How Enterprises Can Build and Scale Enterprise Drone Applications Using FlytNow APIs

At FlytBase, we believe that the commercial drone industry is heading towards complete automation. This transition calls for seamless integration with different software & hardware. We are cognizant of this ever-growing need for scalable enterprise applications that involve drones. With this global opportunity in mind, we built the FlytCloud ecosystem that powers our FlytNow cloud-connected application.

We are proud to announce that we are extending the capabilities of FlytNow as a comprehensive backend platform for enterprise drone ops. We introduce FlytNow APIs to securely connect drones with any type of business application that supports RESTful architecture. This means that businesses can rapidly build and scale custom drone applications to manage their drone fleet.

Some benefits of using FlytNow APIs

  • Simple: Our APIs are simple with clearly defined endpoints to perform specific functions.
  • Powerful Abstractions: Our APIs provide powerful abstractions so developers do not have to deal with lower-level languages to communicate with drones.
  • Agnostic: Whether it is a DJI, PX4 or ArduPilot drone, FlytNow APIs are agnostic and have the necessary adapters to communicate with the hardware.
  • Discoverable: Our API endpoints are logically organized in extensive documentation so that even junior developers can get up to speed quickly with the capabilities.
  • Consistent: All our API endpoints are constructed logically so that developers can anticipate different functionalities.
  • Virtual Drones: As the name implies, these are simulated drones in a virtual environment. Work on simulations to test your applications faster without risking expensive hardware.
  • Scalability: Our cloud services are hosted on Amazon AWS, and it is adaptive making it possible to deploy resources as you grow your business.

APIs that are currently available for our enterprise users

  • Navigation APIs: Control drones remotely from a dashboard.
  • Telemetry APIs: Fetch telemetry data like speed, altitude, global position, etc. from a drone.
  • Payload APIs: Control & integrate various payloads with FlytNow.
  • Video Streaming APIs: Access live video streaming from a drone. Share this stream with your team and guests for collaboration.
  • Vehicle Setup APIs: Perform a series of checks on the operational capabilities of a drone.
  • Gimbal Control APIs: Remotely control the gimbal pitch of a drone.
  • Camera Zoom APIs: Change the orientation of the camera and the zoom remotely.
  • Command & Control APIs: Control drone operation from a unified dashboard or any other platform.
  • Mission Planning APIs: Set a pre-programmed mission/path for a drone.
  • Precision Landing APIs: Land drones precisely on a machine-generated tag.
  • Collision Avoidance APIs: Integrate collision sensor data with FlytNow dashboard. Define thresholds and create paths to plan your way around obstacles.
  • Drone-in-a-box API: Integrate with Drone-in-a-Box hardware. Command drone launches and landings remotely. Moreover, you can retrieve charging (or battery swapping) & docking station statuses.
  • Geofence APIs: Set a virtual boundary for drones and trigger fail safes in case of breaches.

What enterprise users can build using our Drone APIs

Drone-based security and surveillance system:

Security systems can be enhanced using drones. A custom enterprise web-app can be integrated with CCTV cameras & software (for example Milestone), motion sensors, and ground-based hardware using FlytNow APIs. Further, businesses can leverage these APIs for mission planning to automate the patrolling of drones, thereby reducing the need for redundant manpower. Automation need not be limited to just spontaneous patrolling; schedule regular security patrols using APIs for DiaB (Drone-in-a-Box). Absolute autonomy lies in eliminating human interference starting from time-defined missions where the drone takes off, performs the mission and docks back into the box to charge/swap batteries. In real-life, the system will leverage a unified dashboard as a command center and our live video streaming APIs to manage the entire operation. In the event of an intrusion, it will operate in the following way:

  • An intrusion alert goes off in the main dashboard. The human operator initiates a drone recon.
  • The system creates a mission for the drone. A drone automatically launches from a DiaB station and goes to the point of interest.
  • The drone begins live-streaming, and the human operator identifies the intruder from the live drone footage. The operator uses the payload APIs of FlytNow to maneuver the camera.
  • On completion of the mission, the drone automatically returns back to the docking station.

Drones-based medical delivery system:

Companies have been actively building & deploying drone systems that can deliver critical medical payloads to remote locations. A US-based company called Zipline is one such company that has extensive operations in the African nations of Ghana and Rwanda. They rely on a centralized system where they operate from a medical warehouse and all incoming requests for blood are fulfilled via drone delivery. The highlights of the system are that the drones can fly autonomously from the warehouse to the delivery point, drop the payload, and return back to the base. Following are some APIs of FlytNow can be used to build a similar system:

  • Mission Planning APIs: To set the route of a drone to the delivery location.
  • Navigation APIs: To take control of a delivery drone remotely in case of an emergency.
  • Vehicle Setup APIs: To run a diagnostic of a drone before sending it off to a mission.
  • Video Streaming APIs: To remotely monitor a delivery mission through a video feed.
  • Geofence APIs: To restrict the area of operation of the drones.
  • Command & Control APIs: To track the drones in real time on a map.
  • Collision Avoidance APIs: To make the drone intelligent enough to fly around obstacles.
  • Payload API: To control the release of the payload.

Drone-based emergency response system:

Leveraging the FlytNow APIs, a response system can be built that is fully autonomous and integrated with a Computer Aided Dispatch system like 911. In the event of an emergency, an operator using such a system can dispatch a drone to survey the situation. On receiving the command, a drone will launch and fly to the location autonomously and begin acquiring data using its onboard camera. The operator can share the live feed of the drone with the first responders who can plan a better response.

The APIs used in this case would be similar to the delivery system mentioned above, with a focus on BVLOS capabilities and live-stream of data.

Summary

In this blog, we introduced the APIs of the FlytNow platform and the benefits of using them. In a nutshell, FlytNow is built for developers building applications to manage enterprise drone operations with BVLOS capabilities. Our extensive and reliable set of APIs is a result of our experience working with commercial drones for almost a decade.

The post How Enterprises Can Build and Scale Enterprise Drone Applications Using FlytNow APIs appeared first on FlytNow.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

6 Reasons to Use FlytNow to Automate Drones for Perimeter Security

Image
The threat from physical intrusion still remains one of the top concerns in both commercial and non-commercial contexts. According to a report from Markets and Markets , the video surveillance market, which includes both hardware and software, is presently at USD 45.5 billion and expected to reach USD 74.6 billion by 2025. Over the years, there have been many advancements in optics and detection systems but limitations still exist in the conventional ways of using them. To overcome these limitations, security stakeholders are now incorporating drone technology in their operations. In this blog, we will talk about drones and the FlytNow solution for perimeter security . What is perimeter security? Perimeter security is an active barrier or fortification around a defined area to prevent all forms of intrusion. Modern security systems are an amalgamation of sophisticated hardware and software that generally include cameras, motion sensors, electric fencing, high-intensity lights, and...
Read more

The How and Why of Using Drones for Search and Rescue Operations?

Image
Drones provide unique capabilities that are leveraged by emergency service providers all over the world. They are already saving thousands of lives through participation in various public emergency and safety operations . The 2020 COVID pandemic has accelerated the adoption of drones for public safety. When humanity was facing a worldwide lockdown, authorities in India used drones to monitor cities and enforce social distancing norms. Read the full case study on how an Indian startup helped authorities in the state of Gujarat to use drones via the country’s first drone command center. When it comes to public safety, drones are used in a variety of use cases. But there is this one use case that catches peoples’ attention since the benefits are pretty straightforward. The use case we are talking about is search and rescue. In 2019, a hiker got trapped on a ledge somewhere in the Snowy Canyon State Park, Utah . The mountain search and rescue operation happened at night using drones. ...
Read more