Innovative utility drone: KBSU is thinking about combating roof icing

4th year student at the Institute of Informatics, Electronics and Robotics, Kabardino-Balkarian State University named after Kh.M. Berbekov Yuri Shishkin developed a drone designed to combat icing of the roofs of multi-story buildings. This unmanned aerial vehicle is unique — it is capable of treating snow cover with chemicals at high altitudes, inaccessible to public utilities. The drone automatically detects the level of snow on roofs and calculates the required amount of chemicals to treat a given area. In an hour he can process a dozen multi-storey buildings. And the telemetry system allows the operator to receive high-quality video while being at a great distance. The multicopter is capable of lifting up to 10 kg of payload into the air.

The idea of ​​using an agricultural drone to combat roof icing came to student Yuri Shishkin during a trip to the Elbrus region. He saw utility workers risking their lives to clear snow from high-rise buildings without insurance. This, the student says, is where it all began.

So I thought, why not find a solution to use a drone to treat roofs with chemicals. Upon returning to Nalchik, I informed my teacher Beslan Shogenov about the plans, and he supported me.

After studying a large amount of materials, we decided to use large agrodrones as a basis. But the multicopter invented by Shishkin is unlike any of those used in agriculture. It has more accurate sensors and better software. The key advantage over others is its “brain filling”, developed at KBSU. This allows you to significantly reduce production costs compared to market analogues. The test drone operates successfully in all weather conditions, including severe subzero temperatures.

Yuri Shishkin and his scientific advisor, associate professor of the Department of Mechatronics and Robotics Beslan Shogenov, continue to work on improving the drone software. They strive to get it to perfection before filing a patent application. The project has been under development for about a year as part of the Priority 2030 program.