Hexagon has announced the launch of the new BLK2FLY, an autonomous, LiDAR-based unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) built for capturing smaller indoor spaces and structures. These include arenas, warehouses, power plants, bridges, tunnels and tramways.The new features of the BLK2FLY provide users with the same functionality of outdoor scanning. A few taps on a tablet guides the BLK2FLY and facilitates the capture of a structure from the air. Scans from the BLK2FLY can connect directly to HxDR, Hexagon’s cloud-based visualization platform.“Digital realities are a crucial component of reality capture workflows for multiple industries, including construction, architecture, historic preservation, facilities management, and utilities,” said Pascal Strupler, business director autonomous reality capture at Hexagon’s Geosystems division. “Now that the BLK2FLY is able to scan indoors, users can create complete, comprehensive digital twins of buildings and structures.”Performance of the BLK2FLY’s autonomous navigation system heighten the sensor’s spatial awareness, allowing for obstacle avoidance in more confined spaces with shadows, incomplete textures or missing details having reduced effects on scans. This new capability relies upon advancements to Hexagon’s visual SLAM system, providing real-time spherical imaging that supports the BLK2FLY’s operating range to a radius of 1.5 meters.First released in 2021, the BLK2FLY provides a way to see, scan and capture an area. It was built to address the complex issue of capturing large objects and areas that are typically difficult to access or scan. Now with the indoor functionality of the BLK2FLY, customers can have complete scans of areas that were previously difficult to reach and capture.
