Donecle has acquired Dronétix to extend its automated inspection capabilities to aircraft components, starting with engines and landing gear.
May 19th, 2022: Toulouse, France
Donecle, the leading company in drone-based automated aircraft inspection, acquired Dronétix Technologie on April 20th to further expand the scope of its robotic inspections for airlines & MROs.
Dronétix is a French company that has been developing an autonomous mapping drone for industrial assets since 2018. The technology enables automatic data capture and 3D reconstruction of small assets such as aircraft engines or landing gear. The solution is easy to deploy, with no need for a prior model of the object. Key customers include Safran, which has been regularly using a Dronétix drone for aircraft engine inspections in its Villaroche facility.
With the acquisition of Dronétix, Donecle is now uniquely positioned to provide automated inspections from components to aircraft with consistent tools and traceability. The Dronétix solution will be upgraded with Donecle’s leading imaging technology and cloud connectivity, while the image datasets and AI technologies of both companies will be merged to further increase their performance.
Franck Levy, founder and ex-CEO of Dronétix, believes that “Donecle is the perfect match to further develop and commercialise our technology. We look forward to seeing the industry further adopt robotic inspection.”
Matthieu Claybrough, CEO of Donecle, adds, “This is an important milestone in Donecle’s growth. Combining the assets and know-how of both companies will strengthen our offer and boost the development of future capabilities. Our goal remains unchanged: to offer our customers cost-saving solutions while improving traceability and safety.”
Dronétix Technologie at a glance
Dronétix Technologie specialises in autonomous inspection robots that draw on artificial intelligence to map unknown objects without any need for a pilot. Dronétix’s post-processing software, based on object detection and machine learning, provides automated inspection capabilities as well as photogrammetry and point cloud comparison. The solution is ideally suited for producing and storing digital records of assets, whether in production or MRO activities.
Now a subsidiary of Donecle, Dronétix Technologie will continue to focus on inspecting aircraft components such as engines and landing gear.
Donecle at a glance
Donecle, a French company founded in 2015, offers automated aircraft inspection. Combining a 100% automated drone (no pilot, no GPS, no beacons) with advanced image analysis algorithms, Donecle’s system can perform aircraft inspections 10 times faster than current methods. Applications include lightning strike inspections, general visual inspections, dent detection and measurement, paint quality assessments and marking checks. Approved by Airbus, it helps optimise maintenance activities by providing safe, fast and traceable inspections.