Skysense, a Berlin-based, autonomous drone-charging firm, is partnering with Spanish information and communication technology developer, Avansig, to develop an autonomous indoor surveillance UAV for Spanish security company Prosegur.

Helmed by Andrea Puiatti, Skysense produced quick-charging, lightweight, UAV-charging stations which allow users to land a drone on the station to await a full charge without swapping batteries.

The resulting drones produced by Avansig can fly an autonomous patrol route and land on the Skysense charging pad to recharge without human intervention. In flight, the drone records/streams real-time video and can transmit security alerts to officers at home base.

“Drones work best in surveillance applications and are more cost effective,” said David Trillo, CEO of Avansig. “You don’t need to install so many cameras, which reduces the cost.”

An autonomous system would eliminate the need for an extra worker to service the drone’s battery.

Trillo adds:

“We realized we needed a charging partner at the beginning of the project because we want the drone to work completely unattended. We were in contact with other companies, but we chose Skysense because we felt that their solution was more mature. It works, it’s reliable, and it’s simple. Also, the charging time is short.”

While charging times will vary based on drone size and battery type, Skysense can charge drones with up to 20Ah with an average of only 1.8 ounces of added payload on the drone.

The wireless charging pad concept has grown alongside the entire drone sector.

Last year, Seattle-based WiBotic announced production of the WiBotic PowerPad. The integrated wireless pad containing a transmitter circuit, antenna and power supply in one unit. The pad integrates with WiBotic’s onboard charger – a small circuit board and antenna mounted on the drone.

Canadian drone monitoring firm SkyX produces xStation, which remotely charges SkyX UAV products. By installing multiple xStations along a route, users can monitor assets such as infrastructure and utilities over hundreds of miles.