We’ve heard the media refer to them as “drones,” but the more accurate description is unmanned aerial vehicle or UAV. Drones shoot people with missiles; UAVs don’t. UAVs cover everything from a $200 toy for flying practice, up to a $100,000 movie camera rig. For as little as $3,000, consultants can add a high-definition flying camera to their business toolbox. WHAT UAVS CAN DO High-quality images and video are captured by tiny GoPro cameras on a highspeed microSD memory card. Simply plug the card from the GoPro into your computer and view the images. Many UAVs incorporate a video downlink that enables you to see what the camera is seeing in the air as the UAV is flying. Just choose to hover in place for more photos or move in closer for a detailed inspection of an interesting area. Advanced cameras on bigger rigs can provide a remote zoom capability for really close observation. UAVs with prop protection allow you to fly right up to an objective with little fear of crashing (Photo 1). One of the beauties of using a UAV is how quickly you can get eyes on a roof. No setting up ladders and scaffolding or traipsing through locked roof access hatches. Just unpack the UAV, do a quick calibration to lock in available GPS satellites, and fly up top (Photos 2 to 4). A UAV can safely move through tight spaces that a full-sized helicopter can’t, for a lot less money, and with a lot less noise. Using a UAV is much safer than sending a person up onto a roof. Replacing a few helicopter parts if/when the UAV crashes hurts a lot less than if you or an employee falls off of a roof. UAVs that are set up for long-range flight using an ultra-high frequency (UHF) control option can quickly survey disaster areas. Unstable structures damaged by weather can be safely evaluated from the air. With the landowner’s permission, sales prospecting can be done quickly and convincingly. Will free video of a rotting roof open doors for your business? Is your competitor using UAVs already, or is your business leading the way? WHAT UAVS CANNOT DO Most radio controllers operate on the 2.4-gigahertz wavelength. These radio waves do not penetrate solid objects well, and so most flying needs to be by line of sight (LOS). Flying LOS, one can’t fly around a building or over a roof to the point that one loses sight of the UAV. Upgrading the control system with a 433-megahertz transmitter and receiver (about $400) utilizes a more penetrating wavelength. When flying beyond the line of sight, a remote monitor or goggles must be utilized (Photo 5). This is called first-person view (FPV) flying and is characterized by steady forward movement and hovering. It’s not comfortable flying backwards when you can’t see what’s behind you. UHF FPV Oc t o b e r 2 0 1 5 I n t e r f a c e • 1 3 Photo 1 – UAVs with prop protection allow you to fly right up to an objective with little fear of crashing. flights can travel out to 25 miles (30 kilometers) without signal loss. Another good option to flying LOS is “automatic.” Map out the GPS coordinates of where the UAV should go, how high it should be when it gets there, and where it should look. Then send it on its way and watch the monitor while it flies. Strong winds can upset flight control and affect the quality of images due to vibration. And, of course, electric motors and cameras don’t like the rain. UAVs are not good for poking at surfaces and lifting obstructions to view as one would do on a walk-about, but trouble spots that may need a more thorough examination can be quickly identified. OUTSOURCING – HOW TO CHOOSE A UAV PRO • Thanks to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), there are few professional UAV operators flying in the U.S., because commercial use is banned without a 333 exemption.1 The FAA is years behind its mandate to formally regulate UAVs and has missed the September 2015 goal set out in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. Other countries are surging ahead with agricultural and other UAV applications. U.S. industry is chomping at the bit. But recreational flying is just fine. So for the present, many operators are working in a grey area by flying for free and charging for editing and packaging their work. • Local hobby shops and clubs are a good source for leads on local operators and will provide a firsthand look at the systems available. • Online forums (http://www.multirotorforums.com/forumdisplay. php?28-North-America) provide a conduit to existing operators. Ask to see samples of their work and contact previous clients. 1 4 • I n t e r f a c e Oc t o b e r 2 0 1 5 Photo 2 – Gutter blockage in precarious spots can be noted from the air. If the leaves are still dry, the down draft from the UAV’s rotor wash can actually blow out loose material. Photo 5 – When flying beyond the line of sight, a remote monitor or goggles are used. Photo 3 – Using a UAV for a quick survey of a large roof is safer and faster than sending someone up before you’re sure where you need to start. Photo 4 – Just had a windstorm? Missing any shingles? HOW TO SELECT A UAV FOR IN-HOUSE USE Is there someone in your organization who enjoys tinkering and learning new technologies? Set him or her loose into the world of UAVs. Learning to build and fly multirotors is challenging but very rewarding. I will review some of the basics. Enabling Technologies Lithium polymer (LiPo) battery packs are lightweight, high-capacity energy sources that enable UAVs to stay in the air for 10 to 20 minutes. Soft-sided cells enable stacking and configurations to fit most any airframe. Charging LiPos can be dangerous if not done correctly. A short in the wiring or a punctured cell will cause a fire. A fireproof bag should be used when charging LiPos. Flight controllers (FC) are the small onboard computers that direct each motor to speed up or slow down as needed. Advanced controllers have at least three flight modes: 1. Manual Mode: This is challenging, but the most versatile mode. The UAV does what it’s told and continues with the last command until it’s told something different. 2. Attitude Mode: The FC helps to keep the UAV level. 3. GPS Mode: The UAV will hover in place wherever you tell it to be in space. Map out a route using GPS and have the UAV follow (and repeat at a later date) a set of coordinates and altitudes (waypoints). Most FCs even have a fail-safe option that commands the UAV to return to a preprogrammed location and land safely in the event of a loss of radio communication. Radio transmitters (Photo 6) broadcast instructions from the ground to a receiver on the UAV. The receiver forwards those instructions to the FC. Eight channels are enough for most radio UAV applications, but 18 channel systems can be used to enable dual operators; one person flies the UAV while a second person operates the camera. Gimbals are devices that hold the camera below the UAV and control where the camera looks. Gimbals are critical in smoothing out vibrations and movements. Two-axis gimbals keep the camera’s field of view level and allow the camera to be tilted up and down. Three-axis gimbals add the ability to pan left and right, irrespective of the direction of the UAV, and smooth out sudden turns in the video. Criteria Evaluation Before deciding on a specific model of UAV for your business, what are the criteria that should be used for evaluation? Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Why are we still debating the merits of cool roofs? Thermoplastic white roofs have proven performance in all climates. Bust the myths: vinylroofs.org/cool-roofing-myths Oc t o b e r 2 0 1 5 I n t e r f a c e • 1 5 Photo 6 – Radio transmitters. • Stability directly affects the quality of the video produced. Generally speaking, the more rotors in the air, the steadier the flight will be, and the UAV can carry more weight, bigger batteries, and larger cameras. • Safety is a strong point of smaller UAVs. A DJI Phantom 2 weighs 1.3Kg (2.8 lbs.), while a DJI S1000 lumbers into the air at 4.2Kg (9.3 lbs.) without a camera. Which one would you rather fall on someone’s car? Flying in a city can present challenges because of increased radio noise and the presence of bystanders. Special radios can mitigate this. • Portability is also a benefit of smaller UAVs. Some of the larger UAV frames fold for transportation, but those folding joints add weight and are susceptible to long-term wear. • Costs run the gamut. Here are some cost examples: • $1,600 will hang a GoPro camera under a ready-to-fly DJI Phantom 3 (Photo 7). If you crash it, a replacement airframe will get you back in the air for $1,000. • 3DR, an American company, just released the Solo (http://3drobotics. com/solo-drone/). Solo (Photo 8) boasts four additional automatic flight modes: cablecam, orbit, selfie, and follow me. A complete Solo with GoPro will relieve your wallet of $1,800; replacements can be found in your local Best Buy store. Solo uses a Pixhawk2 for flight control (more info about Pixhawk below). • $2,500 puts a GoPro on the front of a TBS Discovery Pro (Photo 9) quad-copter with all the gear needed to produce excellent videos. The TBS Starter Set includes batteries, a charger, a radio controller, and FPV goggles. For an added $350, TBS will build the UAV and test-fly it for you. • $3,500 invested with Atlanta Hobby will get you a DJI F550 hexacopter (Photo 10), GoPro camera, a gimbal, and related gear. It is a little bit bigger and more stable than the TBS. • $6,350 is the going rate for a DJI S-1000 large enough to lift the digital camera of your choice (Photo 11). Expect to put $3,000 more into batteries, radios, and professional fabrication. • Truly custom purpose-built aircraft run the gamut from $10,000 to $150,000. Options that may justify their costs for roofing applications include thermal forward-looking infrared (FLIR) cameras from Tau, lidar range finders with 1-in. (3-cm) accuracy out to 100 yds. (40 m), and obstacle “sense and-avoid” arrays. 1 6 • I n t e r f a c e Oc t o b e r 2 0 1 5 Photo 7 – DJI’s Phantom 3. Photo 8 – 3DR’s Solo. Photo 9 – TBS’s Discovery Pro. Photo 10 – DJI’s F550 hexacopter. DURABILITY AND REPAIRS If the adage “You get what you pay for” is true, it’s even more accurate in the air. You don’t want to crash a $3,000 rig because you saved $20 on a speed controller. Buy only reputable brands; avoid copies. What is a reputable name? There are two major firms that have risen to the top for UAVs. DJI is the Chinese mammoth that brought drones into living rooms for Christmas. DJI made UAVs affordable. Their closed system of components resembles the marketing approach of Apple computers. Generally, DJI plug-and-play components only play well with other DJI components. Customer service is found online in the form of Wikis and PDF instruction sheets. If something breaks, buy a new one. 3DR has built its signature Pixhawk flight controller on the open-source APM stack flight code. Pixhawk has many more features and opportunities for more functions, but is more complicated to learn. Three elements make up the Pixhawk system: 1. Pixhawk – the actual hardware flight controller ($200) 2. APM code – the software that runs in the Pixhawk (free) 3. Mission Planner – the software suite (free online) that runs on a computer to setup, program, and fine-tune the Pixhawk (support forums exist for every 3DR component, and 3DR Oc t o b e r 2 0 1 5 I n t e r f a c e • 1 7 Photo 11 – DJI S-1000. American Hydrotech, Inc. 303 East Ohio | Chicago, IL 60611 | 800.877.6125 | www.hydrotechusa.com © 2015 Garden Roof is a registered trademark of American Hydrotech, Inc. American Hydrotech introduces the Garden Roof® Planning Guide mobile app, a first-of-its-kind digital brochure that helps design professionals take a vegetated roof from initial concept to completion. Packed with photography, technical information and videos, design professionals can explore assembly options and components, growing media and vegetation, and learn about topics such as design considerations, economic and sustainable benefits, installation and maintenance, and much more. 19 years of vegetated roof experience… brought to life in one app. Download your copy today at hydrotechusa.com/GRPG 7.50W X 5H.indd 1 8/3/15 12:54 PM actually answers its phones and emails) 3DR just released Solo, as mentioned above. I’d suggest waiting a few months before investing in a Solo to let the bugs get worked out of this advanced rig. 3DR has other UAVs available now that have already been extensively field-tested. CAMERAS The GoPro camera is the mainstay for most midrange flying. The GoPro ($400) is sturdy, lightweight, readily available, and shoots up to 4K video. 2.7K, 1440, and 1080 are also options. Good-resolution 8×10 still images can be pulled from 1080p video. Replacement lenses are an option to remove the wide-angle distortion found in the standard GoPro lens. (By the way, GoPro has announced it is developing its own UAV quadcopter, due out sometime next year.) Canon makes lightweight cameras with internal GPS for mapping. Sony NEX 3 ($500) through NEX 7 ($670) cameras are popular for their high-quality video recorded to solid-state media, as are the Panasonic Lumix cameras ($800). All of these require a bigger UAV with a larger gimbal. So, have you decided that a multirotor UAV has a place in your firm? Don’t let the multiple options dissuade you. Whether you tell the nerdiest person on your staff to go learn more, or you check out a local hobby shop to find an operator looking for any excuse to fly, UAVs are a growing industry ($4 billion forecast for 2015). After spending the last month mapping cotton fields in South Georgia to measure plant survival rates, even I could be convinced to help someone with air conditioning start a UAV program. Fly safe! Questions will be answered at sureshot@ pic-man.com. FOOTNOTE 1. A case-by-case authorization for certain unmanned aircraft to perform commercial operations prior to the finalization of the FAA’s Small UAS Rule. See http://www.faa.gov/uas/ legislative_programs/section_333/. As a small boy, Joe Carson tested the durability of model aircraft using lighter fluid and firecrackers. After being educated at Oxford College of Emory University, Georgia State, and the University of Georgia, Carson developed an understanding for the physics of air by exiting flying aircraft at high speed. His first aerial photographs in 1976 were of fellow parachutists taken with tiny 110 cameras. Now, 37 years of photography training are combining with airborne passion to design, build, and develop uses for small, unmanned aerial tripods to take photos in difficult locations. Joe Carson 1 8 • I n t e r f a c e Oc t o b e r 2 0 1 5 One of the most significant First-Century religious structures is no longer standing due to its destruction by ISIS militants. The main building of the 2,200-year-old Temple of Bel in Palymra, Syria, was destroyed on Sunday, August 30, according to the Associated Press (AP). A satellite analysis by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNOSAT) confirmed the building was destroyed. An ISIS operative told AP over Skype that militants had detonated explosives near the temple. The Temple of Bel was built in or about 32 A.D. and demonstrates the merger of Near Eastern and Greco-Roman architecture. It had been situated in an important market during the Roman Empire, with access to India, China, and Persia. The Temple of Bel is dedicated to the Semitic god Bel and is considered one of the most important religious buildings of the early days of Anno Domini (A.D.). Residents who live near the temple said that the extremist group destroyed large parts of the temple and “booby trapped” the rest of it. The residents also told the AP that they are concerned the group plans to destroy the remaining ruins soon. “This is the most devastating act yet, in my opinion,” said Amr Al-Azm, a professor of history and anthropology at Shawnee State University in Ohio. “It truly demonstrates ISIS’s ability to act with impunity and the impotence of the international community to stop them,” he said. Earlier this month, ISIS militants in Palmyra beheaded 81-year-old Khaled al-Asaad, one of Syria’s most revered antiquities scholars. Various news reports UNOSAT satellite analysis (left) confirms Temple of Bel main building (shown before bombing, below) has been destroyed. ISIS Destroys Ancient Temple in Palmyra
Join presenter Samir Ibrahim, F-IIBEC, AIA, CSI, and moderator Brandon Gemma on Wednesday, October 16 at 2:00 p.m. ET for a live webinar, Leak Investigation: Methods, Assessment, and Strategies. This activity has been approved for 1.0 IIBEC CEH. This activity has been approved for 1.0 AIA LU/HSW.
This educational program focuses on the evolution of methods and practices used to detect moisture intrusion, primarily in roofing and waterproofing. Different methods of testing will be discussed, and appropriate selection criteria, depending on each project’s conditions, will be explored. The need for stricter quality control will be discussed and suitable testing methods identified. Participants will be able to generate a forward-thinking strategy when performing field assessments of designing a new project. This webinar will focus on a review of the methods available and is not specific to any one leak detection system.
Register Now.