The technology behind drones has advanced tremendously over the last few years. Today, drones are lightweight, easy to use, and inexpensive. They come with a wide range of high quality features like cameras, sensors, and GPS tracking. One of the next big steps in advancing drone technology will be to develop a drone that can fly autonomously BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line Of Sight). For a drone to safely operate BVLOS, it needs to be able to sense and avoid objects in its path. The main concern is for drones to be able to sense other manned and unmanned aircraft within shared airspace. It also means drones being able to recognize and alter their flight for birds and structures. There has been a lot of progress in the development of BVLOS, but one obstacle that continues to cause problems are power lines.

Power lines notoriously cause trouble for drone pilots, whether the drones are being flown within VLOS (Visual Line Of Sight), BVLOS, autonomously, or remotely. Depending on the angle and lighting, many drone pilots have missed seeing a power line stretching across their flight path, even when the drone is within VLOS. For drones being flown autonomously or BVLOS, power lines are often not something the drone’s sensors can register. When a drone collides with a power line the least amount of damage would be a destroyed drone. However, on its way down the drone could damage public or private property, or even injure a person. It is even possible for the drone to create a fire or damage the power line leading to power outages.

A team of researchers from the US Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Army Research Lab (ARL) has come up with a possible solution. As stated on ARL’s website, “ARL is the Army’s sole fundamental research laboratory focused on cutting-edge scientific discovery, technological innovation, and transition of knowledge products that offer incredible potential to improve the Army’s chances of surviving and winning any future conflicts.” David Hull, who has a Masters in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland, is the Team Leader at ARL responsible for this latest development.

“Power lines are small and difficult to see with radar or optical sensors,” Hull said, “but they generate large fields that can be easily detected with low-power, low-cost, passive electric- and magnetic-field sensors.” Devices to detect power lines with radar or optical sensors are available. However, they are expensive, bulky, and take up a lot of power to operate. A combination of factors that are not ideal for drone dynamics. Hull and his team at ARL needed to come up with a system that could allow a drone to sense and avoid power lines that would not drain the drone’s battery, add unnecessary weight, or be too expensive.

The device Hull came up with uses a low power processing method to configure the field of flight and 3D sensors. The system creates a 3D map of the drone’s surroundings that can detect the electrical signature of power lines or grids. When this system registers this unique signature, it automatically tells the drone’s autopilot to avoid any collisions. Towards the end of this past summer, ARL announced that they had partnered up with Manifold Robotics in a patented license deal to begin developing the system for commercial and military drones.

Manifold Robotics is based out of the Brooklyn, New York technology incubator New Lab. Founded by Jeffrey Laut in 2016, Manifold is made up of a team of drone experts and engineers who focus on implementing technology to make drones more accessible. With the help of Manifold, ARL’s prototype will be able to ensure drones are flown safely in an environment near power lines. “We’re delighted to be working with ARL and expect that the Army technology will help us rapidly facilitate many autonomous drone applications, particularly those for power utilities and commercial operations,” Mr. Laut said. This collaboration reaches beyond drones being used by the military or power companies. It could further enhance drones being used for deliveries, mapping, surveying, emergencies, inspections, search and rescue, and so much more as power lines are so vastly spread through airspace that drones navigate through.