Terra Drone Adds Signal Recovery to Terra Xross 1 Indoor Inspection Drone
Terra Drone has added automated signal recovery to its Terra Xross 1 indoor inspection drone. The Tokyo-based company said the feature was developed through the Nippon Foundation and DeepStar joint technology program, with input from consortium members Chevron and Shell.
The Terra Xross 1 is built for indoor inspection work in confined and GPS-denied environments. It uses lidar and visual sensors to support flight stability and is priced at roughly one-third the cost of conventional indoor visual inspection drones, according to the company. Terra Drone said the lower price has helped expand the use of indoor drone inspections across critical infrastructure sectors.
The new function is designed to act when communication between the drone and its controller is lost during flight. Once triggered, the drone automatically flies back toward the point where it last maintained a signal in an effort to restore the connection. Terra Drone said the feature is intended to cut the risk of flyaways or equipment loss in storage tanks, boiler rooms, underground structures and other areas where radio signals can weaken or drop out.
The development reflects field requirements from energy and infrastructure operators working in high-risk inspection environments. DeepStar is an offshore technology development consortium whose members include major oil and gas companies, and its program focuses on technology advancement, safety improvement and decarbonization support in the energy sector. Terra Drone said it will continue working with infrastructure owners, operators and inspection firms on features shaped by field feedback, a step that could help extend indoor drone inspections while reducing asset-loss risk.