Inventory of damaged forest with autonomous drone
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Katam Technologies AB |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 950 000 |
| Project duration | December 2020 - November 2021 |
| Status | Completed |
| Venture | Drones |
| Call | Drones for a safer society |
Important results from the project
The aim project has been to reduce the risk of personal injury when working in dangerous forests. Forests that are damaged by storms, fires or insect infestations are in some cases dangerous to stay in, as are plantation forests in South America, then due to poisonous spiders and snakes. It is also dangerous to work with power lines that have been damaged by fallen trees. The goal was to develop a prototype together with need owners for a safe method for inspection, mapping and analysis of trees in dangerous forests.
Expected long term effects
Two prototypes for services have been developed. Partly a prototype where forest is photographed from above and the analysis identifies windswept trees, partly a prototype where you fly in the forest, between the trees, and the analysis shows tree positions and slope. Furthermore, visual inspection of the power line, with a drone flying close to the wires, has been tested. Developed methods for detecting windswept and damaged trees are judged to make the work of cutting them up both safer and more efficient.
Approach and implementation
The users prioritized automatically detecting storm-felled trees, with autonomous flight low in the forest or at higher altitudes. Tests have clarified feasibility, detection capability and measurement accuracy. Raw data has been collected from damaged forest, both by flying above the forest and flying between the trees. The technology has been tested in fire and storm damaged forest as well as in power line environments.