At MRO Americas, a maintenance tool for Airbus planes are undergoing testing. It is a drone-based inspection vehicle that will be used at hangars to expedite and facilitate visual inspections. The result will be considerable and will reveal how Airbus can decrease downtime and increase the quality of inspection reports.  Merging the comprehensive knowledge of Airbus with drone technology, this new robotic inspector will be outfitted with new technology to make it a smarter and automated with a visual camera, flight planner software, sensors for obstacle detection and an Airbus inspection software tool for analysis.

The inspection drone is being developed with Testia (a subsidiary of Airbus). They are specialists in non-destructive testing and will do very well in optimizing the drone for the inspection of an aircraft fuselage.  After a specific inspection process, the smart drone will capture all the necessary data needed with its onboard camera. The images will be of high-quality and will be transmitted to a central database for in-depth analysis using a software system. This will allow the operators to localize and map any visual damage on the aircraft by comparing it with a digital mock-up of the aircraft. After that, the software will automatically generate an inspection report.

The new system will become available by the 4th quarter of 2018. It is still awaiting approval from EASA, but initial tests have been done with several airlines who have expressed their interest in the robotic drone inspector.  As the drone is designed for use in aircraft hangars and outfitted with a laser-based sensor, it will be able to detect any barriers and halt the inspection if it becomes necessary. This sensor used in manufacturing the drone will allow it fly without the need for a remote pilot.

Reducing inspection time is one of the main benefits of this drone. For operators and MRO providers, cost reduction is also one of the attractive features of the drone. The new inspection process will take about 3 hours, plus 30 minutes for capturing images. When compared to the traditional inspection methods, which makes use of a telescopic platform – especially for the upper part of an aircraft – the new system will be a welcome breath of fresh air.

Drone technology is advancing in ways that astound even the most optimistic visionaries. They are being used to simplify tasks and make work environments safer for many workers in high-risk industries. With the hope of reduced cost and better efficiency, its no wonder that many organizations are looking for new ways to use drones to become more productive.