Yes, it does, but the pilot can switch it off to enter the docking phase. The virtual cage on the Scout 137 Gen 3 is there to keep the drone off structure, so it also holds the drone back from the steel. Before docking for UT, the pilot switches off the virtual cage and anti-collision. The system does not do this automatically: the pilot decides when contact is the point, docks the UTM Payload on the steel, and switches protection back on for the rest of the flight.
This question came from an attendee at one of our Live Online Demos.
What the virtual cage does
Virtual Cage uses the drone’s 3D LiDAR map of the environment to keep a protective zone around the drone. Once an area has been scanned, the drone remembers walls, ceilings, beams and ledges, even when they are outside the sensor’s field of view, and resists pilot commands that would bring it into contact with them.
You set the cage size to fit the job: tighten the boundary for tight clearances, or widen it for more margin. It stays live in the dark and beyond line of sight until the pilot turns it off for contact work.
How a UT docking works
- Aim from a distance. The 3.5× optical zoom lets the pilot study corrosion and coating condition from a safe stand-off before committing. A placement laser shows exactly where the probe will land.
- Pilot switches off protection. The pilot turns off the virtual cage and anti-collision in Scout Operator. Nothing switches off on its own.
- Contact. The pilot brings the payload onto the steel. Four corner magnets clamp it in place, and the articulating arm reaches overhead bulkheads and vertical walls (−20° to +90°).
- Measure. The contact sensor confirms the probe is seated and tells the flight controller to dampen counter-thrust, so the drone hovers steadier and the reading carries less vibration.
- Release. One-click Smart Release, and the pilot switches the cage back on before flying on.
The cage margin goes down to 0.1 m. A margin of 0.0 m is technically possible; it is mainly useful for keeping the drone centred when it passes through a manhole.
Proof
The cage and the UTM workflow are both shipping features of the Scout 137 Gen 3: the cage arrived in Software Version 2.4.0, and the payload runs up to 100 readings per flight. The drone is a lightweight carbon-fibre build made to take contact, so pilots fly into smaller openings and closer to structure without expert stick skills.
Short question? 15 min with an engineer