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Today’s observation applications, including geological and hydrological surveying have advanced immensely with the use of drones. Drones can use high-resolution camera systems to acquire massive amounts of images and produce 3D visualizations. However, these visualizations require high-bandwidth, low-latency data acquisition and storage.
High-bandwidth, low-latency solutions come with tradeoffs. To find the right solution for 3D visualization, consider the following requirements:
Drones often require small and light form factor and are highly constrained by size. Understand what on-board functionality is imperative to the application.
In addition to size constraints, mechanical vibration may be cause for concern. Eliminating vibration during flight is impossible, and thus must be accommodated for in the hardware selected to capture and store images. Design engineers must understand exactly how much vibration can be tolerated and consider mounting features that minimize vibration.
Flight time, power capacity of the drone, and other factors affect overall storage capacity demands. Recently, NVMe solid-state drives (SSDs) have expanded from 500 GB capacity, with access speeds of about 500 MB/s, to 2 TB drives with access speeds of about 3000 MB/s. Taking advantage of these advancements allows for a higher-end solution, if needed.
Learn what other requirements come into play with large-scale drone-based 3D visualization applications and how Fidus achieved high-bandwidth, low-latency data acquisition, transfer, and storage for an aerospace company.
Fidus is partnering with Carleton University to support hands-on FPGA education through industry-aligned hardware, practical learning environments, and direct exposure to modern design workflows. This collaboration reflects a shared commitment to strengthening Canada’s engineering talent pipeline and bridging the gap between academic learning and real-world embedded-system development.
Engineering leaders are under increasing pressure to deliver more complex systems with fewer internal resources. FPGA logic grows more demanding, embedded software expands faster than teams can staff, and board level designs now require deeper integration across hardware and firmware. This playbook gives leaders a clear framework for understanding when external engineering support becomes essential, how to choose an engagement model that protects quality and schedule, and what separates productive collaborations from the ones that create risk. Drawing on lessons from hundreds of advanced development programs, it outlines how to scale engineering capacity without slowing execution or sacrificing control.
Hardware doesn’t move at software speed — and that’s okay. Here’s what decision-makers need to know about realistic timelines when partnering with an embedded systems design services company like Fidus.
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