Match Made in Heaven: Drones and AI
/In recent years, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) with drone technology has ushered in a new era of innovation across diverse industries. This powerful combination is reshaping traditional practices and opening up new possibilities for sectors from energy and utilities to surveillance and weather forecasting and beyond.
Drone AI Technology Basics
From SIA
Drones—equipped with navigation systems, cameras, GPS, and programmable controllers—form the foundation of AI drone technology. However, it's the payloads, such as hi-resolution cameras and thermal imaging sensors, that are the heartbeat of drone operations. Computer vision, akin to machine learning, becomes instrumental as it uses digital images and visual data to extract meaningful information.
As machine learning technology advances, the application for drones in industry is undergoing a radical transformation. Drones can now autonomously detect and navigate the right directions for safe flight, reducing the reliance on human input.
According to Consortiq, the success of AI drone technology hinges on three core components:
Access to Big Data: Drones draw insights and information from a large pool of data, facilitating informed decision-making.
Highly Sophisticated Algorithms: The efficiency of algorithms is crucial for the rapid processing and interpretation of data, contributing to the intelligence of AI-driven drones.
GPUs (Graphics Processing Units) with High Computing Power: The computational prowess of GPUs enhances the processing speed and overall performance of AI drone systems.
Drones and AI in Action
The utility sector serves as a prime example of the positive impact of AI-enabled drones.
Zefan Tang, a senior data scientist at Eversource Energy, highlighted the potential during a live presentation earlier this year. According to Tang, by incorporating AI into power line inspections, drones can efficiently detect damaged components, reducing the need for laborious manual inspection and increasing system reliability.
Tang outlined a strategic AI training process where images collected by Eversource Energy's drone team are meticulously sorted into training, validation, and test data sets. These sets are then used to train an AI model, a process that enhances the accuracy of power line damage inspection.
In the traditional scenario, without AI, after trained drone pilots capture images of critical components, manual scrutiny is required to identify and evaluate damage. This labor-intensive process results in hundreds of thousands of images that require human review.
AI emerges as a game-changer, expediting the inspection process significantly. A well-trained AI model can automatically detect certain defects, minimizing the need for manual examination. Even when the AI model doesn't achieve perfection, it still represents substantial time and effort savings for engineers. Tang emphasizes that this approach allows well-paid and well-educated engineers to focus on reviewing AI results, ensuring a more strategic allocation of human resources.
With a strategic implementation of AI-driven inspections, utilities can better withstand challenges like winter storms, leading to a reduction in outages and minimizing the number of impacted customers.
Beyond utilities, other examples of drone AI in action include:
Weather forecasting using AI-powered drones equipped with special sensors. These devices collect data during flight, contributing to more accurate predictions. Drones are even used for riskier tasks like dropping devices into hurricanes, minimizing the need for human intervention.
In the age of rapid deliveries, drones equipped with AI optimization have become crucial players. During the COVID-19 pandemic, drones were instrumental in delivering medical supplies, blood donations, and vaccinations. Companies like Matternet are leveraging AI drone technology to create urban drone networks, transforming logistics and supply chain management.
The military sector stands at the forefront of harnessing AI drone technology. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) operate as spy devices, scanning locations, targeting areas, and enhancing defense forces. AI-driven navigation is vital for precise tracking systems, ensuring the success of military applications.
As we envision the future, the possibilities for AI drone technology seem boundless. What tasks will drones be capable of next? The transformative journey continues, promising innovative solutions and positive transformations across diverse sectors.
Want to learn all the ways drones & AI are changing the industry? Check out energAIze: Energy AI Forum co-located with 8th Annual Energy Drone & Robotics Summit this June in Houston.
