Vertically integrated production and new deployment configurations accelerate autonomous drone infrastructure deployment across mining, utilities and infrastructure.
Sphere has announced a series of enhancements to HubT, its plug-and-play autonomous drone infrastructure solution designed to support fixed-site BVLOS drone operations across mining, utilities, infrastructure and government.
The updates address two of the most common barriers to autonomous drone deployment: slow hardware lead times and site-specific electrical compliance delays. By bringing the full HubT production cycle in-house and introducing flexible deployment configurations, Sphere has significantly reduced the time from hardware delivery to operational aerial data capture.
HubT is now available in Trailer and Skid configurations, giving customers the flexibility to deploy across a broader range of site conditions without additional civil works or infrastructure investment. The Trailer configuration is suited to flat but uneven terrain, while the Skid configuration is designed for concrete footings or flat, even ground.
This eliminates the site preparation requirements typically associated with fixed autonomous drone infrastructure, allowing organisations to activate HubT-based drone operations more quickly and cost-effectively.
Sphere has brought the complete HubT production cycle in-house, encompassing enclosure fabrication, electrical design, wiring, systems integration and compliance testing. Qualified electricians are employed directly within the production team, working alongside hardware and systems engineers in a continuous build–test–certify cycle under one roof.
This vertically integrated approach to autonomous drone hardware manufacturing eliminates the scheduling delays and quality variability associated with outsourcing to third-party contractors, giving Sphere direct control over production timelines, quality assurance and output scaling.
The updated HubT electrical system has been engineered from the ground up to align with the latest Australian standards (AS/NZS 5368:2025, AS/NZS 3001.1:2022, AS/NZS 3001.2:2022) and validated through independent engineering review and audit, not retrofitted after deployment. This means site electrical acceptance becomes a straightforward validation step rather than a remediation process, enabling faster and more consistent deployment approvals across regulated industries.
Combined with expedited regulatory approval under Sphere's Broad Area BVLOS self-assessment trial, HubT can move from delivery to operational data capture in days, compared to the weeks or months typically required for autonomous drone deployments that involve third-party electrical contractors and individual unit certification.
Paris Cockinos, CEO of Sphere, said the enhancements reflect a deliberate shift towards full production control and faster deployment outcomes for customers.
"We made a deliberate decision to employ electricians in-house and manufacture HubT ourselves, rather than outsource assembly to contractors. That gives us something most providers in this space can't offer: a rapid, repeatable production cycle where we control every step from design through to a compliance-certified, site-ready unit. When a customer needs hardware, we build it, we don't join a contractor's queue."
Every HubT mission is tracked end-to-end through Sphere's Curo platform, from flight booking through to processed data delivery. Customers gain full visibility over airtime, mission efficiency and time-to-data metrics, an increasingly important capability for Tier-1 operators conducting vendor due diligence on autonomous drone providers.
