Watch Collision-Tolerant Drone in Indoor Inspection

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One of the challenges of flying drones indoor in complex and confined spaces or in contact with humans is the risk of collisions and injuries. One of the world’s first pieces of collision-tolerant drone technology has been recruited to aid special law enforcement within areas that pose spatial challenges. The new UAV Elios, developed by Swiss start-up Flyability, is a caged UAV designed for indoor reconnaissance and intelligence in complex and enclosed spaces:

The technology is inspired by the ability of insects to keep their stability after an in-flight collision.

French elite law enforcement team RAID has adopted Elios in order to strengthen its policing efforts. The law enforcement unit adopted Elios technology to better manage hostage situations, isolated shooter incidents, or terrorist attacks inside buildings. Police forces will deploy the Elios as a remotely-operated camera providing high-definition and thermal imaging for performing reconnaissance and intelligence, according to commercialdroneprofessional.com.

The unmanned aerial vehicle is used in the field by several special law enforcement units in Europe and the Middle East as well as the RAID, to view spaces with limited access and enables to send robots instead of humans in hazardous places and dangerous situations. The company says the technology can reduce the exposure of humans to risks and in particular for homeland security professionals, firefighters, and first responders operating in confined spaces.

The system has an onboard lightning – powerful LEDs for navigation and inspection in dark places. Its integrated payload includes a simultaneous full HD and thermal imagery recording, and adjustable tilt angle, according to the company website.