Unmanned systems for work on the ground

An aircraft sees a great deal quickly; a ground vehicle works at one point for a long time. That is the real difference, and it decides which tasks come into question at all.

• Payload instead of a snapshot. A tracked vehicle carries hundreds of kilograms — water monitor, manipulator, measuring equipment, material. It can therefore not only observe but intervene.
• Time on station. It holds position for as long as the situation demands and swaps its battery when needed, instead of having to return.
• Access from ground level. Stairs, bulk material, mud, confined plant sections, interiors without reception — where wheels and rotors give up, tracks get further.
• Proximity to the object. Readings are taken at the component rather than from a distance. Markings can be read, valves operated, samples taken.

The price for that is speed and range. Where large areas have to be covered in a short time, the air has the advantage — which is why the domains complement each other rather than compete.