HyLight: How Sustainable Airships are Redefining Aerial Infrastructure Inspection

EcoAero recently had the opportunity to speak with the innovative minds behind Hylight, a company pushing the boundaries of aerial infrastructure inspection through sustainable airship technology. CEO and Co-Founder of Hylight, Martin Bocken, explains how the company is addressing key challenges faced by industries that rely on helicopters for inspecting power lines, pipelines, and other critical assets. Hylight aims to not only decarbonize this process but also make it more efficient, cost-effective, and scalable. 

In their early stages, Hylight explored the possibility of hydrogen-powered drones. While the use of hydrogen doubled the flight time compared to battery-powered drones, this solution wasn’t enough to solve the fundamental limitations of flight duration and logistical challenges. They wanted to develop a solution that could provide the same advantages as helicopters, but without the carbon emissions, with better efficiency, and of course, at a lower price. This led to the breakthrough idea of utilizing airships. 

Unlike traditional drones, airships offer a significant increase in flight time—up to 20 times longer. The design allows for the efficient transport of sensors and equipment over long distances, with the added ability to hover and maneuver like a helicopter. The airship's hydrogen is stored inside the ship’s envelope rather than heavy pressurized cylinders, reducing weight and increasing efficiency. “The Highlighter is 12 meters long and 2.5 meters wide,” Bocken explains, “Despite its size, it is highly maneuverable and performs similarly to drones in terms of precision and control, thanks to our advanced propulsion systems.” 

One of the key advantages of the Highlighter is its ability to scale inspections across large areas, something drones struggle to achieve due to their limited battery life. In contrast, Hylight’s airships are designed for extensive, long-range inspections, enabling them to cover significant distances in one flight. The use of specialized sensors further enhances the ship’s capabilities – images and LiDAR technology is used to detect potential issues in powerlines, and for pipeline inspections, methane detectors are used to identify gas leaks. 

Hylight’s airships can be equipped with a variety of sensors tailored to the specific needs of their clients, ensuring precise data collection that can significantly reduce emissions and costs associated with infrastructure maintenance. Their solutions are already being utilized by major utility companies around the world. 

When asked about the company's priorities, Hylight’s CEO emphasized a customer-centric approach: “Our top priority is addressing our clients' needs, followed by ensuring safety, cost-efficiency, and sustainability.” 

Hylight’s airships are designed to operate autonomously, with automated GPS-guided routes, but human operators can intervene if necessary. The CEO explained that fully autonomous flights, which would allow the airship to make real-time decisions, pose regulatory and technical challenges. However, current automated systems strike a balance between efficiency and safety, with human operators available to take over control when needed. 

Looking ahead, Hylight aims to have thousands of Highlighters flying across the globe within the next decade. Their long-term vision extends beyond infrastructure monitoring to encompass agriculture, forest management, and urban thermal mapping. 

As the climate crisis accelerates, Hylight’s mission to decarbonize aerial inspection and expand its applications is not only timely but essential. The potential for lighter-than-air drones and airships to revolutionize inspection processes across multiple industries could pave the way for more sustainable and efficient infrastructure management. 

One of the challenges Hylight has faced is navigating regulatory frameworks for airship technology. The aerospace industry is still developing rules and standards for airships, requiring Hylight to work closely with aviation authorities in Europe and the United States to establish safety protocols and certification processes. 

With its groundbreaking airship technology, Hylight is poised to redefine the infrastructure inspection industry, offering a cleaner, more efficient, and scalable solution. As airships become an increasingly viable option for various applications, Hylight’s future as a leader in sustainable aerial inspection looks bright.