Automated Charging Systems for DJI Drones Make Totally Automated Drone Applications Possible
As the commercial drone industry moves closer to automation, new accessories to allow automation of commonly available drones are entering the market. China-based HEISHA has developed a combination charging system, landing station, and battery for DJI drones – a station that can be easily integrated into existing infrastructures.
DRONELIFE spoke with Mr. Ling Lu, CEO of HEISHA, to learn more.
DroneLife: Can you tell us how HEISHA got started?
Mr. Ling Lu: Well, to start with we have recently changed our company name to HEISHA, as it has the same pronunciation as Chinese and English. One of our founders, Mr. Huang, who is our CTO, has been involved in UAVs for 20 years. In the very beginning, he was focused on the core parts, flight controllers, etc. Until now, he felt the market for automation was premature – but recently, the market has matured to the point where we were ready to develop the first version of our charging station.
Given the importance of DJI, we focused on supporting DJI with the first releases.
DroneLife: What do they do and what type of customer would use them?
Mr. Ling Lu: We offer a charging platform, landing gear, and battery. There are different requirements for different applications: so we won’t provide core systems that can be customized. We also sell a complete solution charging station that includes a charger, landing station, and battery.
DroneLife: What made you come up with the idea for these drone charging systems?
Mr. Ling Lu: The solution is not just a charging system …. We want to make drones smarter, and provide a platform that can be integrated into existing business processes. These systems can integrate into existing systems that will support autonomous missions.
DroneLife: Any interesting use cases that you could share with us of how a client is using your technology?
Mr. Ling Lu: One client uses a DJI Mavic to do indoor warehouse inspection and inventory management. Black Sand provides the charging station module and integrates it with the client’s warehouse management system and existing robots. Black Sand receives the commands from the management system through the standard interface and WIFI. The management robot carries the charging module with the Mavic to the designated spot, the drone will take off, complete the inspection and recognition mission and head back to the charging station charging and upload the data for analysis. Once the mission is complete, it will return to the charging station: and once the battery is fully charged, the drone is ready for the next mission, fully autonomous as no human pilot is needed during the entire procedure.
DroneLife: What parts of the world do you market / sell into?
Mr. Ling Lu: Where people have drones, they can use our system! In short, everywhere.
DroneLife: What is the most interesting thing about HEISHA that our readers might not know about?
Mr. Ling Lu: HEISHA is a technology-driven company. The founding partners (9 people) are
all technical experts that are experts in artificial intelligence, power systems, and telemetry technology for more than ten years. The creed of the company is: “Carry the despair that others can’t, solve the problems that others can’t.” We’re always trying to make the product better and advance our technology.
