TECHNOLOGY

Drone maker Percepto gets regulatory nods

Company closer to full US Federal Aviation Administration certification.

 Percepto’s Sparrow UAV on the Percepto Base

Percepto’s Sparrow UAV on the Percepto Base

The company launched an autonomous site inspection platform in November that uses a combination of both drones and mobile all-terrain robots to monitor asset health in various industry sectors, including mining and oil & gas.

In the US, Percepto has now completed the Type Certification (TC) and durability and reliability (D&R) testing stage of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

It is also pursuing its second TC approval which will include full Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flights, allowing remote operations for its customers. Combined, these approvals would give its Sparrow drone-in-a-box solution full FAA certification.

Percepto also has been granted the Extended Visual Line of Site (EVLOS) approval in Australia and the full Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) approval in Norway. The BLOS certification enables operating drones without the pilot on site.

"Receiving the first Type Certification for Percepto's drone-in-a-box solution will prove Percepto Sparrow reliably airworthy by the FAA," officials said of its UAV.

The new EVLOS waiver in Australia will allow Percepto's Sparrow drone to fly at 1,500 metres distance from an observer with multiple visual observers. Full BVLOS approvals in the country are expected in the first quarter of 2021.

 

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Magazine Intelligence team.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Magazine Intelligence team.

editions

ESG Mining Company Index: Benchmarking the Future of Sustainable Mining

The ESG Mining Company Index report provides an in-depth evaluation of ESG performance of 61 of the world's largest mining companies. Using a robust framework, it assesses each company across 9 meticulously weighted indicators within 6 essential pillars.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Exploration Report 2024 (feat. Opaxe data)

A comprehensive review of exploration trends and technologies, highlighting the best intercepts and discoveries and the latest initial resource estimates.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Future Fleets Report 2024

The report paints a picture of the equipment landscape and includes detailed profiles of mines that are employing these fleets

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Digitalisation Report 2023

An in-depth review of operations that use digitalisation technology to drive improvements across all areas of mining production