunication service provider in Japan, offering both mobile and fixed-line communications. With its well-established base of over 50 million customers, and through mobile services and shops offering its “au” brand, KDDI is expanding its services into the “Life Design” business, which includes e-commerce, fintech, nationwide electric power utility services, entertainment and education. With a 60-year history, KDDI is now focusing on creating smart infrastructure through IoT technologies and open innovation with partners and start-up companies in diverse industries. KDDI is accelerating the global growth of its telecommunications consumer business, with operations in Myanmar and Mongolia, and in the global ICT business with the “TELEHOUSE” brand. KDDI (TYO:9433) is listed on the Tokyo stock exchange.

http://www.kddi.com/english/.

For more information, contact:
Terra Drone Co.
Tel: +81(0)3-6319-7193
Email: info.en@terra-drone.co.jp
Terra Drone Website: https://www.terra-drone.net/global/