Australian technology company Ninox Robotics will begin commercial drone operations this month, after gaining approval from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).
Ninox Robotics’ unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will be used to keep pest animal populations off Australian farms, among other applications such as construction, mining and resources, and property development.
The company has a number of clients including Biosecurity Queensland, which plans to use the drones to monitor pest populations throughout the state.
Ninox Robotics has partnered with Southern Downs Regional Council to monitor pest animal populations in the Southern Downs region of Queensland.
Southern Downs Regional Council pest management officer Craig Magnussen is confident the technology will help it monitor pest animal populations and improve current practices.
“We are excited by the opportunities the technology presents, particularly in detecting animals over vast areas of inaccessible terrain and making traditional broad scale pest animal control methods such as aerial baiting and shooting more efficient,” Magnussen says.
“Having witnessed some of Ninox Robotics’ early trial work, the council and its partners in this project, Goondiwindi Regional Council and Granite Borders Landcare Committee, are very pleased to be a part of the first commercial application of the technology.”
Engineering and consulting firm LogiCamms will also rely on Ninox UAS for monitoring its projects, as well as mapping proposed infrastructure.
All projects will be led by Ninox Robotics chief pilot Colin Smith, who is a former major in the Australian Defence Force, and his team of specially-trained drone pilots and technicians.
“Our services are unlike anything else in the market today, with the potential to do more and be in more places than any other provider,” Smith says.
“Our team has completed a rigorous training process and we are thrilled to start putting this highly-advanced technology to work for businesses and government organisations across the country.”
Ninox Robotics managing director Marcus Ehrlich says the initial three projects will offer a glimpse of the versatility and unique capabilities of the drones and how the technology can be utilised in regional Australia.
“We are eager to be working alongside forward-thinking organisations that are looking for intelligent, cost-effective solutions to leverage practical, comprehensive information in both real-time and soon after flight,” Ehrlich says.
“The amount of interest we’ve received so far across different industries and levels of government signals that Australian businesses and landholders are eager to see how these drones can make a difference.”
Ninox Robotics offers an array of high-tech options for Australian government agencies, landholders and businesses in dealing with a variety of problems afflicting agriculture and biosecurity.
Applications include the ability to detect animals, monitor plants or land areas, create detailed maps, improve fire management and search and rescue operations, provide surveillance and more.
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