Tethered Drones and Veronte Autopilot 1x System

The integration of tethered drones presents a number of operational advantages over free-flying drones; for a variety of applications, it far outweighs the limitations caused by the restriction in range due to the tether. Also, this anchor reduces the range of action of the system, easing the system’s safety justification to the aviation authorities.

There are quite a few different variations of tethered drones, and they can all affect the way they fly. They are used by people from quite a few different walks of life, including the police, the military, and even journalists. The drones can be moved by simply shifting their station or by having a flexible tether that permits them to fly in a controlled area. This will also allow tethered drones to cover any moving vehicles, such as cars and boats, over any range. This greatly increases the surveillance ability of these drones.

It could be said that the main benefit of tethered drones is that they are much safer. Since the chance of crashes is reduced. But safety is not the only thing that tethering offers. One of the biggest advantages of these systems is that the tether can be used for powering the drone, which permits it to operate indefinitely without any endurance limitations. Removing the battery onboard the aircraft also increases payload capabilities.

Another practical use of tethered drones is in photography. Earlier, this would require a lot of practice and skill, but the automatic flight controller eliminates these difficulties, permitting the system to operate completely autonomously. And with improved stability, clearer video or pictures can be captured as well.

While we’re discussing tethered drones, there is absolutely no way in which we can give a miss to the Embention Veronte avionics system. This miniaturized system is the first commercial autopilot compatible with tethered drone control. It uses the latest in sensors and processors to offer advanced control for various unmanned platforms, including tethered drones.

Features of Veronte Autopilot 1x regarding tethered drone control

• Adaptive control automatically adjusts the flight control, adapting the controller to the variable mass of the tether in the air.
• Fully autonomous flight control for a tethered drone following a 3D waypoint route for vertical and horizontal inspections.
• Follow me flight modes for moving platforms (car, boat, train, etc.) monitoring.
• Inflight manual control capabilities for drone and/or payload control, with automatic mode switch on joystick release.
• Surveillance flight modes with loiter, 360º, and up and down control modes, with high customization capabilities.

You will never be able to experience a tethered drone properly until you use it along with a Veronte avionics system. So what are you waiting for? It’s time you stopped worrying about crashing your drone while flying and started enjoying yourself instead.

Article written in collaboration with droneexaminer.com