in Canada has announced it has been awarded a contract to supply its Aeryon Scout UAS to Halton Regional Police.
The Aeryon Scout is a small, lightweight mini-helicopter that is remotely-controlled from the ground using a patent-pending map-based touch-screen computer interface. It will provide Halton Police with real-time aerial imagery to significantly improve emergency response situations, search and rescue efforts, crime scene forensics and traffic accident reconstruction. Aeryon, Halton Police and CCUVS (the Canadian Centre for Unmanned Vehicle Systems) have been working closely with Transport Canada to ensure all operational requirements and safety concerns are met.
“We’re excited to have the privilege of working with a leading edge police force such as the Halton Regional Police,” said Dave Kroetsch, President of Aeryon Labs. “The Aeryon Scout’s design lends itself perfectly for a variety of uses within a police force – providing Halton Regional Police with the most sophisticated yet cost effective solution available today.”
Kroetsch said the Aeryon Scout’s advanced safety features were also critical to making the Scout the right choice for the Halton Police. “In urban and semi-urban areas, safety is paramount. Halton Police needed to be sure the system was intelligent enough to safely land if any type of unforeseen issues occurred, such as a loss of communication with the operator, low battery life or sudden high wind gusts. The Scout has all of that functionality, and more, built into the system.”
In conjunction with CCUVS and Aeryon Labs, Halton Police worked with Transport Canada and was recently granted an SFOC (Special Flights Operations Certificate). The SFOC is a process used by Transport Canada to ensure the highest safety standards are maintained in order to access Canadian air space. Officers from the Halton Police were trained by CCUVS and Aeryon in air space regulations as well as in the operation of the Aeryon Scout UAS. With a total weight of less than 1.4 kg, the Aeryon Scout has continued to prove its air worthiness with a strong record of safety.
Law enforcement applications for the Aeryon Scout UAS are countless. Within minutes of arriving on the scene, first responders can be streaming real-time aerial video to their command centre to ensure the best possible decisions are made for officer and civilian safety. Search and rescue operations will be greatly enhanced by providing a hawk’s view of large areas of land. Crime scene and traffic accident reconstruction efforts will be enhanced greatly by having the ability to create a complete photographic re-creation within minutes of arrival and without touching the scene.
“It’s great to see our robotic technology helping people. Civilians, officers and the entire Halton community will be safer with aerial intelligence provided by the Aeryon Scout at their disposal,” said Kroetsch.
About Aeryon Labs Inc.
Aeryon Labs provides robotic solutions to real-world problems through the design and manufacture of best-in-class small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and related systems. Its flagship product, the Scout, allows police, military and civil users to easily collect real-time aerial intelligence, with a system small enough to fit in a backpack or car trunk. With expertise in robotics, control systems, and digital imaging, the Aeryon team develops state-of-the-art products while remaining focused on end-user ease of use. Aeryon Labs was recently named one of Canada’s Top 25 ICT Up and Comers in the Branham Group300 ranking of Canadian Information and Communications Technology (ICT) companies.