SAN FRANCISCO – Today, leading enterprise drone data platform DroneDeploy has become the first single solution that can capture and process photos, videos and more from any angle – from the ground to the air, from exterior to interior, on foot or by machine. Through its new feature, 360 Walkthrough, DroneDeploy now works with both drones/aerial cameras and any on-the-ground 360-cameras (hand-held or robotic) to provide a valuable, comprehensive digital reconstruction of any job site.
The offering has already been tested and proven in collaboration with mobile robot creator Boston Dynamics, and one of the nation’s largest privately held construction companies, Brasfield & Gorrie. The new product and collaborators were unveiled on the first day of DroneDeploy’s annual DroneDeploy Conference, happening virtually October 13 and 14, 2020.
“DroneDeploy is already the leader in enabling businesses to capture the reality of their job sites from the air. But we know our more than 5,000 customers are also looking for a solution that allows data capture on the ground and indoors,” said Mike Winn, co-founder and CEO of DroneDeploy. “Today, we’re responding to that need with 360 Walkthrough. By combining aerial, interior and ground data onto one platform, we’re providing our customers with a complete perspective of their sites, ultimately increasing efficiency and worker safety in industries like construction, agriculture, renewables, and more.”
Brasfield & Gorrie has been using DroneDeploy since 2015. DroneDeploy has helped Brasfield & Gorrie reduce expensive progress documentation costs and capture significantly more imagery than previous methods. Earlier this year, the company began collaborating with Boston Dynamics and DroneDeploy to develop an industry-first workflow for automating 360 video-based construction documentation. Brasfield & Gorrie helped develop and pilot a workflow to perform on-the-ground building walkthroughs and inspections using the agile mobile robot “Spot” by Boston Dynamics, along with DroneDeploy’s 360 Walkthrough. Outfitted with a 360-camera, Spot allows workers to autonomously capture data from building interiors and take close-up photos for the bid process or inspection. Using the Spot and DroneDeploy SDKs, Brasfield & Gorrie specialists are able to automate the full process, from mobile data capture to cloud upload and image processing, immediately making the data available for other project team members to view using DroneDeploy. With this new workflow, superintendents and project managers can easily and efficiently gather the data they need to obtain a comprehensive view of their job site, from any perspective.
“By combining robotic automation with DroneDeploy’s interior and exterior progress documentation process, we’re able to more consistently capture data about the complete project,” said Russ Gibbs, Director of VDC, Innovation and Operational Technology at Brasfield & Gorrie. “As a result, we’re able to make more informed decisions while allowing our team members to focus on tasks that require their expertise.”
“One of Spot’s chief functions is to automate data capture on job sites safely, accurately and frequently, connecting customers to critical insights that keep projects on-track,” said Brian Ringly, Construction Technology Manager at Boston Dynamics. “By collaborating with DroneDeploy and Brasfield & Gorrie, we’re making it easier to implement repeatable, autonomous 360 data capture in complex environments where Spot’s unique mobility is an advantage, and leverage the DroneDeploy platform to make that data actionable in a common data environment.”
360 Walkthrough is just one part of DroneDeploy’s ultimate vision of a platform that not only captures comprehensive data, but also takes action. As many industries become more reliant on automation, DroneDeploy will become a critical component to making a robotic autonomous loop possible.
In addition to 360 Walkthrough, DroneDeploy announced its October Product Release. These include Vertical Flight, which provides autonomous flight templates for projects like multi-story buildings or storage tanks, with new immersive 3D inspection tools. Additional features include new analytical tools for Construction and Earthworks companies, next AI-driven generation photogrammetry and super high-res 360 panorama processing.
To learn more about DroneDeploy, get in touch with one of our experts, or visit our blog.
To learn more about DroneDeploy Conference (Oct 13-14), visit the conference website. Register to hear more about 360 Walkthrough and DroneDeploy’s work with Boston Dynamics and Brasfield & Gorrie.
About DroneDeploy
DroneDeploy is the leading enterprise-grade digital reconstruction platform. Trusted by brands globally, DroneDeploy captures every dimension of job sites, structures, and assets, and transforms it into meaningful insights for industries including construction, energy, and agriculture. Through interior and exterior data capture, DroneDeploy enables professional mapping, 3D modeling, and reporting on any device, anywhere in the world. To learn more, visit www.dronedeploy.com and join the conversation on Twitter @DroneDeploy.
About Boston Dynamics
Boston Dynamics is the global leader in developing and deploying highly mobile robots capable of tackling the toughest robotics challenges. Our core mission is to lead the creation and delivery of robots with advanced mobility, dexterity and intelligence that add value in unstructured or hard-to-traverse spaces and positively impact society. We create high-performance robots equipped with perception, navigation and intelligence by combining the principles of dynamic control and balance with sophisticated mechanical designs, cutting-edge electronics and next-generation software. We have three mobile robots in our portfolio – Spot®, Handle™ and Atlas® – as well as Pick™, a computer vision-based robotics solution for logistics. Founded in 1992, Boston Dynamics spun out of the MIT Leg Lab and is one of Inc. Magazine’s Best Workplaces of 2020. For more information on our company and its technologies, please visit www.bostondynamics.com.
About Brasfield & Gorrie
Founded in 1964, Brasfield & Gorrie is one of the nation’s largest privately held construction firms, providing general contracting, design-build, and construction management services for a wide variety of markets. We are skilled in construction best practices, including virtual design and construction, integrated project delivery, and Lean construction, but we are best known for our preconstruction and self-perform expertise and exceptional client service. Brasfield & Gorrie has 12 offices and approximately 3,000 employees. Our 2019 revenues were $3.8 billion. Engineering News-Record ranks Brasfield & Gorrie 22nd among the nation’s “Top 400 Contractors” for 2020.
