Topcon positioning recently announced the development of two commercial drones, The Sirius Pro, and Sirius Basic, which will be ready for use in aerial mapping for a wide variety of sites, including construction zones, mines, and land surveying. Previously the use of mapping for Unmanned Aerial drones was restricted due to only propeller-based wings for unmanned drones being used commercially. But through a recent partnership between Topcon Positioning and MAVinci GmbH, which includes a global distribution plan, they were able to acquire the rights and plans for building a mapping model that would use a fixed wing flight system, similar to planes.
The fixed-wing flight system is not the only new component for these drones though. They also use a real time system that allows them to be programmed with predetermined flight paths that they will take, so you don’t have to keep someone checking on them or directing them in certain places. Most of all though is the precision devices that are used for the aerial mapping, which are some of the best technology you can put on a drone for aerial mapping.
Regardless of how well the drones will function, it is certain that aerial drones will change the way aerial mapping was handled previously as more of these drones are introduced into the market for commercial use. Of course then instead of aerial mappers, it would be drone operators for aerial mapping, as despite the drones being unmanned, they do still require some human interaction to be fully operational.
For those just wanting to get into drones for aerial mapping, the Sirius Basic is meant for you. The Sirius Pro simply offers an increased accuracy system for both flying and mapping, and you can even upgrade the Sirius Basic to the Pro, since both use the same base hardware originally.