Braille Battery announced the successful completion of a series of test trials on the company’s new customized lithium batteries for commercial drones (UAVs) last week. Braille says the trials demonstrated that its batteries provided “longer discharge cycles—with significantly less weight—than the incumbent battery,” although estimates of how much longer and lighter have not yet been released. The batteries are designed for commercial applications including aerial LiDAR surveys, aerial photogrammetry and other aerial inspections.
According to Braille, the market for commercial drones is projected to grow at an annual rate of 7.6 percent, making it a $12 billion industry by 2021. “From companies such as Amazon exploring product delivery, to innovative applications in both media coverage and filmmaking, we’re witnessing a paradigm shift in how industries are evolving their respective processes by implementing UAVs into their workflow,” said Braille Battery President Lindsay Weatherdon. “Overall—each implementation represents a ready opportunity for Braille Battery and we will be there to power it.”
Braille also announced that it has secured a request to retrofit existing UAVs valued at approximately $500,000. In addition to both manned and unmanned aviation, the Florida-based company supplies batteries for a variety of industries including professional motor sports, military and medical services.
