Seeing an opportunity in the steadily improving field of unmanned aerial systems (UASs), San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) became interested in integrating drones into their energy network. In 2014, the company became one of the first to be certified by the Federal Aviation Association (FAA) to test UASs in a utility setting, and launching their UAS program in 2015.

The Museum’s collection is home to one such drone from the first year of SDG&E's UAS project, the InstantEye N553GE. Manufactured by Physical Sciences, the N553GE was an experimental model of the InstantEye Mk 2 Gen 3, which is a small 16-inch vertical take-off and landing quadrotor UAS, and very similar to a consumer drone. It is piloted via a remote control device and can operate for 30 minutes before the battery is depleted. The Museum’s model is equipped with four camera units, with one built into the N553GE's chassis to relay images from the drone to the pilot, and the other three being removable video, thermal, and multispectral cameras. In addition to these cameras, the N553GE is equipped with a system that allowed a rope line to be attached to another object for towing purposes. 

The N553GE was used to train employees and perform research and development in accordance with the SDG&E's UAS program. In a 2015 article by NBC, SDG&E Vice President John Sowers stated “The new UAS technology will enable us to improve response times to emergency situations, inspect our electric and gas facilities in remote areas that are otherwise difficult to access, reduce the use of manned helicopters, enhance overall employee and public safety, and locate the cause of power outages faster.” The program's goal was to refine UAS systems in order to support workers monitoring local utilities more safety and efficiently in emergency situations. For example, the N553GE's range of cameras allowed for detection of fires in areas requiring an aerial perspective without the use of a helicopter. The N553GE's rope attachment also allowed for quick and efficient set up of life-saving safety nets for employees performing maintenance at dangerously high levels above ground

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UAS similar to the one in our collection are used extensively by the US armed forces.

The N553GE was one of the first UASs in the nation used for the maintenance of a public utility. The N553GE was retired with its missions completed in 2016, and was donated to SDASM by SDG&E in 2023. Since its retirement, SDG&E has rapidly built upon the progress of the N553GE and its fellow InstantEye Mk. 2s to constantly improve their network of UASs. Aircraft such as N553GE show that strides are always being made to apply unique aircraft to a wide range of fields in order to improve the lives of people.