Currently, drone inspections are limited by the drone’s capability to fly for long distances and longer times. This makes the inspections of remote and large infrastructure assets difficult and expensive. Consider offshore wind farms. The ever-increasing need for renewable energy has accelerated the installation of offshore wind turbines. Once installed, these turbines must be inspected periodically for corrosion, damage and other abnormalities that could influence the life expectancy and productivity of the turbine.

To examine the infrastructure of an offshore wind farm, a boat trip and inspection crew must be scheduled at least 6 months in advance. During the inspection campaign, the crew needs to deploy a drone at each wind turbine. This process can be hazardous, often in dangerous conditions due to the combination of unpredictable weather and open water. This whole operation makes the inspection of offshore wind turbines a labour-intensive and expensive process.

Unique capabilities offered by the Shore’s drone technology

The infrastructure investigation is simplified using Shore System’s drone technology, which has unique hover endurance and range capabilities. The Shore Based Inspection Drone (SBID) allows for extended hover time capabilities during inspection and an increased flight range to reach remote assets from a fixed base. Using the SBID, a turbine inspection can be launched from the shore without the inspection crew being dispatched.

For a mission like this, the SBID drone has been designed with a 120-minute hover endurance, which allows for the inspection part of the mission, and a flight range of 500 km to reach the remote asset. Furthermore, the aircraft produces almost null emissions and can fly with winds up to 50 km per hour. The use of the Shore drone means the inspection process is quicker, cheaper, carbon neutral, safer and on-demand.

Milestone demonstration of onshore wind turbine inspection

Shore Systems has now successfully completed the first inspection flight of an onshore wind turbine using its drone prototype. The team worked closely with DCC Smart Inspections for the technical design, logistical matters and data processing to deliver inspection results of the highest quality.

This demonstration marks the final stage of the development project conducted by Shore together with DCC Smart Inspections. The aim of this project, which was partially funded by the European innovation fund of Robotics for Inspection and Maintenance (RIMA), was to develop a prototype of the SBID concept and demonstrate that it can indeed be used to inspect wind turbine infrastructures. While this demonstration was performed on land, the following iteration of the concept will be capable of inspecting a turbine offshore. To reach the performance needed for offshore missions, the next design (that will be tested in fall 2023) will incorporate the use of hydrogen and include a fuel cell system.

This press release, issued by Shore Systems, was uploaded to the company’s website in January 2023 and shared via LinkedIn.

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NOTES FOR EDITORS

Photos from the demonstration are available in the press kit and videos can be supplied upon request.

Contact
For further information, please contact the Shore team (info@shoresystems.nl or +31 15 4550188).

About Shore Systems
Shore Systems is a drone manufacturing startup based in Delft, the Netherlands, specialising in the development of innovative drone technology. The company is currently incubated at ESA BIC Noorwijk. shoresystems.nl

About DDC Smart Inspection
DDC Smart Inspection is a leading inspection service provided based in the Netherlands. dcc.works

About RIMA
Robotics for Inspection and Maintenance (RIMA) is a European subsidy aimed as stimulating the development and implementation of robotics in the field of inspection and maintenance. rimanetwork.eu

Discover everything you need to know about ESA BIC Noordwijk’s programme:

The post Shore Systems and DDC successfully inspect onshore wind turbine appeared first on Space Business Innovation Centre Noordwijk.

Recently Mapture.ai, the space related startup that creates autonomous drone systems, graduated from the ESA BIC Noordwijk programme. 

From the start on, this business was built without any investments or loans. Landing high profile pilot projects and sitting in the front row in a highly regulated industry, Mapture can be considered as one of the drone darlings in the Netherlands. What’s their secret?

We talked to founders Niels Klink and Bart Slinger about their entrepreneurial journey and their constant search for better added value.

What makes Mapture special?

Niels: The fact that we got an exemption from current regulations – to fly BVLOS 24/7 and to fly over sparsely populated areas, is truly an important asset for us. It unlocks new business models for us and our clients. For instance, it’s now possible to run long term projects instead of just one offs.

Bart: So when someone comes up with a project, we are flexible enough to think with them and come up with an innovative solution.

Niels: What also makes Mapture special, is that we are bootstrapped from the start. This means we can have a certain level of autonomy in running our business. When you have an investor on board, it sometimes means you might be pushed in a direction you don’t want to go. As long as we don’t have to, we won’t get an investment. It will not be a goal in itself.

Bart: Our clients are looking for added value when using an autonomous drone system. That means they are also willing to pay for a pilot project upfront.  So they make the investment in the project, so we don’t have to. 

Space link
Mapture is using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) technology for the accurate positioning of their drones.

What does it mean to have added value in your business?

Niels: That’s a relevant question, because clients are always challenging us (in a good way). They like what we do, so they ask: ‘What more can it do?’ So it’s up to us to demonstrate we are not only capable of doing broad use cases, but also very specific use cases. For instance: using our drones for the inspection of pipelines in oil terminals is way more specific than using it for automated surveillance. 

Bart: To say it boldly: Added value also means to have a customer purchase a second or third system from us. That way we can really see our drones offer added value. The book ‘The Mom Test’ says ‘If you have a paying customer, you have shown value’. But we already know people want that one drone box. We are always looking for the use case where multiple boxes are necessary. 

Niels: And we think an important reason why people are interested in Mapture, is the ease of use of the system. We always get compliments about our user interface. It looks nice, it works smoothly. ‘This is how it should be’, we hear more than once. So for us, developing top-notch software behind our system is also key. 

What’s the biggest challenge in the drone market right now?

Niels: Regulation, and that will be the case for a while.

Bart: It’s also a combination of regulation for drones and regulation of other air traffic. With current regulations and exemptions we can now fly BVLOS and over certain urban areas. But we can’t fly higher for instance. That’s because other air traffic cannot make themselves known to drones, and vice versa. Maybe the technology isn’t there yet, or maybe it is, but it’s not adequate enough. We don’t know this yet. We want to be able to anticipate other air traffic. 

As you are quite lean in spending, what did you use the ESA BIC incentive money for? 

Bart: Mainly it went to material costs. It really made a difference in our development.

Niels: We were able to spend more money on proper quality products for development. And therefore create a better quality product in the end. It also saved us a lot of time because we could buy a proper product instead of a cheaper, not properly working piece. Which would then cost us extra time to repair or figure out what is wrong. When time is one of your biggest constraints as a startup, it really helps.

Bart: Drones are becoming better and better, and thus more expensive as well. We started with a simple Parrot drone worth 300 euro. Now we use drones for several thousands of euros. 

During your time in the ESA BIC programme, what stuck with you?

Bart: The community here is really nice, you can always talk and discuss business with like-minded people.

Niels: Everyone just helps each other out – whether it’s for a subsidy application or sharing contacts.

Part of the family
Mapture.ai after the programme stayed in the SBIC building, with an office, access to our fab lab and an outside test facility.

What would be your advice to starting entrepreneurs?

Niels: Read ‘The Mom Test’, an absolute must. And pitch/talk about your idea as much as possible. 

Bart: For people wanting to enter the ESA BIC programme, I would say: make sure you can pay yourself by having either an additional income or make sure your pilot projects are paid. Never think you need to do a project for free, just because it’s a pilot. 

The post For Mapture.ai, the ease of use of their autonomous drone system is key appeared first on Space Business Innovation Centre Noordwijk.

For entrepreneurs that want to benefit of the technologies used in space, to space professionals that want to start their own business: the ESA BIC programme in Noordwijk, the Netherlands will help support their endeavour.

As manager of this programme, SBIC Noordwijk hosts two application rounds per year to select space business ideas: a Spring and Fall edition. To apply for the 2022 Fall edition, you can do so here before October 12.

We can say it’s the most fitting programme for your space related business idea, but it’s best to hear it from people that have been there themselves.

It’s all about the community

Most startups seem to appreciate the community here. We’ve built a lively network of other space businesses and partners.

Bart Slinger and Niels Klink are the founders of autonomous drone company Mapture.ai. They recently graduated the ESA BIC programme in Noordwijk and they had the following to say:

“The community here is really nice, you can always talk and discuss business with like-minded people”, Bart said. Niels adds: “Everyone just helps each other out – whether it’s for a subsidy application or sharing contacts.”

Their view is affirmed by several other entrepreneurs. Robert Crone, co-founder of another ESA BIC Noordwijk graduate, Fusion Engineering, says: “During the Entrepreneurs’ Coffee Meeting a lot of experiences get shared. It helps to put things into perspective, and really manages your expectations of running a business.”

Sharing a path

It should come to no surprise that one of the most valuable things for any entrepreneur in their starting phase is help. Because it’s nearly impossible to start and run a business on your own. Any support is welcome, and it can only get better when it comes from people who share the same entrepreneurial path.

Yes, the technical support (up to 80 hours with ESA or partners), business support (from us and our expert network) and financial support (up to EUR 50K – zero equity) is nice too. But we strongly believe it’s the innovative and ambitious drive of the people in the programme that keeps it all together.

Want to join? Have a look at our ESA BIC page via the button below and apply with your space business idea. Next opportunity is before the end of October 12, 2022.

The post What entrepreneurs say about the ESA BIC Noordwijk programme appeared first on Space Business Innovation Centre Noordwijk.