Drone technology

Drones are considered "game changers", inventions that can radically change or create a new market. They are not only modern, flexible and energy-efficient means of transport, they can be used as universal tools in many areas or take on completely new tasks.

Drones make many jobs easier or enable new activities in the first place. They provide reconnaissance and monitoring for fire departments, civil protection and airports, function as medical couriers and can take special measurements from the air (e.g. spectral analysis). They take completely automated inventories, inspect damage to buildings and help optimise internal transport chains.

This is just the beginning. There are numerous new possibilities, especially for large-scale monitoring. For example, environmental hazards can be detected with special cameras, precise situation images can be created for traffic or event and disaster control, or operational protection can be optimised. Inaccessible or dangerous regions are also much easier to reach with unmanned drones.

Control centre for automation

"Efficiency is only achieved when I fully integrate drones and their tasks into industrial processes. Then I can request drones and have them fly automatically almost at the push of a button,” Managing Director of HHLA Sky, Matthias Gronstedt is convinced. HHLA Sky has therefore not only automated the flights, but also the entire process chain, which is important for drone operations on an industrial scale.

HHLA Sky has developed an integrated Control Centre that coordinates drones (or the mobile robots on the ground) precisely with each other so that they can communicate with fractions of a second. For this unique, globally scalable end-to-end drone system, the company has won important prizes, like the German Innovation Award. The control centre can operate entire drone fleets simultaneously at different deployment sites around the world. The software helps to make decisions on flight operations in real time and minimises risks through continuous monitoring.

HHLA Sky also supplies extremely safe industrial drones developed for beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) operations.

More about HHLA Sky

A website for decision-makers with a pioneering spirit who are convinced of the opportunities offered by autonomous drone operations. And for optimizers who want to improve existing processes with a well thought-out drone solution.

To the HHLA Sky website

Better air traffic management

Experts predict that the economic significance of drones is set to expand. In Europe alone, revenue from commercial drones is set to increase by more than 40 percent per year until 2025. This does mean, however, that drones need to fly partially autonomously and in greater numbers.

This would require efficient air traffic management to make the lower airspace more useful without compromising safety below. A lot more people are starting to use drones, which must not get in the way of each other or of helicopters. Intelligent technological control centre solutions and new laws are necessary to regulate this.

Drone capital Hamburg

Hamburg has become a leading drone innovation metropolis in Europe. A lot of projects and companies have won awards, research institutions are getting involved, and federal ministries are generously awarding funding. They are testing the constraints of sharing airspace and have drafted a regulatory basis for drone traffic as a model for European legislation.

Innovations at HHLA

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