Clog Works – Introducing the second generation Dark Matter qD
With a re-designed, 30% lighter airframe combined with a 3Kg+ payload capacity and 55+ minute flight time, the DMqD Gen 2 is a perfect fleet addition for a more demanding survey and inspection applications.
There has been a seismic shift towards UAV-based applications in recent years, driven by their ease of use, increasing capabilities and constantly improving safety.
Naturally, as adoption increases, so does the demand for more capable drones that can fly for longer whilst carrying heavier payloads.
The Dark Matter qD Gen 2 has been developed to not only meet but exceed our pilot’s demands. Not just for the present day, but for years to come.
Modular design
Like its bigger brother, the hX Gen 2, the qD has a modular design. The arms can be swapped out for a more powerful drive train to provide more thrust and redundancy for bigger payloads, the legs can also be configured as a long leg set up, short leg set up, fixed landing gear and a tripod-mounted lading system to assist the aircraft when landing on moving or uneven surfaces.
This enables the qD to carry a bigger variety of payloads and increases safety when flying in more challenging environments.
These individual user specifications can be applied at the point of order or can be made to order later on, providing maximum flexibility for our customers and their constantly growing list of requirements.
But the modular design benefits don’t stop there. Virtually any part of our aircraft can be upgraded – meaning that when the next generation of autopilot systems are released, you don’t have to replace the entire aircraft to have access to the latest features. We simply remove the old hardware and replace it with the newer hardware, allowing our customers to continue to make use of their perfectly operational aircraft as well as maximizing their ROI.
Cover more ground
The qD is available with different drive train options and it can also be flown with one or two batteries. The result is a staggering flight time of 55+ minutes, with enough still in the tank to return and land safely.
Even more impressive, is a flight time of 45+ minutes with a 1.5Kg payload. This makes the qD Gen 2 an extremely capable aircraft when paired with a Yellowscan LiDAR, Workswell WIRIS sensor or a Viewpro camera payload to name a few examples.
All of our Dark Matter platforms now come single band RTK ready too, meaning surveys can be completed with extremely high accuracy.
But it doesn’t stop there, if the job covers an even larger area, the aircraft can be landed and the batteries ‘hotswapped’ to allow mission continuity.
GCS flexibility
Our Dark Matter aircraft are now Ardupilot based, harnessing the potential of an open source platform being developed by a global community.
With this, comes maximum flexibility for our pilots, as some of the most popular GCS platforms are now supported by our aircraft. Our two most popular controller options are Android-based, meaning the GCS application (if available) can be downloaded and installed.
Safety as a top priority
Whilst we have pushed the envelope in terms of performance and reliability, we also have a huge focus on safety for the qD.
The lenses for the navigational lighting have been redeveloped to make the aircraft more conspicuous by cleverly dispersing the light.
All our aircraft now also come with dual GPS modules as standard, ensuring the aircraft knows exactly where it is at all times. It has also been programmed to select the other GPS module in the event that one starts providing erroneous data.
The autopilot module also has three temperature-controlled IMUs, two of which are mechanically vibration dampened to reduce the effect of frame vibration to state estimation. There are also two onboard barometers.
The entire system from airframe to each individual component has been intentionally over-engineered to ensure our platforms can be as safe and reliable as possible for our pilots.
ADS-B options are now available for our aircraft too. This, along with the improved lighting, allows the aircraft to be as conspicuous and as visible as possible to both local aircraft and ATC.
Customization from the ground up
At Clogworks, we are committed to so much more than just manufacturing aircraft as an ‘off the shelf’ solution. We have various configurations available for our aircraft. But we also develop tailored solutions to meet our customers’ exact requirements.
We work with our customers from the initial idea, right the way through to the final, delivered solution.
Looking for something specific? Something that isn’t readily available? Then get in touch with us! We will be able to assist.
