Based in Switzerland, Flyability has been a dominant manufacturer of drones specialized for indoor and confined-space inspection since its original Elios took the $1 million prize in the United Arab Emirates’ “Drones for Good” competition in 2015. While it inaugurated an entirely new venue for drone operations, the original Elios was a handful for pilots.
To ensure that it could keep flying after brushing up against an obstacle or even maintaining physical contact with the surface of a structure, the fairly conventional quadcopter was enclosed within an entirely unconventional carbon-fiber cage, which could rotate around the aircraft in three axes. This unique configuration made it possible for the aircraft to “roll” along floors, ceilings and walls.
In the hands of a skilled pilot—a very skilled pilot—it could be invaluable for exploring and inspecting confined spaces like sewers, utility vaults, fuel bunkers, and so on. At the 2022 Commercial UAV Expo held in Las Vegas this past September, the company released the Elios 3.
While it superficially resembles the original Elios with its carbon-fiber cage, it is altogether a different aircraft. The cage is fixed, and its ability to stabilize after colliding with obstacles has
