Flyscan, a Quebec SME that designs an infrastructure inspection system installed on aircraft, has just concluded a financing round of US$3.5 million. With this funding, the SME is ready to launch and accelerate the marketing of its product.
Posted at 11:00 a.m.
Flyscan began designing its system seven years ago. Developed in collaboration with the National Optics Institute of Canada, it initially aimed to detect hydrocarbon leaks – from the air – along oil pipelines.
“There are already solutions that exist for methane, natural gas, because it’s chemically simpler, but no one had yet developed a solution for oil. We are the only ones in the world in this market,” says Eric Bergeron, founder and CEO of Flyscan.
Normally, aircraft pilots do this kind of work: they fly over the pipeline and look for visual leaks. Beyond the leaks, they have a list of about thirty things to check: dangerous activities, such as excavators digging near a buried pipeline, or soil erosion following heavy rains.
Over time, however, Flyscan realized that there was a demand for a more comprehensive system, one that could not only detect leaks, but could also handle the visual inspection that pilots currently do.
Expand the offer
Today, the 14-employee company wants to automate all inspection tasks so that the pilot only has to fly the plane, explains its founder.
“We also want to develop another market, that of linear infrastructure, such as railways, power lines, roads and highways, or coastal strips,” he illustrates.
The technology needed to accomplish all of these tasks is not simple.
The Flyscan system includes an ultraviolet laser that detects benzene as well as several hyperspectral cameras for other types of hydrocarbons. It also includes three traditional high-speed cameras that have a 500-meter wide viewing angle. Thanks to artificial intelligence, these automatically detect certain objects, such as excavators.
The Flyscan system
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PHOTO CATHERINE LEFEBVRE, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Flyscan’s system includes three traditional high-speed cameras that have a 500 meter wide viewing angle.
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PHOTO CATHERINE LEFEBVRE, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
The system also includes an ultraviolet laser that detects benzene as well as several hyperspectral cameras for other types of hydrocarbons.
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PHOTO CATHERINE LEFEBVRE, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
The Flyscan system covered with its hood.
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The plane is a flying laboratory. We had to remove the rear seats to install our system, which requires a lot of technology, such as high-speed graphics cards and satellite and cellular antennas. The sensors themselves are worth more than the plane.
Eric Bergeron, founder and CEO of Flyscan
To break into the new linear infrastructure market, the company will be able to count on one of the investors, Hatch, which participated in its 3.5 million US round of investment concluded on September 20.
Enbridge and BDC Capital also participated in the round, but Hatch, one of the largest private engineering firms in the country, works on many projects such as pipelines and railroads.
“They will bring us new ideas and open the door to new markets,” explains Eric Bergeron. They invest their money in Flyscan, yes, but they also have expertise, ideas, and customers. »