UK transport body sending drones where CCTV cameras cannot see

The West Midlands region in England is trialing a new fully automated drone service to identify and resolve transport issues faster. Public body Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) has joined forces with drone company SkyBound Rescuer to ensure an eye in the sky in the areas that don’t have CCTV coverage.

With more than 2,500 fixed CCTV cameras under its purview, TfWM monitors the bus, train, road, and tram network across the West Midlands region from a centralized control room. But when an incident occurs in an area that doesn’t have CCTV coverage, it can be difficult to track the situation or understand its complexities.

This could change now with the installation of an automated drone station in the market town of Walsall. This station is essentially a high-tech box that the drone sits in. It enables precise take-off and landing of the aircraft and recharges the drone without needing to remove the battery. The technology also creates an…