A Waterloo startup’s “eye in the sky” flies into primetime TV
Waterloo-based Aeryon Labs will see of one of its Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) save the day in an episode of the cops-and-crime drama FLASHPOINT.
This Ontario Network of Excellence client is enjoying global recognition for its lightweight, easy-to-use, helicopter-like Scout, which has provided a very powerful ‘eye in the sky’ for the Gulf Coast oil spill in 2010 and, more recently, a dramatic recon of a South American drug lab. It’s also being used during natural disasters and applied to commercial purposes like construction and surveying.
Features of Aeryon’s Scout include:
- Vertical take-off powered by four horizontal propellers
- Interchangeable payload modules (video, still photography, thermal imaging)
- 100x greater image resolution over satellite photography
- Video zoom can identify an human being at a distance of 2 kilometers
- Control through a tablet-like touchscreen (the Scout simply hovers if not directed)
- Gyro-stabilization holds the Scout steady
- Real-time streaming of digital video to any device
- Pre-planned flight paths
- Operational weight of 1.2 kg (2.6 lbs) and a compact size of 80 by 80 by 20 cm
Aeryon customers include a growing list of police, military and commercial organizations that need real-time aerial intelligence in a small, simple and portable system.
The Flashpoint episode featuring the Scout airs on Friday July 29, 2011 at 8pm. It can also be watched online at CTV.
