Ulju County in Ulsan announced on the 31st that it is moving forward with the development of a tower-type drone station capable of automatically replacing drone batteries.

Due to its vast jurisdiction of 758 km², Ulju has faced delays in assessing disaster and safety situations. Additionally, the typical drone flight time of around 30 minutes has made it difficult to maintain continuous monitoring.

To address this issue, Ulju County planned an R&D project to develop a “tower-type multi-station with smart battery auto-replacement.” The project was submitted in December last year to a designated call under the Ministry of SMEs and Startups’ Purchase-Conditioned New Product Development Program and was selected in January. This month, after corporate proposals and evaluations organized by the Korea Technology and Information Promotion Agency for SMEs, a development company was chosen. Ulju County and a specialized firm will jointly develop the station, aiming to present a standard model of a tower-type drone station for local governments.

The station will accommodate four drones equipped with automatic battery swapping. Operated remotely through communication protocols, it will function as an unmanned station controlled by Ulju County’s drone integrated control center.

The station will include internal and external video transmission capabilities, takeoff and landing control systems responsive to environmental conditions, internal temperature and humidity monitoring with heating and cooling systems, and a precision landing guidance system.

The total development period is two years, with a budget of 750 million KRW (approx. $550,000). If the project passes evaluation upon completion, Ulju County will purchase one unit per proposal as part of the purchase-conditional agreement.

The lead developer is Vololand Co., Ltd., and Ulju County is participating from the early stages to ensure the station is tailored to local needs.

An official from Ulju County stated,
“When this tower-type drone station with autonomous operation is developed, it will enable up to four drones to take off and land simultaneously, forming the foundation of a system capable of assessing field conditions within five minutes. The unmanned operation will help reduce manpower and budget costs, improve work efficiency, and minimize service interruptions by enabling continuous flight through multiple rotating drones.”