Terra Drone CEO Toru Tokushige, who has 20 years' experience in disruptive technology start-ups in places such as Silicon Valley, launched his group in Brisbane last month after visiting Queensland several times since attending an infrastructure investment seminar in Tokyo during Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk's trade mission.

 

One of Terra Drone's existing Australian partners has alreadyundertaken projects in Australia, including one on behalf of an Australian energy company surveying a power station's ash dam in New South Wales, in partnership with Skyline UAV.

 

The partner also performed another project on behalf of a Queensland energy company, providing a condition assessment for residential power poles in a Gold Coast suburb.

 

It has now taken the company just a few months to launch the Terra Powerlifter tech which offers up to two hours' continuous flight time, capable of carrying a heavy payload of up to 10kg.

 

Terra Drone says the unique UAV is fully integrated with the w RIEGL LiDAR (light detection and ranging) laser measurement systems for an unsurpassed standard in 3D mapping.

 

Unlike other UAVs, Terra Powerlifter does not require a long take-off or extra flight stabilisation despite its heavy payload, far exceeding the standard 1-2kg payload and flight time of 15-20 minutes offered by competitor models. 

 

Terra Drone's Brisbane branch chief Tsuyoshi Honda said Terra Powerlifter had already proven its effectiveness in Antarctica, where it supported scientific research with continuous single flights of up to 40kg. 

 

"It has also proven its worth in aerial vegetation surveys and in measuring particulate matter, with its state-of-the-art Japanese technology providing the ultimate in surveying and mapping," Honda said. 

 

Terra Drone, Japan's leading UAV provider, says it has the latest and most advanced LiDAR laser scanning sensors in the market, including post-processing of LiDAR imaging, from preliminary planning to data processing for surveys and inspections.

 

The company also recently launched the Terra Explore series, comprising an unmanned UAV with a spherical cage, offering significant cost and time savings during visual inspections of infrastructure such as buildings and bridges and construction sites, while significantly improving safety compared to visual inspections.

 

"Terra Drone is committed to giving Australian agriculture, construction and resource companies the most advanced UAV solutions available to enhance productivity and safety while curtailing costs," Honda said. 

 

Terra Drone provides surveying services direct to mining, construction and infrastructure management companies, benefitting from its significant experience in forestry and vegetation data capture, particularly in assessing encroachment on powerlines and critical infrastructure. 

 

The company is also active in the fields of precision agriculture, disaster relief, obstacle avoidance and UAV fleet management. 

 

In Japan, Terra Drone has partnerships with mining and construction companies including Hitachi, providing fully automated UAV surveying and data analysis of construction sites. 

 

The company is part of the Tokyo-based Terra Group, which includes Terra Motors, the company that pioneered the electric motorbike market in Asia, currently selling 30,000 electric vehicles a year.