Professional public safety and critical infrastructure inspection pilots can now access the most advanced uncooled thermal imaging technology on the market

US Drone Manufacturer Skydio has introduced the Skydio X10 drone, featuring a customised Teledyne FLIR Boson+ thermal camera module, among the most sensitive commercially available uncooled longwave infrared (LWIR) camera modules for drones, on 20 September.

Thanks to the collaboration with Thermal by FLIR, professional public safety and critical infrastructure inspection pilots can now access the most advanced uncooled thermal imaging technology on the market.

The Thermal by FLIR program is a cooperative product development and marketing program. It supports original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), such as Skydio, to integrate Teledyne FLIR thermal camera modules into products, along with go-to-market support for ensuing product innovations.

The Skydio X10 includes a first-of-its-kind thermal imaging payload using a customised radiometric Boson+ thermal camera module, providing unmatched thermal performance and improvements in size, weight, and power (SWaP). This is critical for inspections, situational awareness, and search and rescue missions.

“The Thermal by FLIR program is designed to help our customers innovate and create applications and capabilities that don’t yet exist,” said Dan Walker, Vice President of product development at Teledyne FLIR. “For the Boson+ collaboration with Skydio, we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished together. Skydio customers will soon have access to the most effective uncrewed thermal imaging capabilities ever created for a drone of this size and mission.”

“Skydio customers represent the critical industries that our core civilisation runs on, such as public safety, energy utilities, and defence, who need highly accurate data to make timely decisions that benefit us all. This requires high-definition thermal imagery in a Swap-optimised package,” said Abe Bachrach, Chief Technology Officer at Skydio. “That is why we chose to integrate the Teledyne FLIR Boson+ thermal camera module within the Skydio X10 platform, as it provides the right mix of performance and features required for pilots to complete the mission.”