Every year new technology is introduced that has the potential to shape and change the aerial mapping industry in significant ways. A new invention that may be able to be useful to aerial mappers is a solar-powered robot, which is currently being worked on by Ran Dai, an assistant professor at the University of Washington. In the past Dai has worked on Boeing 787 airplanes and he is applying his aerospace engineering knowledge to design and produce a new kind of machine.
Dai and his team aren’t hoping to send this robot into space and land on Mars. Instead, they are thinking about ways this robot will be able to be used on earth, and aerial mapping could be just one of many applications for it. While the current design for the robot cannot fly, there have been plans for a drone version.
The main benefit of a robot like this is that it can travel to areas that may be harmful to humans. If land needs to be surveyed in an area that may be potentially toxic, this robot can be sent in instead. To make sure that it never runs out of power, it is built with GPS and infrared mapping systems that allow it to seek out areas that have an ample amount of sunlight.
Solar-powered robots are just one of many inventions that may change how people do their jobs, including land surveying and aerial mapping. We are eager to find out more about this device and other inventions that people are dreaming up every day. For more news about aerial mapping and related technology, keep checking back with our blog!