Yuneec International has announced the availability of the H520 small unmanned aircraft system (UAS), the company’s first product dedicated exclusively to commercial use.
The H520 system uses Yuneec’s six-rotor platform and incorporates enterprise-grade cameras and mission planning software for high-end commercial use in verticals such as public safety, construction, inspection, video production and more. The drone is initially available with the E90 high-resolution camera, using a large-aperture, one-inch sensor.
The H520 sUAS features high-visibility orange fuselage and a six-rotor design capable of emergency flight with only five rotors. The drone is compatible with Yuneec’s E90, E50 and CGOET cameras, but all camera payloads are interchangeable and hot-swap capable, the company notes.
The E50 camera is a medium-focal-length, high-resolution camera suited for use in inspections and for broadcast. The E90 is a wide-angle, high-resolution camera for applications that require high-quality photos and video, as it uses a 20-megapixel, one-inch Sony Exmor sensor and the latest Ambarella H2 high-speed image-processing chip. These specs make it ideal for building information modeling, 2D/3D mapping and film production. Lastly, the CGOET dual thermal-RGB camera is specifically designed for public safety, search and rescue, and solar inspection applications. Moreover, Yuneec says it is the industry’s first combined thermal and residual light camera with an integrated gimbal. The E90 and E50 cameras also include adapter rings, which allow the mounting of third-party filters.
Each of Yuneec’s commercial cameras is capable of a continuous, 360-degree motion, providing an unobstructed view from any angle when paired with the H520’s retractable landing gear. Additionally, the camera and gimbal are capable of a 20-degree up-angle for upward-looking inspections. The H520 comes with an Android-based ST16S controller, which has a seven-inch integrated display and HD 720p video downlink for real-time video reception, as well as an HDMI uplink for distribution to external monitors.
“Our team of engineers and product managers have conducted extensive field testing to refine the H520 software and create a best-in-class commercial-grade UAV,” says Dr. Michael Jiang, CEO of Yuneec International. “We’re confident operators will discover the H520 is a versatile tool for a variety of enterprise applications, thanks to its suite of dependable, reliable and advanced features including DataPilot, Yuneec’s integrated mission planning software.”
DataPilot is a complete solution for planning survey and waypoint-based drone flight. Unlike other flight planning applications, it is integrated with the hardware and software control system used by the Yuneec H520 sUAS, the company says. DataPilot, which is tightly coupled to the PX4 flight control architecture, was developed in conjunction with Lorenz Meier, head of advanced research and development, who was recognized as an honoree of MIT Technology Review’s 2017 Innovators Under 35 list.
Notably, Yuneec says its sUAS can be operated as a “closed architecture.”
Jiang adds, “Yuneec’s customers recognize the importance of keeping data and images secure. The Yuneec data ecosystem empowers users and organizations to control their data at all times. Yuneec commercial sUAS do not collect and do not share telemetry or visual data to internal or external parties.”
In addition, Yuneec is also releasing an H520 software development kit (SDK), which allows third parties to develop applications and services on the sUAS platform.
Christoph Strecha, CEO and founder of Pix4D, Yuneec’s software partner, says, “The Yuneec H520 SDK will enable Pix4D to provide software that is more tightly integrated with the UAV flight system and data capture process, resulting in more accurate 3D representation of site maps or aggregate volumetrics.”
The company notes its entire line of commercial sUAS will be offered with Yuneec’s new YES! commercial service program.
The H520 is available in a variety of configurations, with prices ranging from $1,999 to $4,699.
