Phase One Industrial Adds Support for DJI Drones

COPENHAGEN, May 8, 2017 â Phase One Industrial, the first to deliver 100-megapixel medium format aerial cameras, today announced full integration of its iXU and iXU-RS aerial cameras with DJI’s M600 and M600 Pro drones. Built using DJI’s SDK, this is the latest drone platform supported by Phase One Industrial, as it continuously innovates inspection tools uniquely capable of addressing diverse aerial imaging applications -- from photogrammetry to critical infrastructure monitoring projects.

The aerial cameras’ integration with DJI’s M600 and M600 Pro platforms is already delivering high quality solutions for aerial imaging applications.

“Using the Phase One Industrial IXU camera with the new Integration package for our DJI M600 drone, the results were extraordinary,” said UAV Flight Systems Manager Tobias Wentzler, Lufthansa Aerial Services. “We achieved millimeter per pixel accuracy, allowing us to inspect the required objects in exquisite detail and lift our mission results and accuracy to a new, high-end level, identifying the subtlest cracks or imperfections that were not visible to conventional inspection methods.”

Phase One Industrial’s continuous efforts to identify and develop aerial imaging solutions meet the exacting needs of aerial imaging professionals in diverse markets.

“When our clients hire us, they expect the best,” said Ron Chapple, CEO of Aerial Filmworks. “With the new Phase One Industrial aerial cameras integrated with DJI drones, Aerial Filmworks, a premiere high-end cinema company, can deliver the robust performance, highest resolution and finest image quality to support our clients’ cinematic projects.

“GEO1, the survey division of Aerial Filmworks, a solutions-driven provider in the electric and gas/oil marketplace, also benefits from this development. Now, we have the right solution to help satisfy our clients’ requirements for the high-resolution data and flight efficiencies.”

Phase One Industrial iXU and iXU-RS aerial cameras’ integration with DJI M600 and M600 Pro drone systems include:

• 100MP and 50MP metric aerial cameras;
• Smart triggering of the camera by waypoints / fixed distance / fixed time;
• Support for mission planning applications (such as DJI Ground Station pro) – for waypoints missions;
• Geo-tagging of all files’ location and gimbal position;
• Dual remote controllers (drone and camera) enable each operator (UAV pilot and camera operator) to focus on their respective mission goals;
• Industrial-grade build of the camera and aerial lenses, all of which are designed specifically for tough use in harsh environments.

The integration also provides a new iX Capture Mobile application for iOS, featuring an intuitive, user-friendly interface, and support for total remote control of the camera.

iX Capture Mobile was designed using the DJI open platform development tools, and offers various operating modes, including:

• Video Streaming;
• Auto or Manual Capture settings to determine the values of the ISO, shutter speed and aperture;
• Auto capture mode to enable image capturing by waypoints, fix distance or by time intervals;
• Camera control via DJI Lightbridge 2 dials.

Phase One Industrial’s iXU and iXU-RS series of high-resolution, metric cameras are known for their precision imaging (offering sensor resolution from 50 to 100 megapixels), small size and low weight (from 1.25 kg). These industrial-grade cameras offer direct integration with many other UAV manufacturers, such as Coptersystems, AerialTronics, Pulse Aero, and UMS Skeldar drone platforms, and support the workflows of many leading image post processing software, such as Pix4D, Agisoft, SimActive, and others.

Designed to capture images with superior accuracy and quality, Phase One Industrial aerial cameras are capable of covering larger aerial surfaces in less time, resulting in less flight time needed for efficient flying. Operators can enjoy both unprecedented visibility and a lower cost by utilizing drones rather than traditional airplane or helicopter methods. In addition, using drones offers improved worker safety (when very close inspection is required) across many dynamic and challenging environments, including: power line monitoring, inspection of wind turbines, railways, roads, bridges and other civil engineering jobs.

Pricing and Availability

Phase One iXU and iXU-RS series camera systems, now with full support for DJI M600 and M600 Pro drones, are available immediately from Phase One Industrial partners worldwide. Camera package prices begin from $29,000 (complete with integration kit and lens).