3D Scan Sneak Peek — Crane Mast

Here at Skydio, we’re hard at work bringing 3D Scan to life. As we have mentioned in recent webinars, 3D Scan is first-of-its-kind adaptive scanning software built on top of Skydio Autonomy. 3D Scan automates data capture of any scene with comprehensive coverage and ultra-high resolution, so that crews can perform higher quality inspections in less time and with minimal pilot training.

We cannot wait to see the impact 3D Scan will have for engineering firms, general contractors, and first responders documenting evidence. In our testing, we have generated dozens of high-fidelity models, and the results have impressed both our own teams and our beta customers. Today, I’m excited to share with you a model that speaks to the future of 3D scanning and reconstruction.

Today’s model (click here to see it in 3D on the Skydio Sketchfab!) is of a Crane Mast, the likes of which is common on many industrial sites. These components, which support heavy machinery suspended above active job sites, must be regularly inspected and maintained for worker safety.

However, capturing precise views of these structures poses challenges. Climbers are limited to the central staircase and cannot see the outside of the mast. Manual drones have untrustworthy obstacle avoidance and cannot fly up close, plus their magnetometers are unreliable in close proximity to metal structures. So, to inspect a tower, a typical manual drone inspector would have to maintain a long standoff distance from the subject, relying on an expensive and delicate zoom camera to generate precision imagery from a high-altitude grid pattern.

The complex, metallic structure of a crane mast is difficult for a manual drone to navigate near, requiring long standoff distances and expensive hardware to compensate for conservative flight patterns.

Not so with 3D Scan. Skydio’s Adaptive Mapping algorithms help the drone iteratively design a structure-specific 3D Scanning path, and follow it with full obstacle avoidance engaged. The Skydio vehicle autonomously explores and models the structure as it flies, and then automatically executes an image capture plan that provides efficient and complete coverage. As a result, the drone can capture imagery up close, from multiple angles, of every point in the volume that the pilot specifies at the beginning of the flight. On this structure, it is clear how the drone designs a unique pattern for the subject at hand, and generates a spectacular 3D model.

With its Adaptive Scanning algorithms, Skydio autonomously discovers structures while in flight and generates optimized flight patterns that provide the best possible output.

Additional capture details are below. To learn how you can apply this incredible new technology to your inspection operations, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Capture

• Platform: Skydio 2
• Date: Feb 6, 2020
• Distance: 4 meters
• GSD: 1.7 mm
• Overlap / Sidelap: 80 / 70%
• Photos: 501
• Flight Time: 29 min

Processing

• Package: Bentley ContextCapture (Learn More)
• Computer: Laptop w/ Quadro GPU
• Process Time: 90 minutes