ING Robotic Aviation increases flight time from 25 to 40 minutes for Responder rotary wing robotic aircraft

OTTAWA, Aug. 27, 2014 /CNW/ - The flight time of Responder, a rotary wing robotic aircraft system, has been upgraded from 25 minutes to 40 minutes, with an additional reserve of 5 minutes for safety and battery longevity.  This is a significant improvement, and provides much greater operational flexibility.

This upgrade is due to a change in the strength of batteries that are used to power Responder. Included in the aircraft are now 16Ah lithium polymer batteries instead of the 10Ah batteries previously used. Flight testing was completed with the new batteries in a Responder that was equipped with a 1.2 kg Nikon D800 in the customizable gimbal. The results were outstanding.

"Responder has the best capability on the market for robustness, payload capacity, weather and wind performance," states ING Robotic Aviation's CEO/CTO, Ian Glenn. "This again shows that we are working tirelessly towards providing our customers with the best tools possible."

Responder is a robust and responsive platform that is optimal for almost any mapping, inspection, or monitoring application in the oil and gas, utilities, precision agriculture, and public safety industries. Thanks to its light weight gimbal camera mount, the Responder has tremendous flexibility. The system is able to carry a number of high end sensor payloads, up to 12 kg in weight, in order to best fit the end user's needs. Additionally, the Responder outperforms its competitors in terms of performance in high winds and weather, being able to safely withstand 65 km/h wind speeds. With this new advancement in flight time, Responder will be able to perform services and carry sensors even longer than before.

ING Robotic Aviation delivers airborne sensing solutions and much more. We developed our skills through extensive operational surveillance work with the Canadian military and our flights added up would circle the globe 81 times. From these beginnings, we are now providing mapping, inspection and monitoring services in key sectors such as oil & gas, mining, utilities, forestry and precision agriculture. We are at the forefront of a disruptive technological and operational change, focused on reinventing aviation.

SOURCE: ING Robotic Aviation

Ashley Wuennenberg / Marketing Officer / ING Robotic Aviation / [phone] /[email protected]