DJI Matrice 4E: Automated substation inspection

This model was created using the DJI Matrice 4 Enterprise's Smart 3D Capture mode for automated data collection - during a trial of the drone's capabilities for substation inspection.

Network Rail asset engineer, Ken Durling, conducted the test at National Grid's Eakring training facility.

An initial two-minute mapping mission created a rough model. This was then used to generate a more detailed flight route for the automated mapping mission, which took six minutes to fly.

This image shows the plan of the automated flight.

To further enhance safety, the drone's avoidance sensors were set at 1m from the target surface.

A total of 333 photos were collected in total, and the model was processed through DJI Terra.

Ken is testing the M4E for inspecting substations critical to rail operation - as part of trials to explore scalable drone solutions across the railway network.

He said the drone performed well in the tight substation environment and was impressed with the 3D model.

Thank you to Ken for sharing the data with us.