The construction industry is notorious for slow adoption of new technology. There’s comfort in doing the job the same way for 30-plus years. With change to something new, there’s resistance from crew members and even those that approve the specs for the job. How can contractors move past the objection and make advances that increase productivity, save time and money, and ultimately create a better end product? The answer is knowledge—educating the construction professionals about the arsenal of technology tools designed to assist and improve the way a project is undertaken and completed. For starters, let’s take a closer look at the use of drones on the construction site. One, in particular, is manufactured by Yuneec and is ready to take the industry to the next level: meet the Yuneec H520.
ALL-IN-ONE SOLUTION
Designed as a commercial aerial solution, the Yuneec H520 arrives as an all-in-one package in a Pelican black drone case. There’s no need to buy accessories. The Yuneec H520 comes with its own display, cameras, connectors, and batteries. Meant to work right out of the box, it does take a little time to calibrate the unit and connect the hardware with the remote controller. Once the unit is functioning as it should (you may need to call customer service once or twice; that’s normal), you’re ready to begin your flight.
The crew member you assign as the drone operator must pass the FAA Airman Knowledge Test (Part 107) to be a certified drone pilot. This person could be assigned to various jobs to capture footage, survey the project, and check progress, plus maintain the drone and update the operating system as needed. For more information regarding the remote pilot license for a small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS), visit www.faa.gov.
WHY YUNEEC?
All drones are not made alike. The Yuneec H520 is bright orange and it stands out in the sky, making line of sight for the drone pilot easier to maintain. With a hexacopter design that demands attention, the H520 looks rugged and is built to carry various camera payloads. The H520 system utilizes a six-rotor platform that allows for stable, precise flights and medium focal length lenses that allow the UAV to fly at a greater distance from an object. Data is stored to an SD card in 4K/2K/HD video or 12MP still images and transmits to ST16S Ground Station in 720p video link resolution.
The ST16S Ground Station is an all-inclusive transmitter and receiver that provides full control over the H520 during flight, allowing users to capture photos and video. With a large 7-inch integrated screen, the Android-based ST16S controller displays real-time footage of your flight, eliminating the need for an external device. You can also use the ST16S as a mission planner. Using the touch screen, you can plan your flight and perform your mission with a single press of a button. This functionality will be explained in part two of this article.
NOTABLE FEATURES
High-wind resistance. Even in high-wind environments, the Yuneec H520 UAV system is able to hold position, allowing the solution to fly even when a manned inspection would be deemed unsafe. Exclusive flight speed control offers the slowest speed above stall flight for maximum precision in challenging environments. Wind speeds of 20-30 mph are not a problem for the H520.
Retractable landing gear. H520’s landing gear retracts out of the way to give you a continuous 360-degree view of the world to capture important data in the field. This function also allows smoother and more efficient flight control.
360-degree global view gimbal. The 360-degree, damped gimbal system allows for manual aiming, or can be put into a vertical scan mode for re-targeting without adjusting yaw of the UAV. This allows for the smooth scan/pan while the UAV remains in a stable, non-moving hover/loiter.
28-minute flight time. Using an upgraded and more efficient battery platform, H520 will now allow the pilot to stay in flight for up to 28 minutes, depending on the weight of the payload. As an added feature, the Yuneec UAV may be ground-tethered for constant power, allowing the UAV to remain on-station for long periods of time, allowing for time lapse, constant feed in temporary gatherings, or as a portable fixed-camera solution.
CAMERA PAYLOAD OPTIONS
Yuneec camera payloads are interchangeable and hot-swap capable, offering time-saving convenience for the commercial operator by not requiring a power-down restart of the UAV system. This also allows consistency of data storage, rather than using multiple storage devices and locations. Whether it’s thermal imaging, long focal length, or wide focal-length data capture, memory cards may be swapped from device to device.
The E90 camera is a wide-angle, high-resolution, gimbal stabilized imaging system perfectly suited for use in applications that require high-quality photos and video. The E90 utilizes a 20MP, 1-inch sensor and the latest H2 high-speed image processing chip. The E90 is ideal for the construction industry with its 3D mapping/modeling.
Thermal imaging is achieved with the dual-imaging solution for UAV use. The CGOET simultaneously records two separate video files for each lens. It is also designed for low-light scenarios with the ability to see 20X better than the human eye in identical environments.
The E50 camera is a medium focal length, high-resolution, gimbal stabilized imaging system perfectly suited for use in inspection or cinema applications. The E50 utilizes a high aperture 1/2.3 inch CMOS imager that is capable to capture still images with 12MP resolution. The E50 is ideal for critical inspection of cell towers, wind turbines, oil & gas platforms, and other vertical assets. The 40mm equivalent lens enables the E50 to capture important visual detail while maintaining a safe distance from the asset.
MORE TO OFFER
The Yuneec H520 is designed to aid the contractor before, during, and after the job. How is this accomplished? What are the benefits to using the H520? These questions, and more, will be answered in part two of this article in the next issue of MCS.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For more information about the Yuneec H520 and its features and functionality, visit www.yuneec.com.
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Modern Contractor Solutions, July 2018
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