Aerialtronics demonstrates AI-powered inspection drone
Dutch drone manufacturer Aerialtronics has completed one of the world’s first automated inspections by an intelligent, deep-learning drone. The Altura Zenith UAS drone was formed in collaboration with deep learning software pioneers Neurala and GPU-accelerated computing company NVIDIA. The intelligent drone can identify objects and their condition during flights, which can be used to document assets, lower costs, and complete more frequent inspections.
One of the world’s first automated inspections by an intelligent drone with deep learning capabilities was demonstrated at the GPU Technology Conference Europe by Aerialtronics, a Dutch manufacturer of technologically advanced drones, Neurala, a pioneer in deep learning software, and GPU-accelerated computing company NVIDIA.

This new “intelligent drone” identifies objects and their condition in flight, which increases the efficiency and accuracy of documenting assets, lowering costs, and making it easier for frequent inspections. It adds to the use of commercial drones to help businesses access difficult and dangerous areas, such as cell towers and turbines.

Aerialtronics and Neurala collaborated to make the demonstration on the Altura Zenith UAS, which incorporates the NVIDIA Jetson TX1 module. The resulting system can visually inspect a cell tower and recognise the equipment mounted on the mast. This is the first step required to start automating the documentation of assets, and assessing the mechanical functionality and condition of the cell tower to identify rust and other defects.

The real-time processing of the data stream is made possible by combining Aerialtronics unmanned aerial system and their smart dual camera payload with Neurala’s deep learning neural network software, which is capable of finding and recognizing objects in flight, using the NVIDIA Jetson TX1 platform.

Video of the GTC demo: