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Can A Drone Inspect A Rail Tunnel? We Tested The Flyability Elios 3
- by Megan Wood
Tunnel inspections usually mean scaffolding, track access and long overnight shifts. So what happens when you send a drone in instead? Our colleague James Pick took the Flyability Elios 3 into a live rail tunnel to find out.
The test
The Elios 3 flew two overnight flights along a running rail tunnel. Nobody walked the track while the drone was in the air, and no scaffolding was needed. From that single pass, the team came away with a full 3D record of the tunnel plus inspection video.
What the Flyability Elios 3 captured
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310 million lidar points across 150 m of tunnel. Lidar uses laser pulses to build an accurate 3D model, known as a point cloud.
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Ring diameters of 6.213 m and 6.223 m, measured against a 6.200 m design.
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Two separate flights that matched each other to within 7 mm.
- Lit 4K video showing leaching at segment joints, readable ring numbers and overhead line supports, with every frame tied to its location in the tunnel.
Spotting what's changed
Between flights, the team left a jacket and a length of rail on the track. Both appeared in the point cloud, and the jacket was flagged as the biggest change on the track. For rail teams, that kind of comparison makes it far easier to spot objects left behind after engineering work.
The results were reviewed in NUBIGON's point cloud software alongside footage from the Elios 3's own camera. If you're curious how the Elios 3 has developed, read our earlier post on its partnership with Ouster lidar.
Beyond rail tunnels
The same approach works in culverts, shafts, tanks and other confined spaces where sending people in is slow, costly or risky. The Elios 3 is available from Coptrz, and our team can talk you through whether it suits your sites.
FAQs
Can the Flyability Elios 3 inspect rail tunnels?
Yes. In this test it captured a full 3D lidar model and 4K inspection video of a live rail tunnel overnight.
How accurate was the Elios 3 in the tunnel?
Two separate flights matched each other to within 7 mm.
Does the Elios 3 need scaffolding or track access?
No scaffolding was needed, and nobody walked the track during the flights.
Final thoughts
Managing tunnels, culverts or confined spaces? Discover the Flyability Elios 3 at Coptrz.
