Falcker Innovations and Percepto have demonstrated a 3D visualisation drone at the site of Maasvlakte Olie Terminal in the Port of Rotterdam
Stakeholders from the petrochemical industry and several involved governmental organisations witnessed the demonstration flight, which took place last Thursday, 12th of September.
Falcker is a high tech company with roots in the port of Rotterdam, while Israel-based Percepto has developed "drone-in-a-box for industrial inspection purposes, and has already partnered with CERTUS Port Automation. To date it has raised US$27.5M of venture capital for product development and further R&D.
Falcker has developed smart business applications in the petrochemical industry to implement new inspection methods. Storage tank terminals and refineries, like other commercial companies, are looking for cost control and reduction, without endangering the integrity of their assets.
By integrating high tech equipment and -applications with regular inspection methods, says Falcker, maximum insight into the status and behaviour of the clients’ assets can be obtained in a cost-efficient manner.
Drone-based inspections are one of the possibilities Falcker offers. With multispectral cameras, 3D visualisation and AI, inspection data are analysed and presented to the end user. Anomalies like corrosion, deformation, gas emissions and other deficiencies can be detected and appropriate action can be taken.
Commercial drone flights, especially in industrial areas, are strictly regulated. Thomas Schouten, CEO Falcker, explained: "a pilot has to be onsite with a visual line of sight at the drone. With the introduction of the new European Law regarding drones, we expect new possibilities regarding the usage of autonomous drones. To perform this one-time demonstration a permit was obtained from the relevant Dutch authority, Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport.
“Falcker and Percepto would like to show that the technology is already available to take drone applications to the next level," said Schouten. "The autonomous drone-in-a-box solution from Percepto provides an innovative and intuitive portal which every end user can use. Next to inspection the system can be used for security perimeter surveillance, person and vehicle tracking and incident management.”
Although the test was specifically aimed at the petrochemical sector, the technology from Falcker and Percepto has obvious possibilities in all kinds of port facilities.
Source: WorldCargo News
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