used for various applications: the agricul-
tural industry can use it to see where ir-
rigation is required or survey the fields; in-
frastructure like bridges can be monitored
and inspected for safety; in forestry, the
best trees available for cutting can be iden-
tified.
The same technology used on Mars and
the moon for obstacle avoidance are now
being applied to Earth-bound vehicles.
NGC is equipping UAVs with on-board
intelligence, a ‘sense and avoid’ system
that perceives the environment around
the UAV and ensures that it does not col-
lide with the object that it is surveying. An
electronic bumper is created; if the opera-
tor either accidentally or voluntarily brings
the drone too close to an obstacle, this in-
visible bumper overrides the manual com-
mands.
An add-on feature to UAVs is the three-
dimensional mapping system that NGC
has developed. “A drone plus a mapping
system, I think, makes a very neat combi-
nation,” Dr. de Lafontaine said. The recon-
structions reflect the real thing in shape,
colour and texture. GPS coordinates are
incorporated into the three-dimensional
computer images, so that measurements
and volume assessment can be taken with
a mouse.
88 business elite canada
H
OCTOBER 2016
