# Colby Harvey: Drones for Aircraft Inspections, Boeing, Air Force, Air Safety | Hard Tech Podcast #13

- Show: [Hard Tech Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast)
- Published: 2023-09-24
- Length: 41m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2023-09-24-colby-harvey-drones-for-aircraft-inspections-boeing-air-force-air-safety-hard-te
- Listen: https://rss.com/podcasts/hardtechpodcast/1136302

## Summary

Colby Harvey, CEO of UltraView, explains how his startup uses autonomous drones equipped with 3D LiDAR and AI to inspect aircraft for defects like stress fractures and lightning strikes. He discusses the company's design process with Hatch Duo, its customers including Boeing and the U.S. Air Force, and the regulatory challenges of FAA approval for outdoor inspections. Harvey also addresses the impact of automation on maintenance jobs, the technical failures behind the Boeing 737 Max crashes, and the future of hardware versus software in the tech industry.

## Chapters

- [0:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2023-09-24-colby-harvey-drones-for-aircraft-inspections-boeing-air-force-air-safety-hard-te#t=3) Introduction: Colby Harvey and UltraView
- [2:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2023-09-24-colby-harvey-drones-for-aircraft-inspections-boeing-air-force-air-safety-hard-te#t=132) Origin Story and Aviation Background
- [4:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2023-09-24-colby-harvey-drones-for-aircraft-inspections-boeing-air-force-air-safety-hard-te#t=256) Drone Technology and Inspection Process
- [8:45](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2023-09-24-colby-harvey-drones-for-aircraft-inspections-boeing-air-force-air-safety-hard-te#t=525) Industrial Design and Awards
- [11:14](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2023-09-24-colby-harvey-drones-for-aircraft-inspections-boeing-air-force-air-safety-hard-te#t=674) Customers and MRO Industry
- [13:41](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2023-09-24-colby-harvey-drones-for-aircraft-inspections-boeing-air-force-air-safety-hard-te#t=821) Safety, Automation, and Job Impact
- [21:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2023-09-24-colby-harvey-drones-for-aircraft-inspections-boeing-air-force-air-safety-hard-te#t=1266) Inspection Findings and Boeing 737 Max
- [29:20](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2023-09-24-colby-harvey-drones-for-aircraft-inspections-boeing-air-force-air-safety-hard-te#t=1760) Future Applications and Hardware vs Software

## Topics

- [Robotics & autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/robotics-and-autonomy)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)
- [Certification & compliance](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/certification-and-compliance)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- UltraView (company)
- Boeing (company)
- U.S. Air Force (company)
- Delta (company)
- United (company)
- Lufthansa Technik (company)
- Hatch Duo (company)
- Red Dot Award (other)
- IF Award (other)
- LiDAR (tool)
- Skydio (company)
- SpaceX (company)
- Blue Origin (company)
- Boston Dynamics (company)
- FAA (company)
- EASA (company)
- Airbus (company)
- B1 platform (product)
- C130 (product)
- 737 Max (product)
- MCAS (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Voice-Activated Everything on the Cheap | Jets & Hoverboards & Reliability | AVs: How Safe is Safe?](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2019-09-27-voice-activated-everything-on-the-cheap-jets-hoverboards-reliability-avs-how-saf) (EE Times Current)
- [198: Unmanned Flying Thingy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-05-04-198-unmanned-flying-thingy) (Embedded.fm)
- [Nvidia’s GTC | Boeing 737 Max | AI Special Projects](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2019-03-22-nvidias-gtc-boeing-737-max-ai-special-projects) (EE Times Current)
- [#020: The Hidden Architecture of Autonomy: How Skydio Drones Think, See, and Connect](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2026-01-29-020-the-hidden-architecture-of-autonomy-how-skydio-drones-think-see-and-connect) (Coredump Sessions)
- [Skydio CEO Adam Bry explores how autonomy and AI are reshaping drones; what happened after a Waymo killed a cat; revisiting the history of civilian drones](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/go-no-go/2025-11-11-skydio-ceo-adam-bry-explores-how-autonomy-and-ai-are-reshaping-drones-what-happe) (Go/No-Go)

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