Drones

Fleet of eBee drones capture the immensity of the Matterhorn

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An eBee drone sails over the Matterhorn, acquiring data and taking pictures
Closeup of the eBee minidrone
A 3D model of the Matterhorn created from the data acquired by the eBees
Drone Adventures aided senseFly in getting the eBee to the top of the Matterhorn
Flight plan calculated automatically for the eBee, which launched off the top of the summit
Preparing to launch the eBee from the Matterhorn summit
Looking over the expanse of the Matterhorn which would be mapped by drones
An eBee drone sails over the Matterhorn, acquiring data and taking pictures
Successful launch of the eBee drone over the Matterhorn
Automated flight plans for the many eBees that were launched from midway down the mountain
Preparing to launch several eBees just above the Hörnlihütte, seen in the background
Preparing to launch several eBee drones at 3,260 m (10,696 ft)
Preparing to launch several eBee drones at 3,260 m (10,696 ft)
A successful launch of the eBee at 3,260 m
A successful launch of the eBee at 3,260 m
View gallery - 14 images

Explorers have mapped the surface of the iconic Matterhorn painstakingly by foot, by satellite, and now by drone, thanks to a partnership between drone maker senseFly and nonprofit Drone Adventures. Launching a small squadron of eBee minidrones off the summit and sides of the famous Alps mountaintop, the mission tested the navigational abilities of the system and created a staggering data-rich 3D model.

When Gizmag covered the eBee in January of this year, we mentioned several of the drone’s features that would prove crucial to the Matterhorn mission: its compact travel form, long flight time, ability to withstand 45 km/h (28 mph) winds, and 3D mapping and navigating capability. Having test-launched the eBee off a ski slope, the company turned to the Matterhorn for the next test of its abilities.

One climbing team hauled an eBee to the summit of the Matterhorn, a feat made easier by being able to fit the drone into a backpack. This summit launch also tested the eBee’s ability to take off into mountain wind and turbulence. Other eBees were launched from two other altitudes lower down the mountain. Together, 11 flights were made, for a total 340 minutes of flight time and a flight distance of 263.6 km (164 miles).

The company’s software eMotion 2 provided all the ground control for the flights, even automatically creating flight paths for the multiple drones and returning them to preset locations.

Automated flight plans for the many eBees that were launched from midway down the mountain

Large numbers and big data is one application at which drones excel, and the eBees didn’t disappoint, with 2,188 photos taken, an HD point-cloud with 3 million datapoints, and an average resolution of 20 cm (8 in).

For an idea of what these numbers mean, while viewing the image models you can easily make out the hotel-like Hörnlihütte where mountain climbers have been resting on the northeast ridge since 1880, but not see the much smaller 10-bed cabin Solvayhütte higher on the same ridge and recessed into a cliff face.

A 3D model of the Matterhorn created from the data acquired by the eBees

One may interact with data visualizations of the Matterhorn, presented as a 3D point cloud model (requires WebGL support), color relief elevation chart, and an image mosaic, courtesy of MapBox.

The video below details some of the preparation, process, and final results of the project, complete with breathtaking views of the Matterhorn.

Sources: senseFly, Drone Adventures via IEEE Spectrum

View gallery - 14 images
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7 comments
SpeedBird2014
Great Accomplishment! Congratulations to your entire team!
JimRD
Pretty cool. I love rc wings.
Joseph Mertens
So great a potential for good and a equal potential for evil.
John Waller
The project was only partially successful. Why did they have to climb the mountain to launch the drones?? Did the drones lack the power or endurance to make the flight to the peak?? The whole point of a drone is to go where you cannot, so possibly these drones still need development. While what they did was great, nevertheless the ability to launch from the base of the mountain would be more useful.
alaskaken
Or you could have hired an Aerial Mapping company to make a couple of passes with a large-format aerial mapping camera, and be done in 15 minutes.
F Ed Knutson
Great job! I love the critical thinkers that comment. Armchair scientists! In any case Disneyland can build a better Matterhorn now because of this!
Sophie - senseFly
Thank you for your comments, The challenge of this mission was to test take-off behavior at high altitudes and in mountain typical turbulence's. The eBee was launched at the summit of the Matterhorn (4478m), climbing up to an maximum altitude of 4707m. Six flights started just above the Hörnlihütte at an altitude of 3260m and mapped the north and east faces of the mountain reaching altitudes as high as 50m above the summit of the Matterhorn. So we were able to test the ability at high altitudes in typical conditions as well as being able to launch at lower altitudes and climb to the higher altitudes to complete projects.