After having experimented our RF measurement applications with different commercialy available industrial drones, none of them giving us full satisfaction, we have decided to create our own platform. The COL-X8 drone has been designed to take into consideration various mechanical, electrical, eletromagnetic and safety parameters essential for us.
A particular attention has been given on how to best integrate the receivers and measuring antennas, for example with appropriate gimbals. In the end, our philosophy is to offer a „one measurement system“, and not just a drone with external components mounted on it.
- Extremely solid carbon frame with removable arms for easy transport
- 4x2 high quality ESC and motors
- Purposed designed “Power Distribution Board“ (PDB) for up to 4 flight batteries, 1 dedicated parachute battery, power monitoring
- Purposed design “Carrier Board” as central controlling unit and interface to the autopilot and payload (receivers)
- Multiple redundancy of key elements like voltage regulators
- Various sensors for monitoring key parameters like current and voltage
- Emergency parachute with multiple possibilities of triggering
- Slide-in battery packs for easy swap
- Geofencing and multiple fails-safe mechanisms in place
- Position lights enabling night operation
- X8 structure with only 4 arms offers more space to accommodate receiver and antennas
- Ideal compromise to allow quick lateral/circular and stationary/hovering flying
- Dedicated RF-shielding mechanisms
- Telemetry and data download enabling live view of measurement data
- High-end RTK GNSS system (option) for cm level accuracy
![Example of tracking of the NavAidDrone in Germany via Droniq trackviewer Example of tracking of the NavAidDrone in Germany via Droniq trackviewer](/fileadmin/_processed_/e/4/csm_Tracking_of_the_NavAidDrone_0186c8ee50.jpg)
As you can see from the technical description, the COL-X8 platform has been designed with many hardware and software safety features with the target to minimize operational risks.
Based on the high safety level achieved we could already get for the COL-X8 flight permissions in several countries and for different type of environment like urban areas, airports, night operation, etc... Most of these authorizations have been based on the evaluation of a dedicated SORA (Specific Operations Risk Assessment).
Our software also offers an interface for the integration of the NavAidDrone or AMU into an UTM system.