On 22.5.2024 the first autonomous drone flight without visual contact in Slovakia took place, organized by Východoslovenská Energetika Holding,a.s. – Východoslovenská distribučná (VSD). R-SYS participated in this unique flight by providing position and data display from the drone using the Authority console of the IXO UTM system.
The course of the autonomous flight
The automation of drone operations is a trend that opens new doors to the potential of unmanned systems. The advantages of using drones without visual contact are also realized by Východoslovenská distribučná (VSD) – a company that manages thousands of kilometers of power lines in Slovakia. That is why it organised the first demonstration flight by a drone to inspect high-voltage power lines in a designated location. Its implementation was made possible by an operating permit from the Transport Authority of the Slovak Republic (the first of its kind in the country), whose representatives were also present at the event.
The mission planning and flight execution was provided by the event partner – Zephyr UAS. The drone (DJI Dock) took off from the Lemešany power station and during the 9km flight performed an inspection of 21 high voltage poles. The drone flew along a pre-planned route and collected visual data from each pole. These were then analysed and processed by AI.
The flight was controlled from the VSD control room in Košice, approximately 20km away from the take-off point. Its progress was controlled by an operator who could take over manual control at any stage. As part of safety, the drone’s reactions to unforeseen events, such as loss of signal or adverse weather conditions, were planned and prepared in advance.
Real-time data from the drone
The drone was equipped with the LTE remote identification module Dronetag, which cooperates with the Authority console of the IXO UTM (Mam Dron) system developed by our company. Participants in the control room could thus monitor the location and other data transmitted from the drone in real time on a map background. Our colleague Pavol Serbín explained other possibilities of the IXO UTM web console, such as creating drone/no-drone zones, displaying data using Network/Direct ID, or calculating conflicts with non-flight zones.
