Hovermap scans the Garuda Wisnu Kencana, creating beautiful high resolution models
Emesent’s Indonesian distributor, Halo Robotics, has completed a proof of concept with Hovermap, mapping the Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue in Bali, Indonesia. At 121 metres tall, this is the 3rd tallest statue in the world, and 30m taller than the Statue of Liberty.
Mapping Procedure
Hovermap is plug-and-play with a variety of DJI drones, making it a simple and user friendly device to operate. For this application a Hovermap HF1 was paired with a DJI M210 drone and the Halo Robotics team mapped Garuda Wisnu Kencana in less than 20 minutes of flight time. The drone was kept a safe distance from the statue thanks to Hovermap’s collision avoidance technology, giving the pilot full confidence during the flight. A 15 minute walking scan was then performed around and inside the base of the statue, using Hoveramp as a handheld mapping device. This demonstrates the versatility of Hovmerap and its utility as a dual-use mapping device. SLAM-based postprocessing of the raw LiDAR took less than 1.5 hours on a laptop, producing point clouds in .las format. The flying and walking scans were then automatically merged to create a single point cloud.
Findings
The findings from this mapping exercise are relevant across a range of other industries that require inspection and mapping of large, complex vertical structures including Oil and Gas, Mining, Telecommunications and Energy.
The data collected by Hovermap can be used to generate detailed digital twins, take measurements, calculate volumes, and generate other derived data products such as digital terrain models or contour maps.
The exercise also demonstrated Hovermap’s ability to localise the drone in 3D space relative to the environment without using GPS. Flying close to large structures such as this can degrade the GPS signal that drones usually rely on to navigate, hold position or regulate their speed. Hovermap uses the LiDAR data to perform SLAM-based navigation, negating the need for GPS altogether. This, combined with the LiDAR-based collision avoidance allows safe and stable flight close to, under, or inside structures. This allows mapping and inspection of telecom towers, bridges, wind turbines, transmission towers and many more.
Not only does Hovermap allow collecting data safely and efficiently, it also allows data collection in places that would normally be impossible to access.
Halo Robotics’ CEO, Eli Moselle, stated “Some of these functions that were tested make the DJI drone and Hovermap a really powerful combination that is unlocking the potential of commercial drone technology and taking it to greater and greater heights”
Watch Hovermap scan the Garuda Wisnu Kencana:
Halo Robotics’ mapping exercise of Garuda Wisnu Kencana produced some incredible results that showcase just how easily Hovermap can capture data in challenging environments. Emesent with Halo Robotics look forward to bringing Hovermap’s innovative solution to the Indonesian market to drive business efficiency and reduce risk.
