[AI Revolution] ⑤ AI Drone for Wind Turbine Inspection Emerges to Protect Airspace... NearsLab

Innovation in Facility Safety Inspection with AI Autonomous Flying Drones
Preparing for Expansion into Public Safety and Defense Industries

To inspect the giant blades of wind turbines, people had to hang from ropes and visually check their condition. The ultra-large wind turbines installed in the middle of the sea, with a power generation capacity of 15MW per hour, stand 250 to 280 meters above the water surface. They are taller than the 63 Building, which is 249 meters high. At this height, they must also withstand strong winds and waves. It is an extremely dangerous task, but any defect in the equipment can lead to a major accident, so inspections cannot be taken lightly.

Nearthlab is a company that has brought innovation to this perilous facility inspection method with AI autonomous flying drones. Equipped with AI, autonomous flying drones inspect abnormalities in large infrastructures such as wind turbines, dams, and bridges. The drones fly on their own, take high-resolution photos, and AI analyzes the images to detect even minute defects as small as 0.3 mm. Nearthlab’s technology has been recognized to the extent that it has inspected more than 60% of domestic wind power complexes within two years of launching its wind turbine inspection service. The next step is to expand this technology into the defense industry. We spoke with CEO Choi Jae-hyuk.

CEO Choi said, "Although we started with wind power, we are preparing for further expansion including public safety and defense." Nearthlab was founded in 2015 by CEO Choi Jae-hyuk and CTO Jung Young-seok, both graduates of the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). They possess all the necessary technologies for autonomous flight, including optimal route analysis, attitude control, and distance maintenance. They also have video-based positioning technology. According to CEO Choi, this technological capability can be utilized for future defense power. He said, "Just as drones eliminated the risks faced by field workers during wind turbine safety inspections, our technology can help soldiers perform operations in a safer environment."

CEO Choi Jae-hyuk is explaining areas where autonomous flight drone technology can be expanded, in addition to large facility safety inspections, at the '2023 Drone Show Korea' held last month.

When it comes to military drones, unmanned reconnaissance aircraft usually come to mind first. However, the range of drone applications is much broader. CEO Choi said, "Nearthlab’s AI drone technology can be applied not only to unmanned reconnaissance aircraft but also to real-time video and image acquisition, tracking of people or vehicles, safety inspections of military facilities, and anti-terrorism drone surveillance."

For example, AI autonomous flight technology can prevent mission failures caused by drone pilot errors. Nearthlab’s self-developed flight control device enables drones to recognize targets and find optimal flight paths. Then, collision avoidance technology is applied to maintain a certain distance and stable posture while capturing uniform ultra-high-definition photos. This means drones can replace military reconnaissance missions and detect and identify enemies through real-time video and AI image analysis. CEO Choi added, "We expect to contribute to defense by developing systems for cargo transport and anti-drone interception."

Nearthlab has already proven the reliability essential for defense technology in the global market. It has actively entered European and American markets and signed contracts with global giants such as SoftBank and Siemens Gamesa. The world’s top three wind turbine manufacturers?Siemens, GE, and Vestas?are also clients. Nearthlab has maintained a contract with Siemens for three consecutive years, increasing supply volume to about three times the initial amount last year. CEO Choi explained, "We have earned recognition for our high technology and product reliability from global companies. Through various government projects, we have secured numerous technologies that can be applied to defense, and these technologies are already operating smoothly in the market."

The military currently also needs drone technology. Last year, North Korean drones breached airspace. The military plans to establish a dedicated drone operations unit in the second half of the year to aggressively operate drones and unmanned aircraft. Nearthlab plans to respond actively to this market and rapidly develop cutting-edge innovative technologies. With experts from NASA, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, and the Agency for Defense Development joining, its development capabilities have been strengthened. CEO Choi said, "We expect to create great synergy through joint development with military authorities on defense R&D projects."