Archive for June, 2011

At the scene of an early May homicide in Regina, Saskatchewan, police used the Draganflyer X6 UAV helicopter to obtain aerial pictures and video of the crime scene. As onlookers watched the Draganflyer X6 fly, Regina police department officers were using it to preserve the crime scene in digital form, ensuring that important details were kept as evidence for use in their investigation.

This is exactly the kind of work that the Draganflyer UAV RC helicopters were designed to do. Using multiple rotors and an advanced flight computer, Draganflyer helicopters automate most of the tasks that pilots would usually have to perform. This frees users to focus on getting the aerial pictures and video that they need for their application and also greatly reduces the amount of training required to use the helicopter.

Draganflyer UAV helicopters use brushless electric motors to lift camera payloads weighing up to one kilogram. Custom designed lithium polymer batteries allow for flight times of up to 20 minutes which permits police, government and private industries to get outstanding aerial pictures with a minimum amount of downtime.

You can read the original leaderpost.com article and learn more about our UAV RC helicopters on our website.

ARAS 360 is a software platform for 3D accident reconstruction. At a June 20th police training class in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, participants combined the ARAS 360 system with aerial images supplied by a Draganflyer X6 UAV helicopter to produce a full color, photo realistic reconstruction of a test area. Sgt. Dave Domoney and his team flew the Draganflyer X6 helicopter over the area while other members of the Saskatoon Police Services were using a Sokkia Total Station (part of the ARAS 360 package) to obtain terrain data points.

Twenty minutes later, the data was ready to be integrated using the ARAS 360 software. The high resolution aerial images obtained using the Draganflyer X6 UAV and its onboard 10 mega pixel camera were aligned with the terrain points obtained with the Sokkia Total Station and then processed, producing a 3D terrain model.

After being processed, the terrain model can be used by police to reconstruct traffic accidents in full 3D with photo realistic texturing. This technology is useful for law enforcement officers because it allows viewers to see a reconstruction of a traffic accident or other incident from any angle or position as if they were there at the time . The physics engine that the ARAS 360 package uses is capable of producing an accurate reconstruction of an accident and coupled with the aerial photos Draganflyer UAV helicopters provide, makes a powerful system for use by law enforcement officials.

More information about the Draganflyer UAV helicopters and applications to law enforcement is available on our website. Information about the ARAS 360 system is also available.