senseFly, a Parrot company that makes fixed-wing drones, has launched the eBee X, which is capable of up to 90 minutes of flight and comes with a broad range of camera options.
Part of the Parrot Business Solutions portfolio, the new drone is designed to boost the quality, efficiency and safety of an operator’s geospatial data collection, says senseFly. The aircraft’s Endurance Extension option unlocks a flight time of up to 90 minutes (versus a maximum endurance of 59 minutes by default). With this capability activated, the drone is able to achieve single-flight coverage of up to 500 ha (1,235 ac) at 122 m (400 ft).
The company notes that the eBee X’s built-in High-Precision on Demand (RTK/PPK) function helps operators achieve absolute accuracy of down to 3 cm (1.2 in) – without ground control points.
According to senseFly, the eBee X includes a range of new camera options to suit various mapping jobs, such as land surveying, topographic mapping, urban planning, crop mapping, thermal mapping and environmental monitoring.
These camera options include as follows:
- The senseFly S.O.D.A. 3D: a drone photogrammetry camera with a one-inch sensor, which changes orientation during flight to capture three images (two oblique, one nadir) every time, instead of just one, for a much wider field of view.
- The senseFly Aeria X: a compact drone photogrammetry camera with an APS-C sensor. With its built-in Smart Exposure technology, the camera provides increased image detail and clarity in virtually all light conditions, allowing operators to map for more hours per day.
- The senseFly Duet T: a dual-camera thermal mapping rig, which lets mapping professionals create geo-accurate thermal maps and digital surface models. The Duet T includes both a high-resolution (640 x 512 px) thermal infrared camera and a senseFly S.O.D.A. RGB camera with a one-inch sensor.
The eBee X is also compatible with the Parrot Sequoia+ multispectral camera for agriculture, the senseFly S.O.D.A. drone photogrammetry camera and the senseFly Corridor for simple linear mapping. The drone is supplied with senseFly’s eMotion flight planning and data management software, and Pix4D photogrammetry software is available for purchase from authorized senseFly distributors.
“No matter what type of project a professional is undertaking, the eBee X has the coverage, data and accuracy capabilities needed to get the job done,” says Gilles Labossière, CEO of senseFly and executive vice president and chief operating officer of Parrot Group.
