Percepto, Author at Percepto

Percepto Achieves Groundbreaking BVLOS Approval for Drone Operations in Germany

Percepto — Wed, 10 Apr 2024 11:35:58 +0000

Austin, TX – April 10, 2024 – Percepto, the industry-leading autonomous inspection and monitoring solutions provider, is thrilled to announce that it has successfully facilitated Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) approval for one of its esteemed clients in Germany. This landmark approval, officially sanctioned by the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA), Germany’s civil aviation authority, represents a significant leap forward in the use of drone-in-a-box technology for industrial inspections and monitoring.

This approval enables fully automated drone operations BVLOS without the need for visual observers on-site, around the clock. This capability is particularly notable as it extends to controlled airspace, demonstrating an exceptional level of trust and confidence in the safety and reliability of Percepto’s drone-in-a-box solutions.

The approval process was spearheaded by Percepto, drafting the necessary documents and closely collaborating with German regulators to meet the stringent requirements for BVLOS operations. This achievement not only underscores Percepto’s commitment to advancing drone technology in compliance with European regulations, but also solidifies a close working relationship with German authorities, suggesting expedited approvals for future deployments.

The LBA has welcomed this development, stating, “We are pleased with Percepto’s achievement in obtaining BVLOS approval in Germany. This exemplifies the potential of advanced drone technology to transform industries while ensuring LBA’s highest standards of aviation safety.”

“Percepto’s achievement in Germany is a testament to its leadership in the autonomous drone industry and its ability to navigate and comply with complex regulatory environments,” said Neta Gliksman, Percepto VP of Policy and Government Affairs. “Percepto extends its gratitude to the LBA for their cooperation and looks forward to contributing further to the safe and effective integration of drones into German airspace.”

About Percepto

Percepto is the leading autonomous inspection and monitoring solution provider, revolutionizing how industrial sites monitor and inspect their critical infrastructure and assets.

Listed in TIME magazine’s 100 Best Inventions of 2021, Percepto’s AIM platform fully automates visual data workflows from capture to insight, leveraging the Percepto Air drone-in-a-box portfolio, alongside other robots and visual sensors. Using advanced machine learning and AI, Percepto AIM provides an end-to-end autonomous inspection and monitoring solution to assess risk, minimize downtime, drive efficiency, increase safety and reduce operational costs.

Percepto’s solutions are trusted by Fortune 500 customers on six continents including Siemens Energy, Delek US, Koch Fertilizer and ICL Dead Sea Works. The company is the recipient of multiple prestigious awards including Edison Gold Award and Frost & Sullivan Global Enabling Technology Leadership Award.

For more information, visit www.percepto.co

Media Contact

Jackie Alkobi
Percepto
pr@percepto.co
+1-917-999-0192

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Percepto Receives Significant FAA Approval to Remotely Operate Full Drone Fleet by One Operator

Percepto — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 10:26:30 +0000

This groundbreaking approval allows for operation of up to 30 Percepto autonomous drones for cost effective critical infrastructure inspection

Austin, TX, November 28, 2023 — Percepto, an industry-leading autonomous inspection and monitoring solutions provider, today announced the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted the company a nationwide waiver to operate a full fleet of Percepto drones remotely by one operator. While previous Percepto operations required one pilot to monitor and operate one drone, this new approval allows for commercial operation of up to 30 drones, simultaneously with one pilot, redefining drone automation and remote operations.

For heavy industry, namely oil & gas, utilities and other energy stakeholders, this significantly reduces operational expenses and increases operational efficiencies. With this approval, Percepto heavy industry customers can finally implement large-scale drone fleet inspections by safely, quickly and effortlessly scaling their drone programs. Moreover, it lowers costs for new entrants seeking to utilize drones to enhance their operations for the first time and encourages more market players to establish new drone programs, which is now more cost effective than ever.

This waiver builds on Percepto’s years of regulatory efforts, allowing for safe nationwide drone BVLOS operations with no humans on site or the need for expensive radars, using remote pre-flight checks, extensive automation, and now the ability to operate up to 30 drone-in-a-box systems simultaneously. It also comes as the last piece of the remote operations puzzle, alongside Percepto’s state-of-the-art drone-in-a-box hardware and autonomous inspection software.

“For years, Percepto has been leading the remote inspection revolution – both on the regulatory and technology fronts,” said Percepto Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer Ariel Avitan. “Simply put, with large-scale remote inspections we’ll see fewer large-scale safety and environmental failures across critical infrastructure.”

“Percepto is very grateful for the FAA’s approval of this waiver, the true holy grail, which was achieved through years of continued cooperation with the FAA,” said Neta Gliksman, Percepto VP of Policy and Government Affairs. “This is opening doors for critical inspection operations for our clients, expanding the possibilities and scale of autonomous inspection technology.”

“Percepto’s approval from the FAA to remotely operate drone fleets sets the stage for transformative advancements in various industries,” says Delek US Chief Information and Data Officer, Ido Biger. “Delek plans to utilize remote inspection technology to minimize our environmental footprint and boost employee and community safety at scale.”

About Percepto

Percepto is the leading autonomous inspection and monitoring solution provider, revolutionizing how industrial sites monitor and inspect their critical infrastructure and assets.

For more information, visit www.percepto.co

Media Contact

Jackie Alkobi
Percepto
pr@percepto.co
+1-917-999-0192

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Your drone inspection data is secure

Percepto — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 10:35:10 +0000

Percepto Successfully Passes the SOC 2 Type II Audit

Data security and privacy has been a priority at Percepto since day one. And now we’re thrilled to announce we have successfully passed a SOC 2 Type II audit. In this blog post, we’ll explain what an SOC 2 Type II audit is and why it’s essential for any drone inspection program.

Automated drones collect and transmit enormous amounts of data, including images and videos of critical infrastructure. Since these drones have become integral components of critical workflows, ensuring data security has become a top priority for both government and enterprise stakeholders. Any company that utilizes drones for inspection and monitoring must have robust security measures in place to protect sensitive data and intellectual property, as well as prevent unauthorized access to systems and physical sites. Data security is also needed in order to maintain compliance with legal requirements and foster trust with clients.

As a drone industry leader, Percepto has consistently emphasized data security and privacy both internally and for customers. That commitment was recognized several months ago when we received ISO 27001, and successfully passing a SOC 2 Type II audit is yet another milestone in our commitment to data security compliance.

What is an SOC 2 Type II audit?

SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls) is an audit based on standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). The audit assesses how companies store and manage customer data and includes a comprehensive evaluation of their security processes.

Percepto was audited by Ernst and Young (EY) who confirmed that we meet all standards for SOC 2 Type II, including access controls and reviews, software development, network and platform monitoring, vendor risk management, security and compliance monitoring, and more.

Why is SOC 2 Type II auditing important?

Working with a SOC 2-audited provider like Percepto gives drone program managers and IT personnel an additional layer of assurance that sensitive data will be safely stored and managed and that the infrastructure, tools, and processes they implement will meet the highest data protection standards in the industry.

Percepto’s success in the SOC 2 Type II audit underscores our unwavering commitment to data security and customer trust. By subjecting ourselves to such rigorous external auditing and evaluation, we have demonstrated our dedication to safeguarding sensitive data.

As drones continue to play an essential role in critical workflows, Percepto’s data security compliance sets a benchmark for the industry, ensuring a safer and more secure environment for all stakeholders involved in drone operations.

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New remote ID regulations – How Percepto complies

Percepto — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 13:02:26 +0000

Drones and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) have become a vital component of the aviation ecosystem. As drone activity has expanded both in terms of use cases and ubiquity, regulatory bodies worldwide have begun introducing rules and regulations that aim to integrate UASs into national airspace systems safely. Many of these emerging regulations directly impact companies that are using drones for inspection and monitoring of their sites.

One such example is the new remote ID regulation in the United States and Europe, put in place to ensure safe UAS flights while promoting public security and privacy. As of the respective deadlines, which are September 16, 2023, for the US, and January 1, 2024, for the EU, regulations mandate that all drones in operation must possess remote capabilities.

To prepare for these deadlines, we’ve put together an overview of the new regulations, including information about how you can remain compliant.

Why do we need remote ID?

Remote ID is an important component of public safety and security in drone operations. The new regulation enables regulatory bodies to locate a drone’s Remote Pilot In Command (RPIC) and identify the drone owners whenever the need arises, for example in an emergency situation.

What is a remote ID?

Remote ID regulation requires drones to broadcast their location, altitude, and take-off location information with other relevant parties, enabling to identify the drones and their operators while in flight. To protect operator privacy, access to pilots’ personal information is restricted solely to the respective regulatory bodies and authorized officials.

What information does the drone broadcast?

From take-off to shut down, the drone broadcasts:

Drone /Operator ID
Drone location and altitude
Drone velocity
Control station location and elevation
Time mark
Emergency status

What are the deadlines for remote ID operations?

USA regulations

The new regulations state that any drone weighing more than 0.55 pounds must transmit a signal containing its serial number, position, and altitude. The drone’s serial number will be connected to the owner’s registration data in the FAA’s database, and authorized officials will be able to access the owner’s information using the serial number, similar to the process of checking vehicle registration using a license plate number.

The Remote ID rule contains two basic deadlines. First, drone manufacturers must begin making remote ID-compliant drones by December 16, 2022. Drone pilots, under part 107 of the regulation, must fly remote ID-compliant systems beginning on September 16, 2023.

European regulation

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has also introduced remote ID regulations for UAS operating in EU airspace. The new legislation states that any drone that is not tethered or weighs more than 250 gr must transmit a signal containing its operator ID number—a designated number that every UAS operating organization receives from regulatory bodies—as well as its position and altitude.

Authorized officials of the National Aviation Authority (NAA) in the relevant EU member state will be able to access the drone owner’s information using the operator ID number. The remote ID rule states that as of January 1, 2024, all drones operating in Europe must have remote ID broadcasting capabilities.

How Percepto is ensuring compliance with the remote ID regulation deadlines

Percepto is committed to full compliance with the new regulations. Let’s look at how Percepto is adapting to accommodate the new remote ID regulations:

New Percepto Air drones will include internal WiFi antennas that broadcast the ID, location, altitude, and velocity of the drone, making compliance simple. A second channel interface (e.g., cell phone, tablet) broadcasts the RPIC location and the operator must approve the location request sent in order to take off.

Compliance with USA deadlines

The FAA’s new Remote Identification (ID) rule took effect for manufacturers late last year. To prepare for the new regulation, Percepto has implemented remote ID broadcasting capabilities into its drones. As of December 16, 2022, all new Percepto Air drones are compliant with the new regulatory requirements.

The second step of the remote ID regulation in the USA requires operators to begin using remote ID-compliant products by September 16, 2023. To help customers meet that requirement, we have developed an operational process for equipping all US Percepto Air systems already deployed at customer sites with the needed modifications to be compliant by the deadline.

Europe

To prepare for the new regulation, Percepto is implementing remote ID broadcasting capabilities into its drones. As of January 1, 2024, all new Percepto Air drones will be compliant with the new regulatory requirements.

In addition, all Percepto Air systems already deployed at EU customer sites will be equipped by Percepto with remote ID broadcasting capabilities by January 1, 2024.

The bottom line

Remote ID regulation is an important step in the development of the UAS ecosystem, and, with the approaching deadlines for implementation in both Europe and the United States, every company that utilizes UASs in its operations needs to be aware of the new requirements. If you have questions about remote IDs or would like to speak to a regulatory expert, contact us.

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The elephant in the room in heavy industry: Insufficient inspection of critical assets

Percepto — Wed, 21 Jun 2023 13:29:11 +0000

Insights from Percepto’s market survey

A series of high-profile methane leaks at sites around the world, such at Aliso Canyon, California and Nord Stream in the Baltic Sea, have brought the oil and gas industry under increasing scrutiny in the past decade. As our understanding of the environmental ramifications of these leaks continues to grow, oil and gas industry leaders are reinforcing their commitment to implementing extensive protective measures in their facilities. The question is, are they doing enough? Are utilities and heavy industry facilities inspecting their critical assets sufficiently?

To answer that question (among others), we conducted a market survey on visual inspection practices that queried 200 managers and executives within the global energy and oil & gas industries.

The growing need for inspection and monitoring

In light of the survey results, it’s important to understand why frequent visual inspection and monitoring are so critical. Utilities companies and heavy industry facilities are responsible for delivering critical infrastructure and resources, from electricity to natural gas and fertilizer, and almost always work with potentially hazardous materials. Therefore, failures and malfunctions can have catastrophic ramifications. As severe weather events become more frequent due to climate change, power utilities are also under pressure to ensure their grid is as resilient as possible and to restore power quickly after storms and other major weather occurrences.

In addition, changing societal priorities have led to increasingly strict environmental regulations, especially regarding emissions. Heavy industry is responsible for an estimated 40% of carbon emissions, and the real number may be even higher as gas emissions are notoriously underreported. In the past, the industry may not have been held accountable for its emissions, but that is no longer the case. For example, in the U.S., the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act contains extensive climate change legislation, including large fines for emissions, which companies can ill afford. The new legislation has put energy providers under pressure to both cut emissions and produces greener energy to remain compliant.

Traditional inspection is so difficult that it doesn’t get done enough

Despite the importance of visual monitoring and inspection, our survey showed that energy and oil & gas companies are falling short. Failures and malfunctions can happen at any time, which is why ideally, critical assets should be surveyed daily. However, our survey showed that only 1% of companies conduct daily inspections. Worryingly, 12% conduct inspections only monthly, or even less frequently. The significant time lags between inspections exponentially increase the likelihood of small issues becoming major problems. Beyond the safety and waste-reducing benefits of timely inspections, more frequent monitoring can also deliver huge environmental benefits, such as reducing fugitive emissions through faster detection of gas leaks.

A bigger concern is the fact that the assets inspected least, such as tanks, pipelines, powerlines, and electric poles are precisely the assets that could cause the most damage if they break down or if something goes wrong. They are also the assets that are the hardest to inspect, whether because they pose a higher risk to employees, are geographically far apart from one another, or need to be shut down to be thoroughly inspected.

Almost three-quarters (74%) of respondents said that budget and resources were the main barriers to conducting more frequent visual inspections. Yet without sufficient inspection, failures are often caught at a late stage, at which point they can lead to catastrophic loss of life, billions of dollars in fines for environmental damage, and huge losses in productivity.

Preventing the next disaster

Most companies want to become good corporate citizens, remain resilient in extreme environments, and respond quickly to mitigate disasters. However, our study shows that it simply isn’t feasible to achieve those goals using traditional manual, labor-intensive inspections, especially for hard-to-reach and critical assets.

Indicating that the majority of companies recognize the value of more automated monitoring, our survey showed that while only 16% of companies are currently using drones for monitoring, a whopping 81% plan to start doing so in the near future.

When implemented as part of an end-to-end autonomous monitoring solution, drones make it easier than ever for companies to conduct inspections with the frequency needed to ensure the highest levels of safety, asset reliability and adherence to regulations. Without them, the next disaster is just a matter of time.

Get the full survey report here.

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Percepto flies high with $67M for its industrial drones

Percepto — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 14:40:39 +0000

The startup — headquartered in Austin, Texas, but founded and with roots in Israel — has raised a Series C of $67 million, composed of around $50 million in equity and $16 million in debt funding.

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It’s a new era in autonomous drones

Percepto — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 11:15:54 +0000

Anyone who has ever bought a new car knows the feeling—once the keys are in your hand, you can’t wait to take it out on the road. The same is true for companies who purchase a drone-in-a-box (DIB)—they want to start using it right away, without lengthy delays for regulatory approvals, and without having to buy additional expensive safety equipment. However, before the FAA issued a game-changing “true BVLOS” waiver for DIBs, there was no other option.

That changed for US based customers in May 2023, when the FAA issued a waiver that enables Percepto pilots to operate uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) in shielded airspace, without humans on site, and without expensive and cumbersome ground-based detect and avoid (DAA) systems such as radar systems. With the new waiver, there is no waiting period—companies can set up their drone and start using it right away. It’s the DIB equivalent of being able to drive your car out of the dealership lot the minute the salesperson hands you the keys.

Gathering speed: the progression of regulation

The current waiver wasn’t issued in a vacuum. The regulatory landscape is constantly evolving, and over the past several years, Percepto has been working closely with the FAA, proving the company’s dedication to safety and the reliability of the Percepto system. In fact, Percepto team members were active contributors in the landmark report by the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC), which helped pave the way for the current waiver.

Our work with regulators has become a process of cross-fertilization. As Christopher Doherty, Aviation Safety Inspector, FAA AFS-830 Special programs, said in the Percepto panel at Xponential 2023, “We’re asking industry to push us into more forward-thinking so we can stay ahead of the curve about getting all of these waivers out for these particular operations.”

Enter the era of “True BVLOS”

The latest waiver is truly revolutionary because it allows companies to conduct inspection and monitoring flights remotely, with a pilot located anywhere in the US, with no need for humans onsite or for detect and avoid (DAA) systems.

Under the waiver, low-risk “shielded” BVLOS operations are authorized 200 feet above and around assets located at critical infrastructure sites. And at non-critical infrastructure sites, shielded BVLOS operations are permitted 50 feet higher than the tallest obstruction located within a half-mile of the site.

Even the previous highly automated BVLOS waiver required either two people on-site – a pilot and a visual observer – or costly ground radar systems to ensure clear airspace. The current waiver eliminates those requirements, opening the door to major savings for anyone who operates any kind of critical or non-critical infrastructure in the United States.

This waiver, while nationwide, is currently limited to Percepto drones. It means companies operating a Percepto drone can conduct such BVLOS operations without having to apply for any special waivers or exemptions. They’re ready to fly from day one!

The new look of autonomous inspection

With true BVLOS, critical infrastructure located in remote areas can now be inspected with the same frequency and granularity as infrastructure anywhere, with minimal, or even zero, marginal cost, beyond the cost of the drone-in-a-box itself. A single control center located anywhere in the US can manage inspections of well heads, oil tanks, solar fields, pipelines, and more.

“In a manual operation, you send a pilot out to the field with a drone, with a payload, an optical gas imaging camera. They physically have to set everything up, do their safety procedures, cool the camera, do those inspections manually,” says Danny Allen, Geospacial Intelligence Supervisor, ConocoPhillips. “So, you’re driving back to the office, you’re uploading that data, and now you introduce a whole other aspect of reviewing all that data. So, we’re looking at about a three-day time span before we can inspect something and give a report. … [Now] we’re able to generate those reports, give those reports back to the team the next morning, and they can go and do the repairs.”

Michael Hull, Director of Generation Technology, Vistra Corps, agrees. “Solar sites are not staffed 24/7 by any stretch, two days at most. And we want those folks, when they’re out there turning wrenches, fixing things rather than having to do inspections…It used to be if we wanted to get inspection data and that good information about where our opportunities are, we had to pay for it. Now that we’re completely autonomous it’s changed to ‘how can I be flying these drones more frequently? What else can I be doing to generate value?’ rather than looking at how do I minimize the cost of my inspections. And that completely changes the model for what you’re going to do with an asset like this.”

Conclusion

The new “true BVLOS” waiver is ushering in a new era of completely remote ConOps for inspection and monitoring operations at critical and non-critical infrastructure sites nationwide. Any company can start leveraging that potential today, with Percepto.

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Percepto Raises $67M Series C, Receives FAA Waiver, Ushering in New Era of Autonomous Drone Inspections at Industrial Sites

Percepto — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 10:23:53 +0000

The company’s FAA nationwide regulation waiver removes operational and cost barriers, enabling mass autonomous drone deployments across the U.S.

AUSTIN, TX, June 12, 2023 – Percepto, the leading autonomous inspection and monitoring solution provider, announced today a combined $67M Series C in equity and debt funding, led by Koch Disruptive Technologies (KDT), alongside new investors Zimmer Partners and one of the largest U.S. energy companies. The round includes participation from existing investors U.S. Venture Partners, Delek US Holdings, Atento Capital, Spider Capital and Arkin Holdings, bringing the total investment in the company to more than $120 million, reflecting Percepto’s strong performance and confidence in its robust offering.

Percepto recently received an unprecedented, nationwide Beyond Line of Sight (BVLOS) waiver from the FAA, allowing the company to provide any US critical infrastructure site with remotely-operated automated drones without the need for site specific approvals from the FAA. A game changer for the industry, this waiver removes logistical and cost barriers, such as the need for radars or people on the ground, fueling the adoption of autonomous drone technology.

“KDT’s reinvestment underlines their confidence in our ability to make companies more profitable by keeping infrastructure operational in the face of the unpredictable,” said Percepto Co-founder and CEO Dor Abuhasira. “Organizations are increasingly discovering the benefits of autonomous and remote drone operations to automate facility inspections and data analysis across their sites. With this new round of funding, new strategic investors, and the new regulations that significantly increase the access to using autonomous drones, the conditions are ripe for the autonomous drone market to expand, and for Percepto to meet the growing demand for automated drone inspections and monitoring at industrial sites.”

Heavy industry confronts major challenges to operate efficiently, maintain reliable critical infrastructure, meet high productivity expectations, and increase safety levels – all in the face of complex, hazardous and often aging infrastructure assets. Percepto helps industrial companies save seven-figure amounts and meet these challenges by allowing real-time visibility into their facility’s infrastructure integrity, and finding failures before they escalate into incidents. In one instance, an oil & gas customer using Percepto’s Air Max OGI drone detected within hours a methane gas leak that could have gone unnoticed for months using conventional methods, saving the company millions of dollars, minimizing safety risks to workers, and preventing environmental damage.

“Percepto is a powerful force in boosting the accessibility of automated drones for industrial inspection and monitoring,” said Chase Koch, Founder and CEO of Koch Disruptive Technologies. “Having deployed Percepto’s technology across various Koch companies, we are experiencing first-hand how its innovative R&D improves inspection and monitoring. Their work to create a clear regulatory path for this technology puts it in a strong market position, firmly stationed at the forefront of the industry. We look forward to continuing our journey with Percepto as it sets the new standard for making industrial operations safe, efficient and sustainable.”

Percepto Autonomous Inspection & Monitoring (AIM), the company’s end-to-end visual inspection solution powered by autonomous drones, robots and AI, enables critical infrastructure sites to increase the frequency and quality of inspections via automation. The solution automates the entire visual inspection workflow, from data collection to AI-powered analysis and insights. With Percepto AIM, problems such as gas leaks, overheating and infrastructure deterioration are detected faster so companies, such as Siemens Energy, can take preventative measures to make sites more productive while minimizing the risk of environmental and safety incidents to meet their environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) goals.

“Percepto’s unique AI technology provides heavy industry with a path to maximize their efficiency and ensure smooth operations both in terms of providing a safe environment for workers and generating high productivity levels,” said Siemens Energy Venture Partner Illai Gescheit. “We are impressed with Percepto’s growth within a turbulent market, and look forward to working with them as they continue to pioneer drone regulations and innovations that will help deliver commercial value to our customers while fulfilling their environmental responsibilities.”

About Percepto

Percepto is the leading autonomous inspection and monitoring solution provider, revolutionizing how industrial sites remotely monitor and inspect their critical infrastructure and assets.

Listed in TIME magazine’s 100 Best Inventions of 2021, Percepto’s AIM platform fully automates visual data workflows from capture to insight, leveraging the Percepto Air drone-in-a-box portfolio, alongside other robots and visual sensors. Using advanced machine learning and AI, Percepto AIM provides an end-to-end autonomous inspection and monitoring solution, to assess risk, minimize downtime, drive efficiency, increase safety and reduce operational costs.

Percepto’s solutions are trusted by Fortune 500 customers on six continents including Siemens Energy, Delek US, across Koch Industries companies and ICL Dead Sea Works. The company is the recipient of multiple prestigious awards including Edison Gold Award and Frost & Sullivan Global Enabling Technology Leadership Award. For more information, visit www.percepto.co.

Media Contact
Josh Turner
Si14 Global Communications
perceptopr@si14global.com
US: +1-917-231-0550
Int’l: +972-54-949-6526

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Percepto Receives Ground-Breaking FAA Waiver to Scale Shielded Beyond Visual Line of Sight Commercial Drone Operations Nationwide

Percepto — Mon, 08 May 2023 12:18:33 +0000

FAA waiver allows Percepto to operate beyond visual line of sight close to structures without ground-based systems, providing scalability for the industry and cost-savings for customers

Austin, TX, May 8, 2023 — Percepto, an industry-leading autonomous inspection and monitoring solutions provider, today announced receipt of an unprecedented waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The significant approval allows the company to operate uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) in shielded airspace, without humans onsite, and without expensive and cumbersome ground-based or airborne detect and avoid (DAA) systems, for inspection and monitoring operations at critical and non-critical infrastructure sites nationwide.

Under the waiver, low risk “shielded” BVLOS operations are authorized 200 feet above and around assets located on critical infrastructure sites. At non-critical infrastructure sites, shielded BVLOS operations are permitted 50 feet higher than the tallest obstruction located within a half-mile of the site.
This achievement for Percepto will benefit the whole industry as the industry seeks to scale true BVLOS UAS operations for inspection and monitoring and is a crucial step in fully integrating UAS into the National Airspace System (NAS).

Percepto proactively engaged with the FAA throughout the waiver application process and demonstrated to the FAA that the company can operate BVLOS close to structures safely without costly ground based or airborne DAA systems.

The operations authorized under this approval build upon recommendations made by the UAS BVLOS Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) chartered by the FAA. The ARC correctly recognized that shielded airspace near structures and other obstacles where crewed aircraft do not typically operate could be leveraged as a safety mitigation to support safe, scalable, and economically viable UAS BVLOS operations. Percepto served as a member on the BVLOS ARC.

“Percepto is very grateful to the FAA staff for their engagement and consideration of our application for this important waiver,” said Neta Gliksman, Percepto VP of Policy and Government Affairs. “This waiver will help usher in a new era of scalable UAS operations that will benefit the critical infrastructure industry immediately, and in the future, in ways we haven’t even yet imagined.”

“This waiver’s implications for BVLOS UAS operations in the United States are massive,” said Lisa Ellman, Chair of the Global UAS Practice at Hogan Lovells and Outside Counsel to Percepto. “The FAA waiver provides scalability to businesses and encourages innovation across the industry, which will yield significant benefits for critical infrastructure facilities and the American people.”

“The use of Percepto’s UAS to perform critical infrastructure inspections significantly improves worker safety and efficiency of operations by allowing inspections to occur remotely from anywhere in the United States,“ said Danny Allen, Geospatial Intelligence Supervisor at ConocoPhillips.

“The ability to conduct remote BVLOS inspections without humans supervising the system and without the need for costly DAA assets will increase the value of the Percepto system while significantly reduce costs and barriers to BVLOS operations at our critical infrastructure and industrial commercial sites nationwide,” said Tim Shanfelt, PMP, Operations Enablement Director, Koch Ag and Energy Solutions.

About Percepto

Percepto is the leading autonomous inspection and monitoring solution provider, revolutionizing how industrial sites monitor and inspect their critical infrastructure and assets.

For more information, visit www.percepto.co

Media Contact
Josh Turner
Si14 Global Communications
perceptopr@si14global.com
US: +1-917-231-0550
Int’l: +972-54-949-6526

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Percepto survey highlights environmental and safety risks to critical assets due to insufficient inspections of industrial sites

Percepto — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 14:34:32 +0000

Percepto survey highlights environmental and safety risks to critical assets due to insufficient inspections of industrial sites

Findings from 200 managers and executives across energy and oil & gas reveal most companies are slow to adopt Industry 4.0 technologies for visual site inspections

Austin, TX, March 16, 2023 – Percepto, the leading autonomous inspection and monitoring solution provider, today released survey results exposing the lack of usage of proven, advanced technologies such as drones, robotics and AI to inspect and monitor industrial sites – despite best intentions to keep employees safe and reach environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) goals.

Respondents indicated that some hazardous assets, such as power grids and pipelines, are largely unmonitored for long periods of time, leaving infrastructure vulnerable to large scale failures such as fires, oil spills and gas leaks. Failing to detect faults in time can have far-reaching consequences, such as loss of life, billions of dollars in fines for environmental infractions and lost profits. While most energy and oil & gas companies collect huge amounts of visual data in the form of images and video, only 12% of those surveyed indicated they are using artificial intelligence for automating data analysis to gain insights.

“Drones, robotics and AI allow for automated visual infrastructure inspections at a pace, scale and accuracy level that humans alone cannot deliver using traditional visual inspection methods, particularly for hazardous, hard-to-reach assets,” said Percepto Co-founder and CEO Dor Abuhasira. “The heavy reliance on labor intensive, manual methods suggests a lack of awareness of how AI can be utilized to ensure the highest levels of safety, productivity, asset reliability and adherence to regulations, representing a vast untapped technological resource.”

Some key survey findings:

While many industrial organizations today are striving to upgrade their visual inspection to Industry 4.0 standards, all (100%) respondents still rely on manned visual inspection, while none are using robots and only 16% are using drones.
“Increasing site safety” was a main driver for visual inspections by respondents (98%), higher than those seeking to maintain the reliability of their operations (66%) and regulatory compliance (29%).
A third of respondents (35%) are still using in-house developed analysis tools which are typically not best-of-breed in the market. This suboptimal data management can result in relevant insights not reaching the right stakeholders, repairs not being performed in time, and in extreme cases – data not being analyzed at all.

By using drones and robots coupled with AI-powered analysis software for their data management, companies can monitor their site health with far greater safety, speed, efficiency, and accuracy from anywhere, and allow all relevant stakeholders easy access to both the data itself as well as to the derived insights.

The survey queried 200 managers and executives within the energy and oil and gas industries half of which were from North America, 25% from Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and 25% from the Asia-Pacific region (APAC).

About Percepto

Percepto is the leading autonomous inspection and monitoring solution provider, revolutionizing how industrial sites monitor and inspect their critical infrastructure and assets.

Media Contact
Josh Turner
Si14 Global Communications
perceptopr@si14global.com
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