A drone is seen hovering around as it collects information at the East Lake Science City. [Photo/WeChat account of Optics Valley of China]

In the center of East Lake Science City, which is located in the East Lake High-tech Development Zone (also known as Optics Valley of China, or OVC), a number of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, also called drones) can be seen hovering over the construction site at designated times and following designated routes. After their routine patrol, they fly back to their nest to upload real-time data and recharge. The entire process is carried out without any human intervention.

"This low-altitude unmanned system can be applied in many intelligent city scenarios. For example, the drone can record the construction pace of East Lake Science City, and detect all kinds of illegal behaviors quickly and efficiently in order to ensure construction safety," said Liu Qi, founder of Wuhan Feiliu Intelligent Technology Co.

Having won many honorary titles, such as being listed among OVC's 3551 enterprises, little giant companies, and OVC gazelle firms, Feiliu Intelligent Tech has developed several types of industrial drones which can run for up to 2.5 hours at speeds up to 110 kilometers per hour. The drones are able to carry 10 kilograms of equipment, including high-definition cameras, laser radar, and environment monitoring sensors.

In order to automate data collection work, the company's research team also developed a drone nest that consists of an autonomous charging pile and a base station, allowing drones to recharge and upload data to the cloud.

One of the industrial UAVs developed by Feiliu Intelligent Tech. [Photo/WeChat account of Optics Valley of China]

The firm's drone product currently flies 30 to 200 meters above ground, and can be used in power line patrol and inspection, air monitoring and environmental protection. Data collected by the drone can assist related departments or institutions in the decision-making process.