Percepto
Autonomous Drone-in-a-Box Solution

A group of four engineers built a computer vision module and mounted it on a drone so that it could automatically track them skiing on mountain slopes during a trip. This project set the stage for the development of an intelligent multi-mission drone capable of operating autonomously, which eventually culminated into the formation of Percepto in 2014. The first adopters of Percepto’s onboard real-time computer vision were the defense industry, who immediately realized the benefits of a drone that could detect and track objects of interest. The Percepto team decided then to harness the computer vision technology to develop a fully autonomous drone that could follow a programmed route and land without being guided by beacons. They called it “Sparrow.” Large enterprises across oil and gas, utilities, and automotive industries can improve their efficiencies in the areas of safety, security, maintenance, and cost performance using autonomous drones such as Percepto’s Sparrow. “We capture the visual data aerially and analyze it using machine vision and artificial intelligence to provide valuable operational insights,” explains Dor Abuhasira, CEO of Percepto.

Many companies in different industries have critical on-site operations spread over a large geography and require continuous surveillance. To this end, they usually rely on patrols who travel to the location by vehicles or on foot, which is a time-consuming and error-prone process. Percepto’s drone offers superior monitoring capabilities as it can detect humans, vehicles, or anomalies in real time. The constant site visibility helps organizations identify potential dangers and take proactive measures to reduce risks.

Percepto’s drone solutions also perform site inspections for maintenance purposes. They routinely collect and analyze high-resolution video footage, building a database of visual information over time. Consequently, when a drone encounters something that is drastically different in its field of view—such as an oil spill—it can examine the location and send alerts. Additionally, Percepto’s drones can be programmed to react to integrated smart devices automatically.

More than simple aerial data collection, Percepto’s drone solutions are capable of complete autonomy. From conducting scheduled missions to recharging itself, Percepto’s ‘drone-in-a-box’ solution is built on a ‘deploy and forget’ principle.

We capture the visual data aerially and analyze it using machine vision and artificial intelligence to provide valuable operational insights, or as we like to call it—aerial perception

For instance, if a smart fence in a facility is obstructed due to any reason, it can instantly trigger the drone which flies automatically to the specific location to relay visual information to the key decision makers.

Drone operators can communicate with the drones through the Percepto Cloud Management System to define mission details, set schedules, review mission data, and steer the drone for cases where manual intervention is desired. The drone can be controlled through a simple and intuitive graphical user interface, similar to the ones that modern drones have in the consumer market. Nonetheless, it is an industrial-grade solution that can withstand extreme weather conditions and is equipped with day and night thermal vision for 24/7 operations.

Conventional drones are pilot dependent, which limits their value and availability in capturing a continuous stream of data essential to obtain meaningful insights and perform deep analysis. Enel, one of Europe’s largest energy firms was facing a similar problem related to optimizing facility production, reducing maintenance costs, and response times. Percepto’s autonomous drone solution made it possible for Enel to perform round-the-clock data acquisition for real-time monitoring, analysis, and alerts while reducing dependency on drone pilots and support teams.

“Our field-proven solutions and technical capabilities set us apart in the market,” states Abuhasira. In early 2018, some of the Fortune 500 companies have already adopted the Percepto solution. As autonomous-drone technology is relatively new, Percepto aims to collaborate with its customers from various verticals to gain insights about their industry-specific needs, and fulfill them with value-added applications embedded into its solution.