Delivered "PD-WL" drone capable of inspecting tunnel ceilings

PD-WL, a drone capable of inspecting the ceiling surface of delivered tunnels

PRODRONE Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, President and CEO: Shunsuke Totani, hereinafter referred to as PRODRONE) has delivered a drone (hereinafter referred to as PD-WL) that can inspect tunnel ceiling surfaces to Walnut Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tachikawa City, Tokyo, Representative Director: Yutaka Saito, hereinafter referred to as Walnut). This aircraft has functions such as automatic sticking, side slip prevention, forward and backward propulsion functions, climbing over bumps, and steering functions that are effective for inspecting ceiling surfaces in tunnels, etc., and achieves stable flight even in non-GPS environments.

There are approximately 10,000 tunnels in Japan (according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism), and 3,200 tunnels, or approximately 30% of them, have been constructed for more than 40 years and are in urgent need of extensive inspection. PRODRONE developed PD-WL to meet these needs.

It is a general-purpose large machine. PD6B-Type2 Based on the above, this machine has added various sensors and propulsion propellers, and performs inspections while attached to the tunnel ceiling, enabling efficient inspection work. PRODRONE's unique technology is used to control the speed of the aircraft, which is extremely difficult when it is stuck to the ceiling, and achieves accurate measurements.

A Walnut representative described his impressions after actually using PD-WL in the field as follows:

``In the past, tunnel surveys required many surveyors.Furthermore, in addition to assembling temporary scaffolding and aerial work vehicles for the survey, it was also essential to have personnel with the necessary qualifications to operate the equipment.The PD-WL solved this problem. By using PD-WL, we have not only solved the shortage of personnel and reduced man-hours and costs, but we have also been able to provide services quickly.Also, although there was an image of 3K for social infrastructure surveys, PD-WL has made it possible to perform safe and smart measurements.

We will continue to actively utilize drones and measuring robots, and move forward as a company that can contribute to creating attractive construction sites and improving our image."

The developer of PRODRONE said as follows, and hopes that it will be widely used.

"Generally, positioning using satellites is not possible inside tunnels, and the magnetic environment is also poor, making it difficult to operate drones. The PD-WL can automatically fly and perform stable inspections even in such environments, and I believe it will be an aircraft that will greatly contribute to infrastructure inspections in the future."

PRODRONE will continue to proactively provide solutions in fields that are in demand by society.