Tag Archives: batteries

394 Hydrogen Drones for Inspections

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A partnership for hydrogen drones and another partnership for maritime drone deliveries, Lithium-Air batteries, drones attacking U.S. troops, flying a drone over a school, UPS commitment to delivery drones, flying in the fog, and how to save a dog with a drone.

UAV News

DS30 Hydrogen Drone — DS30 hydrogen drone. Courtesy DMI.

SoCalGas to deploy Doosan hydrogen drones in pipeline inspections

At this year’s CES, Southern California Gas Co. announced a partnership with Doosan Mobility Innovation (DMI) and GTI to launch a hydrogen drone demonstration. DMI will be demonstrating their DS30 octocopter drone system that uses a DMI hydrogen fuel cell powerpack for up to 120 minutes of flight time. The DS30 can carry an 11-pound maximum payload and monitor a 1-mile-long pipeline in a single flight. SoCalGas plans to use the DS30 drone for natural gas pipeline inspections.

Zero CO2 Emissions Drone Delivery with Sky-Drones Technologies

Sky-Drones Technologies and F-Drones are partnering to provide maritime deliveries. F-Drones Focuses on deliveries between shore, ships, and offshore platforms. They use electric autonomous VTOLs. Sky-Drones Technologies offers hardware and software for flight control, ground control, communication systems, and a cloud-based management platform. With Sky-Drones’ technology, F-Drones can relay, record, and replay live video footage from their VTOLs.

Video: SmartAP AIRLink – How it’s made

Scientists Design Lithium-air Batteries for Commercial Use in EVs, Drones

Lithium-ion batteries are nice but don’t have the energy density we’d like. On the other hand, Lithium-air batteries could have two to five times the energy density. The development of rechargeable Li-air batteries has progressed, but the study of their operation in real-world applications is lacking.

A shadowy drone force keeps attacking US troops

American troops in Iraq have been attacked with drones three times this year. All drones were shot down during attacks near Baghdad airport and near an airbase. Small drones have been used in other attacks, including in Syria, Iraq, Venezuela, and Saudi Arabia.

Policy addresses drones over school property

The Wilkes North Carolina school board has a new policy for flying drones over school property. It requires a written request for permission submitted to the superintendent or his designee at least three days in advance. Names and contact information for anyone connected with the flight are required, as well as proof of insurance coverage, proof of any required FAA permits, proof of any required N.C. Department of Transportation permit, and a detailed flight plan with a specific time and location.

UPS unlikely to revise use of drones in deliveries, despite CEO’s quasi ‘meh’ assessment

At an American Chamber of Commerce event, UPS CEO Carol Tomé said, “You can’t fly [drones] when it’s windy. You can’t fly them when it’s rainy. There are lots of issues with drones.” So is UPS toning down expectations? The article suggests this is more a “matter of UPS recalibrating rather than repudiating its use of [drones].”

Wait, why is NASA flying drones in dense fog?

NASA is flying drones in the fog because AAM (Advanced Air Mobility) aircraft will need to fly in the fog. At a special New Mexico facility, a 180-foot long fog chamber is fitted with the same types of sensors to be used for AAM aircraft, like optical and infrared cameras, radar, and LiDAR. A drone test target is at the other end of the chamber. NASA says it will release the data to companies and researchers working on sensors for AAM vehicles.

Stranded dog saved from rising tide after rescuers attach sausage to drone

Little Millie likes to wander off and she found her way onto some mudflats. The tide was coming in and the authorities couldn’t coax her to safety. So they cooked up some sausage, dangled it from a drone, and got Millie to follow it off the flats. Then she ran off again, this time inland, but was eventually found again and reunited with her owner who said, “Millie really likes food and she’ll eat anything you give her … raw carrots, cucumber – but she much prefers sausages. Meat is her favourite food, so dangling a sausage was probably the best thing they could lure her with.”

383 Heavy-Lift UAS

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A heavy-lift UAS from BAE Systems, NOAA collects data from drones, drones cover motorsports events, bad weather affects delivery drones, Drone Racing League scores a sponsorship deal, Leonardo and Northrop Grumman working together, smuggling contraband, Volocopter eyes the U.S., building better batteries, Drone Safety Awareness Week, and the attack of the magpie.

UAV News

BAE Systems to build T-650 cargo quadrocopter with 300kg capacity

BAE Systems and Malloy Aeronautics want to develop an all-electric heavy-lift UAS targeted to missions for military, security, and civilian customers. The T-650 Heavy-Lift Electric UAS concept vehicle would accommodate payloads of over 300 kg with a range of 30 km on one charge of its batteries. The aircraft could fly autonomously or by remote control at a top speed of 140 km/h.

T-650 Heavy-Lift Electric UAS — T-650 Heavy-Lift UAS, courtesy BAE Systems.

NOAA Data Storage Needs May Grow as Drones Become Smarter

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration captures data with tube-launched fixed-wing drones, vertical-launch hexacopters, and even NASA’s Global Hawk aircraft. For many applications, the data is collected on-board, onto an SD card. But the amount of data is increasing as a result of AI-directed data collection and higher resolution sensors. Capt. Phil Hall, director of the NOAA Uncrewed Systems Operations Center in the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations:

The amount of data and data services is just the absolute key to all these uncrewed systems, whether they are marine systems or aviation systems. “Data archiving, data analysis, cloud storage networking — all those areas are priorities for NOAA.
Capt. Phil Hall

Video: Drones Aid NOAA Scientists with Hurricane Tracking and Animal Monitoring

The Best Way To Watch Rallycross Is From A Drone

Video coverage of a recent World Rallycross event in France was partly provided by a drone. The drone closely followed the action, just above the racers.

Video: FPV Drone Vs Rallycross Racing

Drones Fly Into Weather Data Deserts. Can They Be Stopped?

University of Calgary researchers recently published a paper that examined the impact weather had on flying commercial drones. The authors looked at historical data – temperature, wind, rain. The conclusion: weather restricts the average hours a drone can fly during the day.

Drone Racing League lands $100 million deal with crypto platform Algorand

The sponsorship deal with Boston-based Algorand is worth $100 million over five years, according to those with knowledge of the agreement. Algorand gets title rights to the League. DRL starts its sixth season on Sept. 29, 2021.

Leonardo and Northrop Grumman join forces on future rotorcraft UAS opportunities

Leonardo and Northrop Grumman plan to collaborate on VTOL air vehicle design, system architectures, payload optimization, and integration within next-generation battlespace architectures.

Man Sentenced To 3.5+ Years In Prison In Scheme Using Drones To Smuggle Contraband Into Federal Prison at Fort Dix

A New Jersey man was sentenced for conspiring to use drones to smuggle cell phones, tobacco, and other items into a federal correctional facility. The former inmate participated in multiple deliveries of contraband by drone.

Volocopter shares plan to bring eVTOL urban air mobility to US starting with Los Angeles

Volocopter announced a partnership with Urban Movement Labs (UML) to bring UAM solutions to the Los Angeles area. If successful, this would introduce Volocopter eVTOLs to the US market. Volocopter CCO Christian Bauer:

Our partnership with Urban Movement Labs is a great entryway into the US with our innovative UAM services. By leading the conversation about urban air mobility with broad stakeholders in Los Angeles, Volocopter can strategically identify and address how our services can benefit cities in the country. More importantly, we are also gaining real insights into living transportation ecosystems in the US to build the best complimentary service to other modes of transportation for our future passengers.
Christian Bauer

Volocopter plans to launch its UAM services in the next 2-3 years, pending certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Certification from the FAA would be necessary for Volocopter to bring its eVTOL services to the US.

Batteries of the future set to be cheaper and better — just by adding sugar

Lithium-Ion batteries are made from toxic chemicals that are increasingly difficult to obtain. On the other hand, Lithium-Sulfur batteries are made with cheaper, safer, and easier-to-obtain materials that can store two to five times more energy per kilogram than lithium-ion batteries.

National Drone Safety Awareness Week: We’re All In

National Drone Safety Awareness Week was hosted by the FAA Safety Team (FAAST). Short daily videos were published during the week featuring important safety topics. This was a collaboration between DRONELIFE, P3Tech C o nsulting, and a volunteer FAAST member and co-founder of Influential Drones.

Find the videos in the article and on the DRONELIFE TV YouTube channel.

UAV Video of the Week

FPV drone video films sudden, determined magpie attack

“Everything in Australia wants to kill you, even birds!”

307 UAV Battery Technology

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Airbus funds new UAV battery technology and flys a rotary-wing UAV, an upcoming UAS Traffic Management workshop, a hydrogen-powered UAV for the Navy, a heavy-payload long-range drone, drones for all budgets, drone racing at Daytona, and how mosquitoes might help drones make less noise.

UAV News

Airbus’s VSR700 Rotary-wing UAV Takes Flight

Airbus Helicopters has flown their VSR700 prototype at a drone test center in France. It’s a rotary-wing, multi-mission Naval UAS (RWUAS) that was tethered on 30-meter cables and fitted with stabilizing outriggers. A year ago, Airbus flew an optionally piloted demonstrator for the VSR700 that was based on an existing light helicopter. This new prototype is redesigned with a payload bay replacing the flight deck.

Airbus Funds Next-Gen UAV Battery Technology

Airbus Defence and Space is providing financing to battery technology company Amprius. That company manufactures high energy density lithium-ion batteries based on silicon nanowire anode technology. Amprius says their batteries provide up to 50% more power than standard lithium-ion batteries. The Airbus funding is expected to help Amprius develop a higher volume production capacity as well as even higher energy density cells.

FAA and NASA Drone Industry Workshop

The FAA and NASA will jointly host an Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Traffic Management (UTM) Pilot Program (UPP) Phase 2 Industry Workshop. The half-day workshop is scheduled for December 9, 2019, at NASA’s Ames Conference Center in Mountain View, California. Registration is free but attendance will be limited to the first 150 to register, with a limit of two attendees per organization. For additional background, see: FAA/NASA UAS Traffic Management Pilot Program (UPP) [PDF]

Navy Accepts First-of-its-kind HYCOPTER Hydrogen Powered UAS

The six-rotor HYCOPTER from H3 Dynamics is the first hydrogen fuel cell-powered rotary-wing UAS for the US Navy. The Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California took delivery of their HYCOPTER on October 25, 2019. With a takeoff weight of about 35 pounds and a blade tip-to-blade tip diameter of 7 feet, the UAS can carry a five-pound payload in an open bay for about 2 ½ hours. The HYCOPTER uses an ultralight PEM fuel cell and compressed hydrogen gas. Austin, Texas-based HES Energy Systems is a subsidiary of H3 Dynamics and describes the HYCOPTER on its website as “Designed and manufactured in the USA.”

UAVita Showcases a Heavy-Payload, Long-Range UAV Drone

The UAVita Discovery is a medium-sized, fixed-wing UAV that can carry heavy payloads over a long range. Originally used for crop dusting and precision ag, it’s now being used for other long-range missions such as search and rescue, highway monitoring, and powerline inspections.

Video: UAvita Systems Showcases Their Heavy-payload Drone at Commercial UAV Expo 2019

Seasoned Pilot or Aviation Amateur, Here Are 5 Drones for All Budgets

Consider the DROCON Bugs 3, Syma X5C, Parrot Mambo Drone FPV Kit, DJI Spark, or even the DJI Inspire 2.

Drone racing takes a whirl in Daytona Stadium

Over 1,000 drone racers tried to qualify for the 5th annual RaceDayQuads 2019 MultiGP Drone Racing Championship in Daytona Stadium. The sports class saw 125 racers qualify, while 85 qualified for the pro-competition. MultiGP is a global, professional, drone racing league with hundreds of international chapters and over 27,000 registered drone racers.

Sounds of mosquito mating rituals could lead to quieter drones

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University discovered that mosquitoes can focus the buzz they make in the direction of potential mates. A paper published in Bioinspiration and Biomimetics says, “…understanding the strategies and adaptations employed by insects such as mosquitoes to control their aeroacoustic noise could eventually provide insights into the development of quiet drones and other bioinspired micro-aerial vehicles.”

284 Lithium Metal Batteries

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New lithium metal batteries offer the prospect of greater capacity. Also, Parrot’s Anafi Thermal drone, a quadcopter over the Boston Red Sox, drones for sugarcane agriculture, the role of drones during the Notre Dame fire, parts delivery by drone for manufacturing, and indigenous people use drones to assert territory rights.

UAV News

Lithium-Ion Batteries Aren’t Good Enough for Electric Flight. But Maybe Lithium-Metal Is.

Cuberg says, “The Future of Batteries Is Here” and they have developed a lithium metal battery they say offers real advantages over Lithium-ion batteries. The California-based startup is backed by Boeing, venture capitalists, and the U.S. Department of Energy. A proprietary non-flammable electrolyte allows for higher energy density materials.

‪The Parrot Anafi Thermal drone captures heat signatures on a lightweight body

The Anafi Thermal drone from Parrot includes a FLIR thermal sensor in addition to the 4K HDR camera. Both are on the same gimbal and can capture heat images on still photos and video. The thermal image can be merged with the video image.

Video: GearBrain: Parrot Anafi Thermal drone for professionals

FAA probes drone sighting over baseball game at Boston’s Fenway Park

A drone looking like a DJI Phantom flew over a major league baseball game in Boston. DJI said, “Whoever flew this drone over the stadium apparently overrode our geofencing system and deliberately violated the FAA temporary flight restriction in place over the game.” The incident was reported to the Boston Police Department for investigation.

Boston CBS affiliate WBZ has footage: Drone Flies Over Fenway Park During Red Sox Game.

Police identify juvenile who flew drone at Fenway Park during Red Sox game

A joint investigation by the Boston Police, Massachusets State Police, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office, and the FAA led to the identification of an unnamed juvenile responsible for the drone flight.

Using Drones for Sugarcane Agriculture

The Brazilian National Institute for Space Research–Remote Sensing Division is studying sugarcane yield reduction caused by invasive weeds such as Bermuda grass. UAVs with sensors can be used to monitor weeds, but sugarcane and Bermuda grass are spectrally similar. The research team described how texture features could overcome this limitation.

How French firefighters used drones to tackle the Notre Dame blaze

In combating the fire at Notre Dame de Paris, firefighters borrowed DJI drones from the culture and interior ministries. A Mavic Pro and a Matrice M210 with thermal cameras helped track the spread of the fire and provide information on how to best position fire hoses.

‪Aeroplane seat manufacturer deploys drones to keep production line moving

Collins Aerospace is using drones to transport parts from a storage center to the production line in order to increase efficiency and productivity.

Collins Aerospace unveils plans to redefine the future of electric flight with “The Grid,” the most advanced electric power systems lab in the industry

The Grid will be a 25,000-square-foot advanced electric power systems lab in Rockford, Illinois. Collins Aerospace intends to design and test systems like high-power generators for the next generation of more electric aircraft, including commercial, military, business aviation, UAV, and urban air mobility platforms. The Grid will support a hybrid-electric flight demonstrator project. Collins Aerospace expects the lab to be complete and fully operational by 2021.

How Drones and GPS Are Helping Indigenous People in Ecuador Save the Amazon

Indigenous people in Ecuador have been using technology to map their territory in the Amazon rainforest. “…marginalized communities around the world have begun to use new technologies to create their own maps and thereby demonstrate their deep local knowledge of their territories, which can help in their fight for land rights. The Cofan used a drone, hidden cameras, and GPS devices to track illegal activity by miners.

UAV Conference

Defence IQ’s Countering Drones Conference 2019 will be held July 9-11, 2019 at the Hilton London Olympia to discuss the key issues surrounding threat, risk, resilience, technology and incident response. Participants will get an understanding of what future drone threats look like and how to prepare for them, how to respond effectively to drone disruptions, how to protect your organization more cost-effectively, influencing future policy and demonstrating thought leadership by contributing to discussions with key industry experts.

UAV238 UL 3030 for Drone Safety

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The UL 3030 certification standard for small commercial drones that use lithium-ion batteries.

UL 3030 for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. Courtesy UL.

UL is a global safety consulting and certification company that was established in 1894. Previously a non-profit organization known as Underwriters Laboratories, the company transformed in 2012 into UL LLC, a for-profit company. UL has been developing a new certification called UL 3030 to help prevent safety incidents involving lithium-ion batteries in drones.

We talk with two UL experts about the development of UL 3030 and what it means for the industry. We consider the safety issues with lithium-ion batteries in drones, the current state of the drone and lithium-ion battery markets, and how manufacturers can help mitigate the risks.

Guests

Ken Boyce, UL Principal Engineer Director

Ken Boyce is Principal Engineer Director, Energy & Power Technologies at UL LLC. Ken has decades of experience in safety engineering across many sectors. Most recently he has served as UL’s technical leader for the energy and power sectors, overseeing global standards development and technical operations for renewable energy technologies, batteries and energy storage systems, advanced technology grid infrastructure, electric vehicle systems, power distribution, factory automation, and related equipment. Ken is very active in the standards and code development community and serves as the Chairman of National Electrical Code Panel 1. He represents UL in numerous global energy initiatives such as the IEC Renewable Energy Scheme and serves as the Chairman of UL’s Renewable Energy Council. He works closely with US National Laboratories and academic institutions to advance scientific knowledge in the energy sector, including leading a number of significant renewable energy research projects. Ken holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology and is a Registered Professional Engineer in Illinois. Ken is a Corporate Fellow in the William Henry Merrill Society at UL.

Ibrahim Jilani is a UL Business Development Manager with over 12 years of experience running high-value projects in battery and energy storage technology. He leads UL globally in technical services for OEMs and system integrators for stationary battery and energy storage systems. Ibrahim serves UL’s mission and the market’s needs by addressing global industry matters, such as advisory, due diligence, evaluation, testing, and certification. He represents UL in a variety of industry trade groups (i.e. Energy Storage Association, National Alliance for Advanced Transportation Batteries, and India Energy Storage Association) and product segments, including batteries, chargers, and energy storage. Previously, Ibrahim launched and supported accreditation of UL’s safety standards – most notably UL 9540 for Energy Storage Systems & Equipment, which is now adopted as the United States’ and Canada’s national standard for ESS safety. He has also been a certified as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt since 2009 and holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

UAV139 Too Many Drone Parts and Not Enough Drone Pilots

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An online “junk yard” for UAVs and components, the drone pilot shortage, a UAS detect and avoid display project, UAV airspace integration in the UK, the US Senate version of FAA reauthorization, egg drop drones, LiPo batteries, and the CRACUNS submersible drone.

News

This Online ‘Drone Junk Yard’ Lets UAV Owners Swap and Exchange Parts

UK Drone builder Andrew Spaxman founded Drone Junk Yard in January 2015 as a place where enthusiasts could buy, swap, and sell unwanted UAV parts. Starting with a closed, country-specific Facebook group for the UK, Spaxman has expanded to groups for the United States, the EU, Canada, and Australia.

UAV pilot training struggles continue

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report titled, Unmanned Aerial Systems, Further Actions Needed to Fully Address Air Force and Army Pilot Workforce Challenges [PDF]. In it, the GAO says the USAF and US Army haven’t implemented all the recommendations made in its 2014 report. These particularly relate to the shortage of pilot instructors and pilots.

FAA hand picks Horsham pilots to help refine UAS detection display

The FAA wants to develop a UAS detect and avoid display for unmanned aircraft systems at the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Eight pilot volunteers have been selected from the 111th Attack Wing for the project.

FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute research psychologist Kevin Williams said,”Our task in this study is to look at the displays used to provide the pilot with the information that is required for them to remain well clear of other aircraft. Basically, what we’re talking about is the minimum information requirements for those displays.”

UK calls for realistic approach to UAV integration

The UK wants to permit beyond line of sight UAV operations at all altitudes by 2020, but the Department for Transport (DfT) wants to be sure that regulations are robust and realistic. Paul Cremin, head of UK aviation operational safety and emerging technologies at the DfT said, “This is a disruptive technology changing the way we think about aviation, but we have to be realistic about safety and security.”

In conversations with the public, the dFt found that there is faith in state-controlled UAVs, confidence in most commercial operators, and concern about drone hobbyists. The public expects registration, geo-fencing, age restrictions on use, mandatory insurance, and licensing of retailers.

A full report on the dialogue with the public is to be issued in April, followed by public consultation in June, leading to a UK government strategy on permitting operations later this decade.

Senate bill calls for certification of unmanned aircraft

The U.S Senate version of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2016 would establish a kind of “type certification” for UAVs, requiring all small UAS to meet design and production standards within one year. Manufacturers would have to certify compliance. Random production samples would be tested, and manufacturers would provide a sample of the UAV to the FAA for review.

The Senate version also calls for:

An “aeronautical knowledge and safety test” for operators (including model aircraft pilots). Exempted would be aircraft under .55 pounds, and pilots under 13 years of age who fly under the supervision of an adult who has passed the test.

FAA to create within 2 years a new operating certificate for unmanned aircraft package delivery operators.
Nine months for the FAA to establish a rule for micro UAS (under two kilograms, or 4.4 pounds) with no pilot’s certificate requirement
Nine months to develop standards for UAS operations by institutions of “higher education.” If the FAA misses the deadline, the institutions can operate as model aircraft.

Drones to drop Easter eggs on Cherry Hill

The Impacting Your World Christian Center plans to host Egg Drone Drop events for kids in Cherry Hill and Philadelphia. Thousands of candy-filled eggs will fall from FlexRight Solutions drones.

Video of the Week

Flying demo highlights commercial potential of drones in Wales

In March 2016 at Wales’s Snowdonia Aerospace Centre, a weeklong event was hosted by QinetiQ in partnership with the Welsh Government and Snowdonia Aerospace LLP. They demonstrated how drones could help tackle environmental issues and other commercial challenges. The demonstration consisted of two scenarios; one exploring the use of drones in fisheries protection, and the other in managing the threat to the Welsh coast from erosion and flooding.

Mentioned

New UAV Can Launch from Underwater for Aerial Missions

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, have developed the Corrosion Resistant Aerial Covert Unmanned Nautical System — or CRACUNS.

LiPo Battery Videos

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LiPO Spontaneously catches on fire at EZDrone

Turnigy LiPo Battery Explosion and Fire in my House

Respect Your Lipos Part 1 – Lipo Fire

LiPo Failure and Fire

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