Rajant Corporation, experts in creating wireless technologies, have hailed the growth of drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) but warned that networks will have to become more “ubiquitous” if they are to drive their potential productivity, safety and cost improvements.
In an exclusive insight shared with PTI, Rajant has said that a drone’s application is “virtually endless” and that just a few of the successful case studies include crop irrigation, land and maritime surveying and firefighting.
“Until recently,” Rajant said, “the primitive radio systems with little or no payload versatility have limited drone times and distances, placing unwanted restrictions on the communications required to support industrial applications.”
Today, however, drones are in operation in many ports around the world, terminals and maritime facilities.
In a recent Port Technology technical paper, Rajant explored in greater detail how drones are the future
In March 2015, Wilhelmsen teamed up with Airbus to deliver the first-ever small package via a shore-to-ship drone at the Port of Singapore, a story PTI reported on.
Such is the potential of drones, it is predicted that could cut shore-to-ship costs by as much as 90%.
To that end, Rajant has released the BreadCrumb drone module, which can be attached to a single drone or a whole fleet to deliver reliable secure broadband communications.
Powered by Rajant’s InstaMesh, it offers military-grade security with strong cryptographic options and per-packet authentication to protect communications between the drones and ground-based facilities.
Furthermore, it is compatible with both fixed and rotary-wing aircraft and supports various payloads, such as cameras, LIDAR and a wide range of sensors.
“Even with electronics, such as an autopilot processor,” Rajant concludes “camera, and GPS unit attached, the module does not adversely affect the flight characteristics or the control of the aircraft.”
