Data61 spin-out start-up Emesent has released its ‘plug and play payload’ Hovermap, which allows drones to fly underground and in other GPS-denied locations. Hovermapis a self-contained unit consisting of a small processor and a spinning cylinder, about the size of a can of beans, which emits 300,000 laser beams a second. The 1.8kg device features omni-directional LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) based collision avoidance and advanced autonomy which allows for beyond line-of-sight missions in GPS-denied environments. Hovermap’s SLAM (Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping) capability means accurate LIDAR mapping can be carried out even when GPS is not available. No caption “It allows drones to fly autonomously even in GPS-denied environments to collect valuable data that was not previously possible. This provides a step change in the data collection possibilities for mining, energy, construction, asset management and many more,” said Emesent CEO and co-founder Dr Stefan Hrabar. No caption “There is increasing demand for these industries to digitise and remotely inspect their assets but access to hazardous areas and the lack of GPS has been a limiting factor until now,” he added. The commercial availability of Hovermap follows more than five years of research and development, which built on a decade of work by CSIRO Data61’s Robotics and Autonomous Systems group. ‘Game-changer’ Over the last 18 months, Hovermap has undergone rigorous testing in the field by early adopters in the US, Canada, Australia, China and Japan. Last year, CSIRO sent a drone fitted with its Hovermap payload 600 metres underground, down a mine in Western Australia. No caption “We’ve been using Hovermap to fly into inaccessible areas of underground mines to map them,” said Matt MacKinnon, founder of Canadian-based drone services company UAS Inc. “We’ve conducted more than 60 commercial flights in 12 mines, capturing extremely valuable data for our clients without putting humans at risk. Hovermap truly is a game-changer for underground mining and other GPS-denied environments,” he said. In November, Emesent raised $3.5 million in venture capital – led by Main Sequence Ventures – to commercialise the product. Emesent is a partner of Data61’s effort in the US Defense Advanced Projects Agency’s (DARPA) new Subterranean Challenge,in which teams are tasked with quickly and remotely mapping, navigating and searching for items in perilous underground environments. No caption In October Data61’s Robotics and Autonomous Systems group was named as one of only seven teams globally to receive up to US$4.5 million from DARPA to compete in the three year contest. Related content opinion Website spoofing: risks, threats, and mitigation strategies for CIOs In this article, we take a look at how CIOs can tackle website spoofing attacks and the best ways to prevent them. By Yash Mehta Dec 01, 2023 5 mins CIO Cyberattacks Security brandpost Sponsored by Catchpoint Systems Inc. Gain full visibility across the Internet Stack with IPM (Internet Performance Monitoring) Today’s IT systems have more points of failure than ever before. Internet Performance Monitoring provides visibility over external networks and services to mitigate outages. By Neal Weinberg Dec 01, 2023 3 mins IT Operations brandpost Sponsored by Zscaler How customers can save money during periods of economic uncertainty Now is the time to overcome the challenges of perimeter-based architectures and reduce costs with zero trust. By Zscaler Dec 01, 2023 4 mins Security feature LexisNexis rises to the generative AI challenge With generative AI, the legal information services giant faces its most formidable disruptor yet. That’s why CTO Jeff Reihl is embracing and enhancing the technology swiftly to keep in front of the competition. By Paula Rooney Dec 01, 2023 6 mins Generative AI Digital Transformation Cloud Computing Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe