On the first day of the 2022 Commercial UAV Expo, attendees were able to check out some of the latest innovations in the UAV space in both hardware and software. In Track Two of the Exhibitor Showcase series, 15 companies showed off their hardware, sensors, and cameras, covering everything from safety measures to hardware used by public safety officials, to consortiums of local companies looking to grow the industry in their local areas.

Below are just a handful of highlights from Track Two of the Exhibitor Showcase: 

  • Leica Geosystems is one of the biggest names in the geospatial world, and they showed off their Leica BLK2FLY, an autonomous flying laser scanner. Equipped with five camera that allow for three views – a live view, a view of the 3D scan acquired by the lidar sensor, and an aerial view – as well as the ability to be easily folded for simple transport, the BLK2FLY represents a possible gamechanger in the UAV scanning space.

  • Hardware manufacturer AEE Technologies specializes in producing drone solutions for those in public safety spaces. Makers of the Mach 6 and Mach 4 – a hexacopter and a quadcopter – AEE’s hardware can illuminate dark spaces. With their AEE Night Color, images can come through as if shot with a spotlight, but no visual light is apparent. Pictures taken in darkness appear as if it was taken in broad daylight. This is key for operations like police missions where a spotlight could give away their presence.

  • Sticking with the public safety theme, BRINC works to make life easier for first responders. With a drone that is meant to fly indoors, first responders can send in the machine as their eyes and ears, as it is equipped with both cameras and microphones, getting a sense of the area before sending in any humans. They can also perform remote negotiations if the situation calls for that, as the system is equipped with a microphone as well, which is connected to cell phone number to allow for easy access. 

  • In addition to all of the impressive hardware, Track Two of the Exhibitor Showcase also included interesting software, including products from Votix. A self-described drone orchestration system, Votix’ software suite connects every part of a drone operation, from planning to flight to data processing. Their software is also modular, meaning users can utilize the entire platform or pick and choose which specific areas meet their needs for any given project.