The company, which provides Drone-In-a-Box (DIB) solutions for industrial sites and critical infrastructure, says deployment over 5G networks will enhance real-time video streams and lower battery consumption – lengthening mission times and the distances drones can travel from their launchpad.
That launchpad – the ‘box’ – also serves as a landing pad and recharging base.
Unlike conventional drone missions, which are steered by a ground-based human operator with a controller, a ‘drone in a box’ is an autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that deploys from, and returns to, self-contained ‘boxes’.
Drones carry out pre-programmed instructions before returning to the box to recharge, upload video and other data gathered during the mission, and to be subject to health checks.
Percepto’s autonomous Sparrow drones can conduct multiple missions a day, at any time of day and night.
“We are proud to have been selected by SK Telecom, to demonstrate the potential of both 5G and autonomous drones,” said Dor Abuahsira, CEO of Percepto.
You can watch footage of the trial in the video below.
Korea is the first country in the world to roll out a 5G network. Run by SK Telecom, the country’s largest mobile operator, the network was commercialised in December 2018.
Dain SNT, Percepto’s representative in Korea, has been collaborating with SK Telecom to deploy Percepto’s solutions over the network.
Founded in 2014 Percepto says it remains the only provider of autonomous flights delivered over cellular networks. Customers include several Fortune 500 organisations.
Earlier this year the company was given the 2018 Global Enabling Technology Leadership Award by Frost & Sullivan for its unique on-board data processing capabilities and real-time analytics.
“Percepto has developed a solution for varying sectors (e.g., industrial, petroleum, and nuclear power-plant) to provide more than just technology but a value-added solution that can help users lower expenses,” said Mike Blades, research director at Frost & Sullivan.
“In response, Percepto moved away from a pure technology offering to create a robust drone-in-a-box solution, where the drone can wholly detach from a pilot and perform missions 24/7. The solution uses machine vision to fly to and from specific sites for difficult missions such as person and vehicle tracking, as well as anomaly detection.”
