Launch HN: Voltair (YC W26) – Drone and charging network for power utilities
31 points by wweissbluth
by nhecker
1 subcomments
Sounds like a neat space to be in. Wishing you calm skies next month. I guess you'll have all the goodies (RFI detectors, thermal imaging sensors, etc.) to collect data? I wonder to what extent detection from a distance (discovery?) and investigation of faults can be automated. Hopefully using drones for good will be sufficient for a viable business model. We've enough surveillance as it is.
by petargyurov
1 subcomments
At my job [0] we work in this exact space, but on the data analytics side of things. We build computer vision pipelines for corrosion, components, defects, etc. We process imagery from drones, helis and satellite.
This is a tough problem to solve and for a lot of operators ultimately comes down to cost.
We're based in the UK but reach out if you wanna chat!
How does this get around the problem you mentioned with FAA line of sight regulations?
by dylan604
1 subcomments
I worked at a place that provided services to railroad owners. This was back in the 90s, but they had camera rigs on engines that would record multiple angles along the train routes. They would store that footage in massive tape libraries to be used as reference to see the terrain in an area that service was needed to they'd know what kind of equipment would be necessary as well as a visual of the tracks themselves. They could not update the footage as fast as they liked. IIRC, footage was over a year old before getting updated.
Just another suggestion of a sector you could gain traction as it wasn't listed.
by igor47
0 subcomment
No feedback, this just sounds really cool.
by wangmander
1 subcomments
Is the inspection data you're accumulating becoming a moat in itself?
by contingencies
1 subcomments
Love the name. Perhaps an angle you haven't considered is rapid quantitative data gathering for site inspection for rapid setup of non-traditional infrastructure like wind and solar. Should be zeitgeist with gas prices shooting through the roof. By actually being 250-400ft above the proposed site and taking real measurements you get actionable insights. Multi-season survey ideal but raw data from a specific site has gravitas and seasonal inference is straightforward within a confidence interval.
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