The specifics of how a drone might be able to impact an energy & utility company vary depending on the specifics of what an organization is looking to do, but there are still some aspects of an approach that are borderline universal. There are an unlimited number of ways drone technology can be leveraged but it’s important to establish the right expectations when it comes to how drones can make a given task faster, cheaper or safer. Specific presentations that define how these efficiencies can be enabled will be explored in detail followed by a panel discussion that further defines action items for attendees.

Session moderated by Cynthia Huang, Auterion 

Building Aerial Autonomous Systems with an AI First Approach

How can we incorporate greater autonomy into the next generation of unmanned aircraft systems, drones, and advanced aerial mobility platforms? Building autonomous systems that operate in safety-critical environments is challenging. An AI first platform provides a repeatable, scalable, and extensible training ground for intelligent agents, such as drones, by providing high fidelity 3D environments, sensor simulation and a programmable interface to create infinitely scalable simulations. These agents can safely and efficiently learn new skills and practice operating in dynamic, resource-constrained environments. Please join us to learn how Microsoft is solving these important challenges facing our industry. 

Ganesh Rao, Microsoft

Making Commercial Sense of End-to-End Powerline Inspection with BVLOS Drones

Inspecting powerlines with drones flying BVLOS is one of the commercially hot topics already. Companies around the world are preparing for the time when airspace regulators are allowing BVLOS drone operations at scale, so that they can automate the processes and the operation. In this presentation I will give some insights into projects around the world, giving a holistic view on what is needed to make commercial sense for that application case.

Thomas Neubauer, TEOCO