University of Strathclyde engineering students have developed a drone fitted with a thermal camera to monitor buildings’ energy efficiency. A team of three students from the university’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering aims to commercialize the concept, which is designed to give a comprehensive assessment of energy use.

“Energy efficiency is important in buildings for environmental and economic reasons, but some equipment used to measure it is expensive and doesn’t always give a full reading," says project member Americo Pino. "Drones can make these types of inspections more comprehensive, and thermal imaging technology takes this a step further."

The drone uses thermal imaging technology to gauge buildings' energy usage. Image credit: University of Strathclyde. Pino says that the unmanned aerial vehicle, dubbed "Drone Wrangler," lifts off automatically and can link to up to 17 satellites at a time, "so it’s very precise in the images it takes and very safe to fly."

On a recent test flight, the drone surveyed four campus buildings—the Wolfson, Architecture, John Anderson and Sir William Duncan buildings—and a fifth structure at the university’s playing fields. Each assessment took around 30 minutes to conduct and, as a safety precaution, the flight took place at 3am, offering the team ideal flight conditions. The students are currently analyzing the data.

The team is using the project as a proof-of-concept exercise and is now working with Strathclyde’s Enterprise Hub to set up a company to commercialize the technology.