Drone Dock Simplifies Cordova Telecom Tower Maintenance; Other Uses Forthcoming

The waiver from the FAA is “shielded,” Gutacker explains, so the drone may only fly within 50 feet vertically and 200 feet horizontally from the dock. However, the pilot could be anywhere in Alaska with internet access. Furthermore, a docked drone could be pressed into service by, for example, a search and rescue agency with a separate FAA waiver to fly cross-country.

A weather camera in the dock assures the pilot that visibility at the site is adequate. Higher-end drones can handle significant crosswinds, as well, but Gutacker notes that current models are only rated for conditions in the southern half of Alaska. They would need winterizing before being docked in Fairbanks or points north.

“There’s still some work to be done,” Gutacker says, “but these are becoming affordable.”

A subsequent conference presentation confirmed the business utility of drones (even the older dockless type) in the $1,000 to $2,000 price range. Krista Scott, a principal scientist at Midnight Sun Environmental, has begun using a drone for field surveys. “Since starting to use a drone, the value that I’ve seen, the time and money it saves me—I now find that I take the drone every time that I go out,” says Scott.

She noted the extended reach for better camera angles and the superior resolution compared to other photo mapping resources. “The drone has probably revolutionized me,” Scott says. “The amount of time it would save me every day in the work that I do is impressive.”

Her colleague Kelly Kennedy pointed to some drawbacks: aerial photos fill a lot of data storage space, and accidental crashes can be expensive. “The more comfortable we got using drones, the more things we started to discover,” he says. “We started out from the bottom, and we’re just discovering the different methods that are available. It’s only going to improve in the future.”

Kennedy echoed the ARI presentation, when Gutacker said, “Kinda crazy how technology is moving so fast.”

Twin Visualization

An additional technology that makes drone imaging more valuable is digital twinning. Gutacker explains that true digital twins involve mathematical models of, for example, structural loads in a tall building or the operational controls of process machinery. But the most basic level of twins enable visualizations for a wide array of applications.

As with the Cordova Telecom site, Gutacker says, “Unless you need the thickness of the steel, this gets all of the hardware placements and layouts without having to send a climber up the tower. So there’s really big cost and safety savings.”

And that’s without airborne cameras. ARI was already pushing the technology by sending a ground-based camera up a tower with a climber. Its cameras also document roughed-in construction sites to record what’s behind the walls, which can avoid costly mistakes. “You only have to have one outlet buried in the sheetrock, and it basically pays for itself,” Gutacker says.

Twinned data from thermal cameras are ideal for building inspections, Gutacker contends, while LiDAR using lasers beats simple photogrammetry when it comes to imaging thin objects like utility wires for checking sag clearances. He also recommends twinning technology for documenting job sites for liability protection. Two other applications drew gasps from the presentation audience: a photographic overview of utilities before they’re buried under a concrete slab, and using drones to check sightlines for microwave relays or views from unbuilt buildings.

Gutacker says, “Once you have a digital twin or a model, there are so many ways to put it to work for you. Honestly, that’s one of the things I like most about my job: you have this thing, and there’s a few ways that you can take the value of that thing and triple it.”

Gone are the days, he says, when such graphics required a supercomputer to generate. “That same data is not only not cost-prohibitive to capture but it can be made accessible to hundreds of people,” Gutacker observes. He says it “lubricates communication” by sharing data among all of a project’s contractors, subcontractors, and even an electrician’s apprentice.

“When I realized that I was thirty seconds away from the facts—with the ability to take a screengrab and text it to someone instead of having a five-minute conversation,” Gutacker says, “it changes the rate of adoption pretty dramatically.”

ARI is ready to deploy drone docks at five other facilities in Cordova. Beyond that, the technology could be deployed for utilities, heavy industries, or general contractors.

“I’m not really sure where the dock thing is going to go,” Gutacker says, “but obviously the technology is moving fast, and the use cases in Alaska are present. Many of our clients would have a need, so we are dabbling in it.”