Flyability Elios

Going where no drone has gone before.

- Patrick Sherman

Every aspect of the Elios has been designed to fulfill a single mission: confined-space operations. Elios can fly in environments and perform tasks that would wreck any other drone in seconds and that no responsible pilot would even attempt. There are a dozen different drones on the market capable of capturing stirring aerial vistas in open air, but only one that can check for damage to the borosilicate blocks lining the inside of a 200-foot smokestack. Although the Elios shares much in common with other drones—both in terms of its components and basic functions—its Swiss manufacturer, Flyability, requires that new customers undergo company-sponsored training before deploying its new aircraft. This is a serious, industrial tool intended for sophisticated users.

HIGHLIGHTS

What immediately distinguishes the Elios from other drones is the carbon-fiber cage that completely surrounds the aircraft itself. The cage is a gimbal, capable of three-axis rotation around the drone, allowing it to bounce-off obstacles and roll along floors, ceilings, and walls. That makes it possible for Elios to move around safely inside utility corridors, ballast tanks, and crawl spaces, conducting assessments that would otherwise require human inspectors to enter these dangerous, claustrophobic environments.

The Elios arrives in a sturdy roller case with a telescoping handle, which can be shipped by air as standard luggage anywhere around the globe. The kit includes everything necessary for flight operations: the drone itself, a controller, a Samsung tablet with Flyability’s custom Cockpit app preinstalled, five batteries, two battery chargers, two micro SD cards, cables, connectors, and all the tools and spare parts required for routine maintenance.