Skysense and Avansig Just Developed an Autonomous Indoor Drone Surveillance System

According to the Skysense press release, the Avansig drone can execute its own indoor patrols and take advantage of Skysense’s drone-charging station when running low on power. 

While the UAV whirs around the building, it can record and live stream its footage back to base, and even alert its user (whether it be an individual or a security company) of any potential threats found inside. For large corporations relying on hundreds of stationary security cameras within multi-level skyscrapers, for example, having one drone per floor could potentially alleviate costs and serve as a far more practical security solution. 

“Drones work best in surveillance applications and are more cost effective,” said Avansig CEO David Trillo. “You don’t need to install so many cameras, which reduces the cost.” Additionally, of course, is the automated nature of the system as a whole, as the autonomous charging provided by Skysense alleviates users from having to manually switch out batteries or personally plug the UAV into a dock. This solution allows the drone to land on the charging dock whenever it needs to, in order to then autonomously resume its preconfigured surveillance patrols. 

“We realized we needed a charging partner at the beginning of the project because we want the drone to work completely unattended,” Trillo explained. “We were in contact with other companies, but we chose Skysense because we felt that their solution was more mature. It works, it’s reliable, and it’s simple. Also, the charging time is short.”

As commercial drone applications seem to be reaching an all-time high, only pending regulations across territories are restricting their tethered potential. The U.K. recently released a 225-page report on the priorities and problems of societal drone usage as envisioned by the current landscape of users and regulators. The United States is making a strenuous effort through its UAS Integration Pilot Program to let companies test various applications without certain regulations. For Skysense and Avansig, focusing on indoor applications seems simultaneously like a way to avoid these outdoor drone rules and a way to make its mark early on in that particular niche. 

Skysense has already attracted the attention from entities like Qualcomm and NASA, as well as winning the Pioneers ’18 Honda Challenge. While placing drones inside of buildings for inspections once everyone clocks out of work seems like a strange, unexpected idea that couldn’t possibly become the new standard, this is far more reasonable than previous indoor drone applications we’ve reported on. If this system works as the press release claims it does, there’s no reason why corporate behemoths wouldn’t see an appeal in automating their security systems and cutting costs wherever possible. As it stands, rotating surveillance cameras are still the contemporary norm, but quite possibly, not for long.