SkyHub is an onboard computer designed to enhance the capabilities of commercial-off-the-shelf UAVs for industrial purposes and to support diverse sensor integration.
With SkyHub, your data is always protected. Our innovative onboard computer processes all data offline, ensuring nothing is stored or transferred to the cloud. This local data handling approach guarantees maximum security and confidentiality, giving you peace of mind in today's privacy-focused world.
The 1st generation version of the SkyHub hardware was developed in 2017 to integrate a low-frequency GPR system with DJI M600 Pro drone.
Since then its functions have been constantly improved, added support for more types of drones (DJI M350, M300, and M210 series as well as Cube/Pixhawk-based drones with ArduCopter and PX4 firmware), extended connectivity possibilities, more computation power, and supported sensors (GPR, methane detectors, magnetometers, metal detectors, echo sounders, etc.)
How It Works
Implementation of True Terrain Following for DJI drones to automatically keep constant elevation over the surface using real-time data from radar or laser altimeter.
Implementation of Grasshopper mode, when a drone is flying between waypoints at a safe altitude and descends in waypoints to a set altitude to make measurements (using NDT sensor, echo sounder, etc.) or to drop a parcel or seismic sensor.
Data collection from sensors like GPR, methane detector, magnetometer, echosounder, gamma radiation counter, etc. which don’t have an internal data logger. Data is recorded in CSV format as well in the formats compatible with specialized software for sensor data processing (SEG-Y, NMEA-0183, etc.)
Data fusion from Payload and Autopilot telemetry. Data without coordinates (non-geotagged) is in most cases useless. SkyHub uses positioning information from the drone to geotag sensor’s data.
SkyHub can supply NMEA coordinate stream to an external sensor. Some sensors have internal data recorders but require an external GPS receiver. SkyHub may substitute GPS receivers for such sensors.
Support for an external detector of obstacles to interrupt the flight and save the drone.
Compatibility
SkyHub is compatible with all popular commercial-off-the-shelf enterprise drones and platforms • DJI M350 RTK and M300 RTK • DJI M600/M600 Pro • M210/M210 V2/M210 V2 RTK • Drones based on Cube/Pixhawk autopilot with ArduCopter or PX4 firmware like InspiredFlight IF1200A, IF800, Wispr Ranger Pro, Harris Aerial Carrier H6, Skyfront Perimeter 8, DroneBase X4-1000, Hexadrone Tundra, Avartek Boxer, and many others.
For DJI drones SkyHub utilizes the standard connector for an onboard computer and uses DJI Onboard SDK to communicate with the drone.
For Cube/Pixhawk-based drones, SkyHub uses the Telem port of the autopilot and MAVLink protocol.
Power for SkyHub is provided from the drone’s main battery, and input voltage may be in the range of 12…60V covering all possible variations from relatively small drones like DJI M210 and up to heavy lifter drones with 60V internal power circuits.
Endless Integration Capabilities
The SkyHub 3rd generation has multiple communication ports and channels to support virtually any sensors:
1x Fast Ethernet interface
2x RS-232 ports
4x UART ports
4x GPIO (general purpose input-output) pin pairs
WiFi
Bluetooth
2x USB 2.0 ports that can provide power up to 3A to the USB-connected sensors
Automatic True Terrain Following
The necessity to fly with automatic terrain following has multiple reasons:
For some sensors, especially geophysical, the distance between the sensor and target is critically important for successful detection (GPR, magnetometers, EMI tools).
Some sensors require constant elevation of the sensor to gather consistent useful data (magnetometers, echo sounders).
Safety of the flights at very low altitudes.
Regulatory requirements (for GPR).
Power for Sensors
SkyHub eliminates the need to have a separate battery or power circuit for the sensors. Every connector with communication ports has pins with +5V and +12V covering 99% of power requirements for the sensors.
One additional power connector is configurable and may output 9, 12, 15, 18V with 5A load maximum. This connector is software controlled and you can turn the payload power on and off while the drone is in the air!
Webinar | Capabilities and Sensor Integration
Revealing the capabilities and sensor integration of SkuHub v.3
Discover the almost endless capabilities of SkyHub 3 for sensor integrations, flight control, and data processing/fusion. We will discuss the current range of integrated sensors and share some future plans.
Main topics: - Sensors - Flight modes: True Terrain Following and Grasshopper - Laser altimeters are back! - Some future plans: SDK, universal driver.
