Drone in a Box technology deployed on grain storage sites to protect grain stockpiles from birds
Client
Project Status
Location
As the first company in Australia to deploy the cutting-edge DJI Dock system, Sensorem’s Drone-in-a-Box (DiaB) solution SensHub – Custom was on hand to assist Co-operative Bulk Handling (CBH) with a persistent issue of birds damaging tarps covering the grain stockpiles post-harvest.
Drone in a Box (DiaB) technology allows for the remote operation of drones, with the remote pilot operating from a Remote Operations Centre, often thousands of kilometres from the site. With Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) for BVLOS and Remote Operations from one of Sensorem’s Remote Operations Centre in Subiaco, Western Australia, the scene was set for one of the most successful and unique drone projects in Australia.
Sensorem’s SensHub Drone-in-a-Box (DiaB)
CBH operates Australia’s largest network of grain receival points, rail, and bulk export terminals. Within each receival site, CBH has a number of Open Bulk Heads (OBH), where grain is stored awaiting transport via rail to the CBH port facilities. Once full, these OBHs are covered by tarpaulins (tarps), that protect the grain. Each year, the tarps are damaged by birds that are drawn to the grain that lays beneath.
The Technology Deployed
The CBH innovation team approached Sensorem to help solve the bird problem by using drones mounted with speaker systems, operating on automated flight paths over the OBHs to scare the birds away into nearby bushland. Six regional sites in the WA Wheatbelt were selected for the project – all located 200 to 300kms from Sensorem’s Remote Operations Centre.
Sensorem was selected by DJI Enterprise as the testing company for the pre-release DJI Dock 1 in Australia in early 2023, with testing occurring on an active CBH site in the Avon region. This was followed by further testing at a Rio Tinto site in the Pilbara. The technology proved that it could withstand the often-harsh conditions of the Wheatbelt and Pilbara regions and was selected as the solution for the CBH project.
Next, the Sensorem team of specialist technicians and engineers developed a custom comms box that accompanied the DJI Dock, allowing for low latency video and data streams, together with remote VHF communications. The drone in a box solution operates seven days a week, from 5am – 8pm, for bird scaring, grain stockpiles surveys, and inspection, and the team is on call 24 hrs for site security and incident management.
Project Success
Over 2500 BVLOS drone flights were conducted across the first four months of the project alone and CBH experienced a significant reduction in bird numbers, which limited the damage to both the tarpaulin and the grain beneath.
For this project, Sensorem took home the prestigious Innovation Champion – Operational Planning award at the 2024 AAUS industry award night in Canberra. The autonomous drone in a box solution also proves that the technology is easily scalable and can be implemented across the entire receival network. There was a 99% reliability across all the equipment, including drone, drone box, comms box and data stream back to the Remote Operations Centre.
