On November 30th, fans of French singer Orelsan enjoyed his music with better security at events. This was thanks to new drone technology. To assist the police in the vicinity of the concert hall, a DJI M200 UAV connected to Elistair’s Ligh-T tethering station was specially deployed.

The drone flew for several hours, powered from the ground. This is much longer than the 25 minutes of a regular drone. It keep the area around the arena safe.

Find out more about tethered drone applications here

The tethering station: an innovation that pushes the limits of UAV technology!

To ensure the safety of the organizing teams, fans and artists, the UAV service company Adéole and the city of Floirac decided to use a new form of video surveillance of the public areas: a DJI Matrix 200 UAV, with Zenmuse Z30 full HD camera, connected to Elistair’s Ligh-T tethering station, was used to enhance security for events on this scale.

Connected to the ground by a micro-tether, the UAV flew over the zone before,   during, and after the concert without the interruption that comes with changing   batteries. Access, entrances, exits, roads, flows of people and vehicles were able to   be monitored safely and effectively.

With a surveillance radius of 1.5 km, the tethered drone gave securtity teams constant situational awarness ; an essential advantage for ensuring security for events attended by thousands of people.

 Alexandre Auger, CEO of Adéole stated:

 “The objective of this mission was to monitor traffic conditions before and after   Orelsan’s concert. We flew 2 hours 45 minutes before the concert and 1 hour after   with Elistair’s system. This innovation allowed us to significantly increase our flight   time! During our previous missions, we did not have this system and the pressure   related to battery life was huge. We were positioned on a site between the concert   hall and the car park. The flights were carried out at a maximum height of 50 m,   allowing all the traffic routes near the site to be monitored.”

This deployment not only reduced traffic congestion by 45 minutes but also allowed police to identify a wanted individual. The examlpe highlights how tethered drones are becoming key tools in ensuring security for events of all sizes.

Enhanced security for public events

The control room displayed the video surveillance images directly. This helped the police officers understand the situation well. They could then take quick and appropriate actions.

“Our objective was to assist the municipal police in relieving traffic congestion. The use of this tethered drone was a great asset for police officers and helped to reduce traffic congestion by 45 minutes. In addition, thanks to this system, we were able to trace a person wanted for public drunkenness” adds Alexandre Auger.

Why Elistair’s tethering station?

Flexible, reliable and portable, Elistair’s Ligh-T station is designed to operate  in  challenging weather. Deployable in less than 5 minutes, it provides  continuous power for unlimited flight duration, and allows flight  monitoring via the smart surveillance application T-monitor. In addition to  providing power, data can also be transferred securely through the tether.

The Ligh-T station is made for though conditions. It can be used day or night and ensures safe, long flights. Perfectly adapted, among other applications, to deployments in urban areas  close to infrastructure and the public.

Elistair tethering systems, including the autonomous Orion UAS, have already  successfully provided surveillance for major international events in 2018.  These include The Bol d’Or (24 hours International Motorcycle Championship  –  70,000 spectators), the Ryder Cup (300,000 participants), and the Paris  Peace Forum (70 heads of state).