A survey quadcopter designed around its camera.
A custom-built quadcopter for professional photogrammetry, orthophotos, and building and facade modeling. The design aims to avoid Chinese components or, at minimum, exclude them from critical systems in contexts where that supply chain is not accepted.
Why we built it
Off-the-shelf mapping drones force a trade-off between camera quality, flight safety features, and platform restrictions. This project starts from a 61-megapixel full-frame camera and builds a purpose-designed aircraft around it, rather than fitting a compromise camera to an existing platform.
Key capabilities
- High-resolution imaging. Full-frame 61MP camera with a mechanical shutter, suited to detailed orthophotos and building models.
- Survey-grade positioning. RTK/PPK precision GNSS, independent of the flight system, for accurate geotagging.
- Facade scanning. Purpose-built mission profiles for vertical and oblique capture of building exteriors, not just top-down mapping.
- Independent safety systems. Flight termination and recovery hardware that operates even if the flight computer or radio links fail, rather than depending on the autopilot alone.
- Redundant control links. Separate, independent connections for manual override and telemetry, so a single link failure never removes the ability to fly the aircraft manually.
- Obstacle and landing awareness. Forward-facing sensing for close-proximity facade work, downward-facing sensing for precise autoland.
- Supply chain by design. Built on open components, selected with the goal of avoiding Chinese hardware, and at minimum keeping it out of flight-critical and safety-critical systems, for operating environments where that is a requirement.
Typical use cases
- Orthophoto and mapping surveys
- 3D building and facade modeling
- Infrastructure and facade inspection where Chinese hardware is restricted
Status
In final design and procurement, moving toward assembly and flight testing.
For a drone designed around your own payload or mission, see our Drones & UAV services or get in touch.