Dronemaker Autel Robotics has introduced an auto-working docking station for the EVO II series drones. The EVO Nest, as the drone box is called, allows users to remotely perform drone emissions without having to be present on site. The system is compatible with the EVO II series, EVO II RTK series, and the new EVO II Enterprise series.

Drone-in-a-box

The future is on autonomous drones, and Autel Robotics is conveniently responding to that with this product. An independent drone box has the advantage that the drone is standby 24/7 to be able to take action. It is possible to fly routine missions, such as recurring inspections or surveillance flights, or take action in the event of an emergency. At the end of each flight, the box opens and the drone lands independently in the docking station, to be recharged for a next flight.

Autel’s new drone docking station is equipped with a folding dome, a fiberglass landing site and built-in air conditioning to cool the system on hot days. According to Autel, it is a small and compact system that is easy to transport and implement. The drone box fully charges an Autel EVO II drone in about 45 minutes. For extra security, the drone box is equipped with an electronic lock and an internal camera.

The EVO Nest has an IP54 rating, which means that the system is suitable for installing in an unprotected outdoor location. The EVO Nest also provides a status view for each individual component of the modular system, making it easy to diagnose problems remotely.

Central control

The EVO Nest can be controlled directly from Autel’s new flight control platform, SkyCommand Center. Operators can therefore plan and operate flights remotely. The entire EVO Nest Automatic Flight System consists of the EVO Nest, an EVO II series drone, a cloud-based service and the SkyCommand Center software.

The EVO Nest Automatic Flight System uses an open API interface, which means that the drone’s flight parameters can be adjusted according to its environment. Autonomous starts, inspections and precision landings can all be adapted to industry-specific needs.

Once a drone has received its mission, the subject to be inspected is automatically identified. Deviations are automatically detected. During a mission, among other things, the flight path and camera angle can be changed remotely in real time using a 4G or 5G connection.

It is also possible to connect multiple EVO Nest systems and have multiple drones perform a task simultaneously. The data collected by both drones and drone boxes can be requested on-demand from a central point via the cloud.

According to Autel, the new autonomous drone box system can be used for applications such as powerline inspections, site monitoring, forestry inspections, agricultural monitoring, safety patrols and traffic controls.

Price and availability

The price and availability of the Autel EVO Nest docking station has not yet been announced. In order to deploy the system on location without a drone pilot, the operator must have an operational authorization for the execution of BVLOS flights.