How real-time video, AI, and automated drones are transforming asset inspections, making them faster, safer, and more efficient
Infrastructure monitoring is undergoing a fundamental shift. Traditional inspections that relied heavily on manual fieldwork are being replaced by real-time data, intelligent automation, and remote decision-making. From utilities and transport networks to emergency services and renewables, the pressure to do more with less is accelerating innovation.
At Unleash live, we work on the front line of this shift. Our customers use drones, AI video analytics, and automated workflows to monitor and manage critical infrastructure across Australia and the United States. Based on what we’re seeing in the field, here are the three major trends that are shaping the future, and what they mean for your operations.
1. AI Is Moving From Post-Processing to Real-Time Insight
Historically, video inspections captured in the field were reviewed days or even weeks later. By then, conditions had changed, issues had escalated, and valuable time was lost.
Unleash live is transforming infrastructure monitoring with machine learning AI that detects asset faults, vegetation risks, and storm or fire damage in real time. Our system identifies threats the moment they appear on live video, giving teams the visibility they need to respond fast. Fire and Rescue NSW, for example, uses Unleash live to stream live footage from drones and mobile devices straight to control rooms, enabling faster, more informed decisions during emergencies.
In the utilities sector, a major NSW utility provider uses our Autofly and AI analytics to inspect pole-top infrastructure in bushfire-prone areas. Video is streamed live during drone missions, and faults are automatically detected before operators even return to base. This allows field teams to prioritise follow-ups, cut unnecessary rework, and increase daily inspection volumes.
As AI gets faster and more precise, it’s not just speeding up inspections, it’s making it possible to scale them predictively, before disasters strike.
2. Drone Regulation Is Catching Up to Real-World Demand
Automated drone missions are now a core part of utility and infrastructure workflows. But until recently, regulations around flight paths, pilot oversight, and visual-line-of-sight requirements slowed down adoption.
That’s starting to change by using tools like Unleash live’s Autofly, utilities are now deploying fully automated missions with pre-defined flight paths, pole-specific waypoints, and instant uploads to the cloud. This reduces the need for highly skilled manual pilots and makes it easier to manage distributed networks of assets.
During Pre-Summer Bushfire Inspections (PSBI), Endeavour Energy’s teams used Autofly to inspect thousands of poles across high-risk zones, delivering fast, accurate results, while keeping crews out of dangerous terrain. Drone flights were completed faster, imagery quality improved, and crews could monitor and manage jobs remotely using Unleash live’s tasking tools.
As regulations evolve to support these workflows, more organisations will gain the ability to inspect broader regions with fewer people, less travel, and lower cost.
3. Remote Operations Are Becoming the Norm
The days of sending inspection teams into the field with cameras and checklists are being replaced by remote-first operations. With live video, drone automation, and cloud-based analysis, full inspection workflows can be managed from anywhere.
Unleash live supports this shift with a system that integrates planning, capture, analysis, and reporting into one seamless environment. Utilities, transport agencies, and emergency services are using it to reduce manual work, speed up response, and improve asset visibility.
In the mining sector, Unleash live applies machine learning AI to streamline a wide range of operations across the entire value chain, particularly for remote operations. From inspecting haul roads, tailings dams, and remote infrastructure to monitoring conveyor belts, crushers, and processing equipment, our system reduces the need for large field teams. Live video and AI models detect faults, spills, structural issues, and environmental risks as they happen. This enables condition-based maintenance, improves safety, and reduces downtime. Our tools also support compliance reporting, fleet tracking, blast monitoring, and site security, delivering one integrated system to solve multiple operational challenges in real time.
In transport, we work with state government departments to monitor level crossings and track-side infrastructure using computer vision and live feeds. Automated alerts help identify safety issues before they become hazards.
By combining real-time data with intelligent analysis, remote operations aren’t just possible, they’re now essential to scaling inspection and response efforts.
What This Means for You
Unleash live is built to meet these demands. Whether you’re running bushfire inspections before summer, scanning transmission towers after a storm, or monitoring equipment across a mine site, our system helps you do it faster, safer, and with greater precision.
With automated drone missions, real-time video analytics, and machine learning AI models tailored to your assets, Unleash live delivers the visibility and insights needed to stay ahead of risk. From the control room to the remote field, we help your teams act with speed, accuracy, and confidence—no matter how complex the environment.
Want to see it in action?
Watch our Endeavour Energy case study or watch our latest webinar with DJI, where we explore how drone automation and AI are transforming field inspections.
