Non-Stop Wind Turbine Inspection with Drones

This article published in collaboration with JUIDA, the Japan UAS Industrial Development Association

Japanese Company Showcases First Non-Stop Wind Turbine Inspection Technology Using Drones

by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian J. McNabb

At the Tsukaba Forum recently held in Japan, Tokyo-based Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) recently unveiled new technology for inspecting wind turbines without requiring them to stop, announcing a demonstration experiment to showcase their innovative approach. Conventional methods for inspection required the turbine to be completely stopped before a technician could inspect it, a difficult process that had serious effects on power generation efficiency. NTT’s new process takes two autonomous drones, fitted with relatively small commercial radio emitters, and sends weak radio signals between them (which don’t require a federal license). This creates a “Fresnel Zone” between the two UAVs that can be formed on either…