Percepto unveils world’s largest autonomous commercial drone deployment at leading US electric utility

Serving more than 11 million people in Florida, FPL currently uses Percepto’s Autonomous Inspection and Monitoring (AIM) solution powered by drones

Percepto unveils world’s largest autonomous commercial drone deployment at leading US electric utility

Credit: Percepto

Percepto, pioneering autonomous inspection by industrial robotics, today announced it will deploy autonomous drones to monitor Florida Power & Light’s substations and power distribution grids across the state.

The first electric utility to deploy drone-in-a-box (DIB) technology statewide. It’s also the first operation using autonomous drones within an urban setting for infrastructure inspection to ensure quality service to FPL customers.

Serving more than 11 million people in Florida, FPL currently uses Percepto’s Autonomous Inspection and Monitoring (AIM) solution powered by drones to perform routine infrastructure inspection and monitoring.

Phase one of the project will see 13 DIBs introduced to the West Palm Beach area over the coming year. FPL’s long-term plan is to introduce hundreds of Percepto drones to monitor the utility’s distribution substations over the next five years.

The drone-in-a-box solution was the first to pass Level 5 hurricane testing at a wind speed of up to 155 mph, making it ideal for minimizing incident response times and power outages in Florida.

“We look forward to continuing our long and productive relationship with FPL to help ensure that Florida’s electrical infrastructure is constantly monitored, providing residents with more reliable infrastructure, with power back online faster after outages,” said Percepto Chief Commercial Officer Ariel Avitan.