Thames Water using the Flyability Elios for Inspections

COPTRZ recently had the opportunity to speak to Jon Lorimer, Risk Management Specialist at Thames Water. Thames Water is the largest water and wastewater services companies in the UK. They supply around 2,600 million litres of tap water to 9 million customers across London and the Thames Valley. Alongside this, they treat and remove more than 4 billion litres of sewage.

The emergence of drones has seen not only cost-effectivity improve, but it’s also seen human safety increase. This is one of the main reasons Thames Water are using drones, and why the market is on a rapid rise to the top. There are a wide range of UAV’s available, and Thames Water are making the most of two of the best that are currently available.

What are they using?

Thames Water are currently using both the Flyability Elios – collision tolerant drone, and DJI’s enterprise giant the Matrice 210. The Elios is used more prominently for their inspections of sewers, and that is what we are going to be looking at specifically in this blog.

The Elios is the first, specially designed, collision tolerant drone created specifically for inspections and the exploration of inaccessible places. Its carbon fibre protective frame allows it to access the tightest of spaces without the risk of damage to your drone.

Why are they using them?