Blue River Hits The Highs at RSPSoc UAV Annual Event at Durham University, UK
July 2011,UK. The Manta 100 and Manta 300 demonstrated their aerial mapping and load lifting capability at the RSPSoc Annual event this month. Only two aircraft were able to bring back quality data in the typically damp and windyUKflying conditions and both were flown by Blue River Studios. The results demonstrated that relatively low cost aircraft can perform high quality science. The company received many inquiries about lifting remote sensing equipment up to 2kg in weight in many places aroundUKas well as such far flung places asSaudi Arabia,PatagoniaandAntarctica. Within five minutes of landing the company was able to display all the images taken to the workshop group on iPad technology at the site and within 30 minutes the high resolution mosaic (shown) was available indoors.
The workshop also highlighted the need for simple, low cost sUAV’s available to researchers that initially don’t need CAA certification to operate. This allows essential training to begin, but allows the same UAVs to develop into full-grown, certificated sUAV’s as time passes and experience grows. This is the role of the company’s Manta 100, 200 and 300, a system allowing growth in payload and complexity but with economics and reparability as key aspects to the products.
