Remote drone operations have brought major innovations to commercial operations and are the pioneers in promoting remote drone sUAS operations. They are the future of commercial operations. Docking drones, or drones in boxes, or drone docks are booming, providing advanced remote drone solutions.
What are docked drones?
Drone docks focus on any function used as landing and charging stations for drones, usually designed for battery-powered multi-rotor and eVTOL drones, providing drones with a safe and convenient landing and charging location without manual intervention by the operator.
Simple drone takeoff and landing only requires a drone landing pad to prevent magazine dust from entering the drone during takeoff and to ensure a stable ground during landing. Drone docking stations and drone ports can be opened and closed like a box. Drones land in the dock to charge themselves and remain absolutely safe. Since the weight of the drone base can reach about 200 pounds and is basically fixed to the ground, there is basically no need to worry about theft in the suburbs.
The drone dock has a weatherproof design to adapt to the field environment. Usually, the drone dock, commercial drone, drone software, and drone command center together form a docking drone solution. This solution is particularly suitable for applications such as aerial surveillance, inspection, and delivery services. It can improve the efficiency and safety of drone operations while reducing the need for human intervention and allowing drones to operate autonomously for longer periods of time.
The most popular drone dock
Many big drone companies produce their own drone docks. Other third parties also produce drone docks for some big drones and other drone companies. The most famous drone docks are DJI Dock, Skydio Dock, and Autel Robotics' EVO Nest.
DJI Dock
DJI launched its own boxed drone in 2022, called DJI Dock.
Designed for the DJI M30 series drones, the DJI Dock weighs 90 kg and can achieve autonomous docking and charging of drones within a radius of 7 kilometers. The protection level is IP55, and the drone can take off again in just 25 minutes after landing. Currently upgraded to DJI Dock 2, it can deploy Matrice 3D or 3TD drones.
Skydio Dock
Skydio drone docks include: Skydio Dock, Skydio Dock Lite and Skydio Remote Ops. These docks are available in different sizes and weights, allowing for use in harsh outdoor environments, autonomous takeoff, landing and charging of drones.
Skydio docks are used by the U.S. Department of Transportation and important public institutions, as well as in partnership with some large energy suppliers such as (ComEd). The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted Skydio an important exemption for the use of drone docks, allowing ComEd pilots to remotely operate drones without line of sight anywhere in northern Illinois.
Autel Robotics EVO Nest
As a leader in the drone industry, Autel Robotics also developed its own drone docks, EVO Nest and Dragonfish Nest.
EVO NEST
Dragonfish Nest
EVO Nest is designed for quadcopters such as the EVO II V3 series and EVO MAX series. Dragonfish Nest is designed for the Dragonfish series of tiltrotor drones. Autel drone base stations allow drones to operate autonomously, including takeoff, landing, and charging. Docked drones can be dispatched, perform missions, and return to the docking station to recharge without human intervention.
Role of Software in Drone Docking Stations
Software plays a vital role in drone docking stations. It provides modules that enable automatic and scheduled missions, autonomous precision landings, and docking station control and telemetry. This means that drones can be remotely controlled, missions can be scheduled through the cloud, and drones can be precisely maneuvered and land themselves to the docking station with high accuracy.
What features do the best drone docks have?
Drone docks vary in functionality and quality. But the essence of creating drone docks is to remotely operate drones and enhance commercial operations.
Fast Charging: In order to keep drones in the air for long missions, drone docks are fast chargers that do not require frequent battery replacements and are suitable for large-area inspection missions.
Durability: Since most drone docks are placed outdoors on their own, they need to withstand unpredictable weather. IP55 ratings, the ability to withstand extreme temperature fluctuations, and waterproof internal structures are essential. These outdoor drone base stations often provide significant cost savings and efficiency gains for drone inspections in the energy industry.
Easy to install and maintain: Drone docks may need to be moved around, and they should be able to be operated by almost anyone. They should be easy to install (usually just a matter of bolting it down, connecting it to a power source, and an internet source).
Integration with software: Software allows drone docks and drones to become more scalable, which allows users to automate workflows and remotely monitor multiple drones and nests.
While drone docks were originally used only for charging, the standard is higher today. Drones should be able to talk to ground personnel in real time after landing at the dock. After landing and while charging, the best drone docks can store data and send it to teams for instant data processing via cloud control.
Drone docks: The future of beyond visual line of sight drones
The best use case for drones is around remote infrastructure inspections, such as oil pipelines or train tracks. Drone docks are important for remote inspections, but are limited for remote commercial drone inspections due to restrictions on BVLOS and unsupervised flight. But we still expect docking drones to become more profitable.
Related More: What is BVLOS Drone?
