The Center for Spatiotemporal AI Perception Technology at Tianfu Jiangxi Laboratory in Chengdu, Sichuan province, recently launched Dimension 1, a drone that performs asset digitization scanning tasks in indoor environments. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
A scene from the science fiction film Prometheus, where explorers deploy a mini-drone that laser-scans caves to generate 3D models instantly, has turned into reality, thanks to the efforts of Chinese engineers.
On Tuesday, the Spatiotemporal AI Perception Technology Innovation Center at the Tianfu Jiangxi Laboratory in Chengdu, Sichuan province, announced that it has launched Dimension 1, the world's first ultra-compact portable mapping drone. It is designed to perform asset digitization scanning tasks in indoor environments.
The Center for Spatiotemporal AI Perception Technology at Tianfu Jiangxi Laboratory in Chengdu, Sichuan province, recently launched Dimension 1, a drone that performs asset digitization scanning tasks in indoor environments. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
The drone features a spherical shell with a reinforced cage-like frame, allowing it to operate in high-risk environments such as municipal culverts and bridge-supported pipelines, the center said.
Equipped with the 3DAware™ flight control system, the drone utilizes simultaneous localization and mapping technology to generate real-time 3D models of its surroundings, the center said. The Dimension I also carries a specially designed 4D-Aware software for video replay and 3D model inspection.
The Center for Spatiotemporal AI Perception Technology at Tianfu Jiangxi Laboratory in Chengdu, Sichuan province, recently launched Dimension 1, a drone that performs asset digitization scanning tasks in indoor environments. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Zhang Dedong, the center's deputy director, said the drone maintains remarkable stability even in harsh environments, offering users a safer, more efficient and cost-effective inspection solution than traditional methods.
He said the operators require minimal specialized training to handle it and complete mapping tasks across diverse scenarios. Compared to traditional methods in similar environments, it reduces mapping costs by nearly half, according to the center.
The center is accelerating efforts to upgrade and commercialize the drone while continuously expanding its application scenarios, it said.
