Hood Tech Vision Imagers Used in First Commercial Inspection Activity with BNSF

Railway
According to a report by a local newspaper (The Columbian) Hood Tech Vision imag
ers are the first commercial UAV application inspecting linear infrastructure, p
airing with Burlington Northern Sante Fe (BNSF) to inspect 64 miles of railroad
track. The activity, near Vaughn, New Mexico, is ...part of a Federal Aviation Ad
ministration initiative called Pathfinder intended develop regulations for the u
nmanned aircraft industry
Hood River, OR, November 13, 2015 -- According to a report by a local newspaper
(The Columbian) Hood Tech Vision imagers are the first commercial UAV applicatio
n inspecting linear infrastructure, pairing with Burlington Northern Sante Fe (B
NSF) to inspect 64 miles of railroad track. The activity, near Vaughn, New Mexic
o, is ...part of a Federal Aviation Administration initiative called Pathfinder i
ntended develop regulations for the unmanned aircraft industry
From: Hood Tech Corp Vision, Inc., Hood River, Oregon
Date: November 12, 2015
Subject: Hood Tech Vision Imagers Used in First Commercial Inspection Activity w
ith BNSF Railway
Contact: Dr. Andy von Flotow, Hood Tech Corp Vision, Inc., 541-387-2288, andy@ho
odtech.com
According to The Columbian (http://www.columbian.com/news/2015/oct/28/insitus-sc
aneagle-drone-records-new-achievement/), Hood Tech Visions UAV cameras have been
used for inspecting 64 miles of railway near Vaughn, New Mexico, part of a Federal
Aviation Administration initiative called Pathfinder intended develop regulatio
ns for the unmanned aircraft industry Burlington Northern Sante Fe (BNSF) designat
ed 132 miles of track for the exercise, and Hood Tech Vision and its UAV covered
64 miles in one example of beyond visual line of sight inspection. Were pleased to
take part in first-time applications of our technology and in first-ever uses, sa
id a Hood Tech Vision representative. We hope our imagers continue to be exploite
d for useful commercial applications.
When Hood Tech began producing 800-gm video-camera turrets in 1998, it enabled a
n entirely new class of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Hood Technology V
ision now designs and manufactures imaging and video processing systems at the h
ighest level of the National Imagery Interpretability Rating Scale (NIIRS): Leve
l 9. Hood Tech Vision matches embedded stabilization technology with electro-opt
ical lenses that zoom up to 200X. This results in a field of view of 0.24 degree
s, in payloads that weigh from less than one to six kg. Hood Tech Vision imagers
consume as little as one-fifth the power common for such systems, increasing th
e power budget available to other sensors for Multi-INT missions. Designed for
manned and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), boats, land vehicles, and towed and
stationary mounts, the reliability and utility of Hood Techs daylight and thermal
imaging products has been demonstrated during more than 900,000 hours of use in
a variety of temperatures, humidity, dust, smoke, haze, and other environmental
factors (http://www.hoodtechvision.com).
Dr. Andy von Flotow founded Hood Technology in Hood River, Oregon in 1993. Along
with the design and manufacture of stabilized imaging systems, Hood Tech:
-Develops, tests, and manufactures launch and retrieval systems for UAVs
-Operates controlled launch and quiet wind tunnel test facilities
-Monitors blade vibrations in industrial turbines and jet engines, including dia
gnostic methods that predict possible future turbine failures.
The Hood Tech web site is: www.hoodtech.com

Contact:
Andy von Flotow
Hood Technology
1750 Country Club Rd.
Hood River, OR 97031
541-387-2288
ken@hoodtech.com
http://www.hoodtech.com