Whether in power plants, industrial facilities, or sewers, inspections in such areas always involve a great deal of effort. “Just erecting scaffolding in a power plant can take several weeks and cost a considerable amount of money,” explains Igor Stapper, Area Sales Manager DACH at Flyability. Headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, the company was the first in the world to develop a special cage drone and bring it to series production in 2014. Now in its third generation, this drone, which is specially designed for use in confined and potentially dangerous indoor spaces, is available on the market under the name Elios 3 and eliminates the need for many preparatory measures. “It also saves a lot of time and money. In a specific case in Norway, the use of the Elios 3 enabled a waste-to-energy plant to save over €400,000 a year and reduce inspection time from 300 to 8 hours,” emphasizes Stapper.
The protective cage ensures that the drone can easily bump into objects in confined spaces without being damaged. In the event of a collision, there is usually a risk of the drone crashing, which can cause it to break or be significantly damaged. The Elios 3 has been designed to be collision-tolerant. The SLAM-based stabilization algorithm also detects the smallest, unpredictable movements of the drone and instructs the flight controller to compensate for them. This allows the drone to hover smoothly in the air even under the most difficult conditions. The system has a modular design and allows the integration of various sensors, such as radiation measuring devices, gas sensors, LiDAR scanners, and even ultrasonic devices for wall thickness measurement.
System in a rolling case
The Elios 3 comes as an “out-of-the-box” system in a handy rolling case – including the drone, remote control, software, batteries, and an online training module with flight simulator. “We also offer special multi-day classroom training courses, either at the customer's premises or at Flyability's headquarters in Lausanne. Here, real flights are carried out under practical conditions so that users can work completely autonomously by the end of the course,” explains the expert.
Data backup
All data is stored locally on the drone and can be transferred directly to a laptop on site. The company's proprietary Inspector software can then be used to analyze the point clouds, thermal imaging, and video data in detail. The data can also be shared with customers via the Flyability Cloud browser-based platform. An open API also allows the integration of external software solutions, such as automated damage analysis using artificial intelligence (AI).
Stapper is keen to emphasise that the technology does not necessarily replace existing working methods, but rather complements them: “In sensitive areas such as sewer inspection, the technology is less about streamlining personnel and more about improving safety. Instead of sending people into narrow, dangerous shafts, specialised drone teams control the Elios 3 remotely – quickly, safely and precisely.” In addition to power plants, oil and gas facilities, and tunnel and mining structures, emergency services such as fire departments and police forces also use the technology for search and reconnaissance flights in buildings at risk of collapse or in areas that are difficult to access.
Updates in progress
While an “Elios 4” is not currently planned, the company is continuously working on new payloads and software updates. Thanks to its complete in-house development, Flyability can easily make new features available via software updates.
Due to its great success at XPONENTIAL Europe 2025, the company will also be exhibiting at the trade fair next year and will have some new products to showcase.
Author: Sonja Buske
