Drones have revolutionized the ability to perform inspections and surveillance for a multitude of industries from construction to public safety. With an ability to maneuver where humans cannot and drastically enhanced visual capabilities, drones are saving money and human lives. Every year drone technology is getting more and more advanced as newer models come out that provide clearer data with better insights. Pretty soon almost every major industry will be employing drones for one task or another.
While different types of drones are suited for different tasks, the type of camera used with the drone has a lot of effect on what it’s capable of. The cameras that attach to drones require stabilization technology to provide accurate aerial data. They also need to be sturdy and resistant to the elements in order to successfully maneuver hard-to-reach places without breaking. Certain cameras come with increased capabilities such as data insights or thermal imaging. With DJI’s Zenmuse XT2 thermal imaging camera, users can monitor temperatures, track heat signatures, and overlay visual and thermal imaging.
DJI and FLIR teamed up to create the Zenmuse XT2, a camera with dual thermal and visual sensors that can aid in anything from inspections to surveillance. This camera attaches to either the DJI Matrice 300 RTK, Matrice 200 series or the Matrice 600 drone, giving you increased capabilities that save money and save lives. By giving fire fighters and police officers enhanced visual and thermal capabilities, the XT2 can go where they cannot and reduce the need to go into dangerous situations. We’ll go over all of the main features of the XT2 and all of the different applications of this powerful and cost-saving tool.
The Zenmuse XT2 thermal imaging camera pairs the FLIR Tau 2 thermal sensor with a 4K visual camera to give you both thermal and visual capabilities. It uses DJI’s leading stabilization technology to give you increased accuracy in the photos and videos it captures. The XT2 also comes with onboard machine intelligence technology, which is enabled by a suite of processors and computer vision algorithms. This technology provides real-time insights from the aerial data you collect, helping you determine what’s important on-site rather than after a lengthy processing time. This instantaneous insight helps increase efficiency and reduce the processing time, saving you money and improving safety.
The Zenmuse XT2 thermal imaging camera can be attached to the Matrice 200 series drone or the Matrice 600. It’s very quick and easy to install, as all you have to do is turn and twist it into place. The XT2 provides thermal video that can be seen from the ground in real time. It also gives you the capability of shooting pictures and videos in addition to thermal imaging. The XT2 gives you a direct view and control of the thermal sensor through the DJI Pilot App.
Once you’ve mounted the camera onto the M200 Series drone, you can fly the camera in lowlight conditions without worrying about a strong breeze or light rain. The combination of the drone’s capabilities and the XT2 camera’s capabilities gives you highly accurate imaging from hard-to-access places. The XT2 is also IP44 rated for dust and water resistance, making it a sturdy camera that can stand up to the elements.
The XT2 comes with a variety of tools to help you get any job done. Whether you’re a fire fighter looking for hot spots in a building using FLIR MSX or you’re using the temp alarm for solar inspections, the XT2 can help you do the job efficiently. These tools are easy to use through the DJI Pilot App and simple to understand. Here are the main features of the XT2:
Temp Check
The temp check feature lets you tap a point or select an area for real-time temperature measurements. This allows you to instantly view the temperature of any object or area on the screen whenever you want on your DJI Pilot App.
Quick Track
Quick track lets you select an object to lock the XT2 onto. This is incredibly helpful when you’re surveying a complicated landscape and trying to pinpoint one specific object. Quick track helps you focus and simplify any complex aerial mission.
Isotherm
The isotherms enable you to focus on a specific temperature band. This helps you to determine what’s important to your mission and disregard the rest.
Color palettes
The color palettes allow you to adjust the colors you apply to the thermal imaging to help you determine what’s happening in the image. This lets you customize your thermal data and make it easier for you to interpret.
Picture-in Picture options
The PiP options help you optimize how you view the thermal and visual feeds that the XT2 provides. These give you the option of viewing the feeds side by side, overlapping them, and more.
Temp Alarm
The Temp Alarm notifies you instantly when object temperatures exceed pre-set parameters. This is great for solar inspection as it helps you locate any damaged solar panels by notifying you of any temperatures outside the norm.
Heat Track
The Heat Track automatically locks onto the hottest object in view of the XT2. This helps you spot any critical problems as soon as they arise, maintaining safety standards and stopping small problems from turning into serious ones.
Previous thermal cameras such as the FLIR Vue and the XT1 did not have a visual camera built into it. The XT2 is unique in that it has both a visual and a thermal camera. This visual and thermal combination makes possible the FLIR MSX feature, where details from the visual image are overlaid on the thermal image.
This overlay happens in real time, providing you with more detail about the image and giving you greater capability for inspections and surveillance. This is a great tool to help fire fighters determine hot spots in a building. With the FLIR MSX feature, they can exactly pinpoint where in the building the heat signature is coming from. It can also help users determine whether or not a certain container is full and identify what the substance inside it is.
Resolution
The two main resolution models available in the XT2 are high res and low res. The high res model is 640x512, while the low res model is 336x256.
Refresh Rate
The XT2 has refresh rates of 30Hz for North America and 9Hz for the rest of the world in order to meet export regulations.
Lens Options
There are three different lens options for both the high res and low res models. The high res model has lens options of 13mm, 19mm, and 25mm. The low res model has lens options of 9mm, 13mm, and 19mm.
The Zenmuse XT2 thermal imaging camera has many different features and tools that are useful in a variety of industries. Many people can benefit from the accurate data and insights given by the XT2. Because this camera can see data that the naked eye alone cannot, users can detect temperature differences, spot defects or equipment damage, and find lost persons during search and rescue operations. Here are a few of the main applications of the Zenmuse XT2 thermal imaging camera:
Fire fighting is a dangerous business. Fire fighters rely on technology such as thermal imaging cameras to get as much information as they can before going into dangerous situations. Fire fighters can use the Zenmuse XT2 camera for reconnaissance to determine what kind of hazard lies ahead. They can also use the camera to detect heat spots or back drafts. The FLIR MSX feature is particularly helpful with this, as it allows them to overlay the visual and thermal data.
The Zenmuse XT2 camera can help fire fighters ensure that conditions are not dangerous before they go in. With the ability to fine-tune isotherm settings, fire fighters can get the most accurate information possible. This makes their rescue missions much safer and helps save precious minutes from wasted before they can go in to help. The XT2’s radiometric sensor allows fire fighters to continue operating even in bad weather or low light. The XT2 provides them with an extra level of safety, saving lives and preventing unforeseen injury.
It’s not just fire fighters that can benefit from the Zenmuse XT2 thermal imaging camera. Public safety is another area where this camera shines, as it can detect and display objects and people regardless of whether or not it’s day or night. This camera has this capability because it looks at heat rather than relying on vision, giving it powerful night vision capabilities.
The night vision power of the Zenmuse XT2 camera is useful for surveillance and reconnaissance, aiding the police in maintaining public safety. By using a drone equipped with the XT2, the police can survey dangerous areas without putting themselves at risk.
Quite often the police will need to employ search and rescue operations to find missing people. These search and rescue missions often take place in unfamiliar terrain such as forests or dense woods. While regular cameras don’t always add much to the power of the unaided eye, the Zenmuse XT2 thermal camera’s night vision can be used to search difficult locations. The heat detection makes it easy for the police to search through foliage to detect lost persons. With the thermal capabilities of the XT2, the police can find missing people more quickly and bring them in safely before crucial time has been wasted.
The loss of energy costs businesses an extraordinary amount of money through leaks and faults in energy systems. The Zenmuse XT2 thermal camera has advanced radiometric capabilities that can detect faults in solar panels, oil pipelines, tanks, and smoke stacks. Through the DJI Pilot App, users can safely inspect and scan their operations to spot any problems before they get worse. This allows them to perform regular maintenance and keep their equipment running safely and efficiently.
The camera can easily detect faults by pinpointing heat leakage and detecting issues long before they have a chance to manifest into serious issues. With the rising popularity of renewable energy sources such as solar energy, the Zenmuse XT2 camera is an excellent and vital tool for solar inspection.
Drones have been using thermal imaging to aid inspections and surveillance for years. With the Zenmuse XT2 thermal imaging camera, users are given even greater capabilities to save money and increase efficiency. You can seamlessly install the XT2 onto either the Matrice 300 RTK, Matrice 200 series drone or the Matrice 600 to get real-time thermal and visual imaging. As technology continues to advance, industries will need to incorporate tools like these in order to remain competitive.
Every business looks for a way to maximize efficiency while minimizing cost and labor. The XT2 camera makes inspections and surveillance a breeze, helping users stay on top of costly energy leaks and potential faults in pipelines. Not only does this save companies money, but it also helps protect our planet from damaging oil leaks. The thermal and visual imagining capabilities of the XT2 are only the beginning of this rapidly developing area of technology. This technology will continue to revolutionize the way we conduct surveillance and inspections in the years to come.
Dr Drone
Author
DrDrone is Canada's leading provider of drone technical services, with over a decade of experience and the distinction of being the first company in the country to offer drone servicing and repairs. As the largest drone vendor in Canada, we are also the primary supplier of Remotely Piloted Air Systems (RPAS) to the Canadian government. Our team members possess extensive knowledge of each drone's technical specifications and have a wealth of hands-on experience. For more than ten years, we have been dismantling and reconstructing drones, ensuring a deep understanding of these systems.