Tests of the domestic InnoSpector UAV operating using SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) technology have been completed in the Polar branch of Norilsk Nickel.
The drone was developed as a replacement for foreign analogues and is intended for the inspection and monitoring of underground mining operations.
"In 2023, my colleagues and I had the idea to create a domestic UAV, and we turned to Innopolis University to solve this problem," said Ivan Biro, director of the Dispatching Process Development Department at Norilsk Nickel's Polar Branch. "Two years later, we tested a device that is not inferior to its Western counterparts. And InnoSpector even surpasses them in a number of characteristics."
SLAM technology allows the drone to navigate and build maps in the absence of GPS: the system collects data from cameras and lidars in real time.
The introduction of domestic UAVs will increase occupational safety and the efficiency of surveying and geological work, providing Nornickel with technology independent of external suppliers.
Alex Shishlo, Editor in Chief of the European Bureau, Rough&Polished
