EDR Summit Session Recap: Drones, Digital twins, and Decisions

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From Consortiq

At this year’s Energy Drone & Robotics Summit, we had so many great sessions (and they’re available on demand). Here, we’re going to highlight one of the sessions, “Drones, Digital Twins, and Decisions: 5 Steps to a Safer Site,” presented by Gareth Beverley, CEO of Consortiq.

Beverley discussed the landscape of drones and digital twins in industrial applications. He argued that the more data an organization has, the better decisions it can make. 

Beverley highlighted five categories of drone applications:

  1. Surveillance

  2. Operations

  3. Entertainment/Advertising

  4. Signal Emission

  5. Movement

Because of the nature of the event, he focused in on #1 - surveillance—using digital twins to monitor physical assets. 

He laid out the different levels of digital twins:

  • Point Cloud - Low-resolution, easy to produce, serves as a baseline for building upon

  • High Density Point Cloud - More accurate, longer to produce, closer to reality

  • Full Model - Include reality capture and 3D modeling, very high accuracy, more usable data

  • Integration - Bring together reality capture, 3D modeling, 360° panoramic imaging, and real-time sensors

By reaching the level of integration, enterprises can use AI to flag potential issues, track data over time, and overall make better decisions—all in the name of reducing unplanned maintenance and improving site safety. 

The 5 steps Beverley and the Consortiq team use to help clients set up a drone program are:

  1. Pick use cases, equipment, and operating model

  2. Pick software stack

  3. Create a site map

  4. Automate inspections

  5. Analyze data over time

Step 4 is where drones come into play—using them along with the appropriate sensors—to routinely and consistently inspect assets for early signs of damage or potential issues. The benefits of automated inspections, Beverley points out, are better data, improved site safety, and, of course, cost savings. 

Access the recording of this and other 2023 Energy Drone & Robotics Summit sessions. 

Get Summit Sessions On Demand

Want more event fun? Get registered for Industrial IMMERSIVE Week at the end of this month in Houston, Texas to meet with all the key players for industrial/energy/engineering digital twins and reality capture.