Dive Summary:

• The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has been researching how unmanned aerial systems (UAS)—popularly referred to as drones—could be used to address transmission infrastructure damage during storms.
• Flight tests were conducted in Alabama with two models—Aeryon Scout and the Adaptive Flight Hornet Maxi—and the institute reports that it found such drones "could be deployed to assess damage" during storm scenarios, collecting images and video of affected locations.
• EPRI plans to get FAA approval to conduct more tests later this year.

From the press release:

"... 'The test flight results are an important step in determining whether UAS technology can be deployed to improve the accuracy and timeliness of utility storm damage assessment,' said Matthew Olearczyk, program manager for distribution systems research at EPRI. 'The images and videos from these flights clearly show the potential of these combined technologies. Continuing research will better determine which combinations of aircraft and payload could offer the best results. ..."