Sulzer Schmid introduces new ultra-portable drone solution for highly flexible wind turbine blade inspections

Sulzer & Schmid Laboratories AG,a Swiss company pioneering UAV technology for wind blade inspections, has launched its new 3DX™ SmartPilot drone solution, specifically developed to enable inspection campaigns in geographies where site access or complex logistical barriers require a quick, highly portable blade inspection solution.

Operators can now rely on the 3DX™ SmartPilotto deliver semi-autonomous drone inspections using portable equipment that can be brought onsite easily and deployed immediately.

“The compact design of 3DX™ SmartPilot makes it particularly well-suited for inspections of wind farms operating in very remote locations but also for ad-hoc inspections. It’s like carrying out inspections from a backpack. Deployable worldwide, our new plug-and-play solution is highly flexible and will overcome most logistical and customs restrictions. Once onsite, it can be deployed instantly.”, commentedTom Sulzer, Sulzer Schmid Co-founder and CEO.

The 3DX™ SmartPilot Solution is powered by Sulzer Schmid’s proprietary software and compatible with most small off-the-shelf DJI drones. It is designed to deliver semi-autonomous inspections carried out by a drone pilot with the assistance of the 3DX™ software to ensure optimal flight paths. The inspection data is uploaded, processed, and analysed in the 3DX™ Blade Platform, the most advanced data management system for blade inspections.

“This is the most economical solution because it only requires lower-cost hardware without proprietary payload. At the same time, it delivers all the value of the 3DX™ Blade Platform with no compromise on data processing and smart analytics. Thanks to this latest innovation, we can now ensure that the data of wind assets, no matter where they are located, is captured cost-effectively within Sulzer Schmid’s stringent quality standards.”, concluded Tom Sulzer.

Since its creation in 2016, Sulzer Schmid is at the forefront of innovation in the energy service sector. With its UAV technology and sophisticated data analytics platform the company helps customers digitalise blade inspections by producing high-quality and consistent visual inspection data. The cloud-based 3DX™ Blade Platform offers transparent asset management for wind turbine rotor blades based on data analytics and digital applications, providing actionable insights to optimise performance of renewable energy assets. Sulzer Schmid has been performing wind turbine inspections world-wide, affirming its position as a highly experienced expert technology partner.