AEF Software allows pilots to fly into tighter areas and get back safely in environments where manual drones risk losing GPS signal and crashing. A pilot equipped with AEF will fly more confidently and be able to focus on completing missions more efficiently than ever before.
(AEF) the future of Inspection Technology
AEF helps pilots to capture all details in less time without compromising the safety of the drone. MFE and Skydio are excited to bring this functionality to the inspection community after extensive pre-release testing.
Close Proximity Obstacle Avoidance (CPOA) & Precision Mode
In a compact environment, avoiding obstacles is critical. Close Proximity Obstacle Avoidance allows pilots to minimize the flight distance from structures (from 0.9 meters down to 0.41 meters). CPOA lets the pilot fly through gaps such as doorways, bridge trusses, and power plant components. With Skydio 2’s ability to operate in GPS-denied environments thanks to its vision-based navigation system, CPOA allows Skydio pilots to navigate seemingly impossible environments.
Precision Mode provides ultra-sharp positioning in response to joystick inputs to simplify lining up precise shots. As a result, Precision Mode helps pilots capture better inspection data while navigating complex environments, with centered photos and proper angles of assets of interest.
Superzoom
This feature lets pilots zoom in 3x and all the way out into a global view through the navigation cameras onboard every Skydio drone, for a total 32x zoom differential. The result is maximum situational awareness without having to move the drone.
Point of Interest (POI) Orbit
Skydio drones are capable of orbiting cars and people; when equipped with Autonomy Enterprise Foundation, Skydio drones can orbit any user-defined point on the map. Skydio’s omnidirectional obstacle avoidance, paired with POI Orbit, gives pilots a hands-free overwatch tool.
Vertical View
Many drones carry bottom-facing cameras that cannot see above the drone. With Vertical View, pilots can articulate the camera to look straight up while trusting the drone’s artificial intelligence to avoid obstacles that the pilot can’t see without the fear of crashing.
All (AEF) Features:
| Feature | Description | Main Use Cases | Key Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close Proximity Obstacle Avoidance | The drone can fly closer to obstacles (.45m - .55m) |
| Allows closer flight for indoor navigation and up-close inspection of detailed assets. |
| Precision Mode | Tunes the system for ultra-precise positioning of the drone based on joystick inputs. (AEF feature for S2. Included with autonomy core for X2.) |
| Allows for close-up photography and effortless capture of critical components. |
| Visual Return-To-Home | Ability to Return Home purely using visual wayfinding when flying in GPS denied environments. |
| Provides robust and safe Return Home in high-RF or GPS-denied environments. |
| Offline Maps | Download maps ahead of time to use map-based features without a cellular LTE connection. |
| Use map-based functionality even for jobs in remote areas. |
| Superzoom | Blends the six 4K navigation cameras to create an omnidirectional view. Allows the user to zoom digitally with algorithmic image stabilization. |
| See farther, and in all directions without moving the drone reduces pilot cognitive load. |
| Point-of-interest Orbit | Drone will navigate itself while revolving around a user-defined point on a map. |
| Enables surveillance and overwatch of any structure or locale. |
| Track-in-place | Ability to visually track a car or person from a fixed position from farther away. |
| Enables search and rescue overwatch from farther away. |
| Vertical View | Gimbal can look straight up overhead of the drone. |
| Allows for overhung inspections such ceilings, bridges and canopies. |