Monthly Archives: May 2020

331 Skyborg for Loyal Wingman UAV

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Skyborg design competition for USAF loyal wingman UAVs, catapulting a drone from a helicopter, FAA is investigating a Blue Angels close encounter, a drone that launches grenades and sprays crops, flying over Singapore and keeping an eye on people, and a drone crash caused by electric interference.

UAV News

US Air Force launches Skyborg competition, artificial intelligence for loyal wingman UAV

Skyborg is the artificially intelligent software that would control a fleet of loyal wingman unmanned air vehicles, and the Air Force has now launched a design competition. A request for proposals was released on May 15 that could award indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contracts worth $400 million per awardee.

U.S. Army successfully launches spy drone from Black Hawk

The U.S. Army wanted to test if a drone launched from a helicopter was possible. The question was if the drone could survive the launch and the helicopter downwash, so the Army conducted a series of tests with an Area-I air-launched, tube-integrated unmanned system (or ALTIUS 600). It was catapaulted forward from a UH-60 Black Hawk side-mounted tube, escaped the rotor downwash undamaged, and was able to fly its intelligence-gathering mission

FAA investigating Detroit drone flight that came ‘dangerously close’ to Blue Angels

A spokesperson for the FAA confirmed they are aware of the incident and that it’s under investigation. A set of guidelines for recreational drone usage is posted on the FAA’s website that includes, “Give way to and do not interfere with manned aircraft” and “Do not operate your drone in a careless or reckless manner.”

Farming Drone Goes From Plowshares To Grenade Launcher

Vinveli Unmanned Systems, Inc. is an international technology company that is primarily involved in energy systems, electric vehicle systems, and unmanned aerial vehicles. The “Vero” quadcopter can be outfitted with a launcher firing 38mm or 40mm grenades. As an industrial drone it can perform inspection missions, but it can also operate as an automated agriculture spray drone that covers 1,000 acres in less than 30 hours.

Airobotics Receives World’s First Approval to Fly Automated, Commercial Drones Above a Major Metropolis, Flies Above Singapore

The Home Team Science & Technology Agency (HTX) of Singapore is using Airobotics drones to identify congregations of people. The automated drones broadcast real-time data to the Singapore Police Force.

Railway cables overpowered errant drone’s compass and flung it back to terra firma

An Aerialtronics Altura Zenith ATX8 commercial drone crashed next to a railway line in October 2019. The flight only lasted 13 seconds and it crashed after flying over an electrified railway line. Aerialtronics investigated and found that the quadcopter’s onboard magnetic compass reading “had varied through about 60° within a couple of seconds of takeoff.” The next day, the operator performed an RF spectrum analysis and checked for magnetic interference with a handheld compass. He found deviations of up to 140°. The railway’s overhead high-voltage wires were the cause.

UAV Video of the Week

Watch Illuminated Drones Create Beating Heart to Honor Healthcare Workers in Rotterdam Sky

Studio Drift created a three-dimensional image of a red beating heart in the sky above Rotterdam. It was part of the Franchise Freedom drone performance dedicated to healthcare workers. Franchise Freedom uses 300 illuminated Intel Shooting Star drones that are programmed to mimic the behavior of a flock of starlings in the sky.

330 Passenger Drone Hotel

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A passenger drone hotel, a pub drone for beer delivery, UFOs that might be drones, distance-learning UAS education, flying creatures make drones better, measuring whales from above, and a close encounter with the Blue Angels.

UAV News:

A Passenger Drone Hotel: EHang and LN Holdings Make it a Reality

EHang plans to create a passenger drone hotel in China. Hotel guests could travel to and from the hotel via EHang’s passenger drones and they could take sightseeing tours of the area with the drones. The first passenger drone hotel will be in a Guangzhou coastal district. EHang and the Chinese government have an agreement to establish Guangzhou as “China’s first and the world’s leading UAM smart city.”

Video: EHang Joins Hands with LN Holdings in Building the World’s First “UAM” Theme Hotel

Irish pub using drones to fly beer to its customers during COVID-19

The doors of McKeever’s Bar and Lounge outside Dublin are closed during the pandemic. But thirsty customers have an option since McKeever’s is now using a drone to fly beer and wine to patrons.

Newly released incident reports detail US Navy’s ‘UFO’ encounters

Videos of US Navy F/A-18 fighters encountering “unidentified aerial phenomena” have been circulating for some time, and the Pentagon has officially declassified and released the videos. Now the Navy has publically released incident reports that describe many of the unidentified aircraft as “Unmanned Aerial Systems.”

  • In June 2013, the encountered “aircraft was white in color and approximately the size and shape of a drone or missile.”
  • In November 2013, the aircraft was described as having a 5-foot wingspan. “…the aircraft was determined to be a UAS.”
  • From a March 2014 incident: “The unknown aircraft appeared to be small in size, approximately the size of a suitcase, and silver in color.”

How Are Drone Programs Utilizing Distance-Learning Setups?

The Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide Campus offers distance-learning for some of their drone programs. Christian Janke, the Program Chair for the Bachelor of Science in Unmanned Systems Applications program offered by ERAU, was interviewed by Jeremiah Karpowicz for Commercial UAV News. The ERAU Worldwide Campus offers distance-learning.

How the wings of owls and hummingbirds inspire drones, wind turbines and other technology

“…biomimicry draws inspiration from natural inventions to design and improve upon our current technologies.” The hummingbird offers large wing muscles to continuously flap their wings, a long chest bone for the surface area needed for those muscles, and a figure-8 wing-beating pattern. The AeroVironment’s Nano Hummingbird prototype for DARPA (the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) draws on these qualities.

Video: Stunning Slo-Mo Footage of Hummingbirds Hovering in Air

Video: AeroVironment’s Nano Hummingbird – 360 degree Lateral Flip

Meanwhile, the owl employs silent tactics, despite it’s huge wings. Owl wing feathers have leading-edge serrations that break up the turbulence that causes noise. Also, fringes at the end of the feathers further disburse turbulence and reduce noise. Similar turbulence-disrupting structures can reduce the noise produced by wind turbines and fans.

Video: Experiment! How Does An Owl Fly So Silently? | Super Powered Owls | BBC

I measure whales with drones to find out if they’re fat enough to breed

Many whales and dolphins spend little time at the surface of the water, so they are hard to find and difficult to study. A Southern Cross University PhD candidate and scientist plans to use drones to find and measure the length and width of whales. Using photogrammetry techniques, video will be recorded of humpback and pygmy blue whales in Australian waters. With the measurements taken, the size and volume of a whale can be calculated. This provides an indication of its health.

Video: See Blue Whales Lunge For Dinner in Beautiful Drone Footage | National Geographic

Drone Flies Dangerously Close to Blue Angels in Detroit America Strong Flyover

The name Giovanni Lucia has been associated with a drone video of the Navy Blue Angels America Strong flyover in Detroit, Michigan on May 12, 2020. At one point, the Blue Angels fly past the drone at an apparently very close range. The video is currently on the Moss Photography YouTube channel, copied from Lucia’s FB page before he took it down.

329 Boeing Loyal Wingman

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A loyal wingman is unveiled by Boeing, special ops drones for training exercises, safe and effective volcano research, remote ID technology partners announced, crushing rocks and measuring the pile with a drone, and PPE delivery to the home.

UAV News

Boeing rolls out first Loyal Wingman unmanned aircraft

The first unmanned Loyal Wingman aircraft has been presented to the Royal Australian Air Force by a Boeing-led Australian industry team. The aircraft is the first to be designed, engineered, and manufactured in Australia in more than 50 years. This is the first of three prototypes for Australia’s Loyal Wingman Advanced Development Program. Next comes ground testing, followed by taxi and first flight later in 2020. It is the foundation for the Airpower Teaming System (ATS) being developed by Boeing for the global defense market.

US special operations troops turn to drones to remotely advise Iraqis

Physical distancing during the coronavirus pandemic has come to military operations. U.S. special operations troops have been using drones to train security forces in Iraq. Advisers with the Special Operations Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve use the remotely piloted aircraft to record the training exercises, then review the footage and provide feedback on the Iraqi troops’ tactics.

The drone revolution in volcano research

Active volcanoes are dangerous for researchers and scientists often study them with helicopters and satellite imagery. But some areas, like lava lakes, are difficult or impossible to access. Now volcanologists are using drones to study the Nyiaragongo volcano in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Drones images are much higher resolution than alternatives and much lower cost than helicopter or satellite imaging.

Press Release – U.S. Department of Transportation Announces Technology Partners for Remote ID Development

The FAA announced that eight companies will assist the government in establishing technology requirements for future suppliers of Remote Identification (Remote ID): Airbus, AirMap, Amazon, Intel, One Sky, Skyward, T-Mobile, and Wing. They were selected through a previous Request for Information process. The technology requirements that result will govern the applications created by future Remote ID UAS Service Suppliers. These applications will provide in-flight drone identification and location information to safety and security authorities.

McMurry Ready Mix Boosts Inventory Management and Mine Mapping Effectiveness with Kespry’s Touchless, Drone-Based Aerial Intelligence Platform

A large Wyoming producer of aggregates and ready-mix is using Kespry drones for inventory management, mine mapping, and auditing. In 2019 alone, McMurry Ready Mix conducted 270 flights with Kespry. McMurry Ready Mix General Manager Rob Jongsma said, “We use Kespry a lot. And the great thing is, whether we use it 30 or 300 times in a year, the cost to us doesn’t change…”

Dive Delivery Begins Backyard Drone Deliveries of Essential Goods in San Mateo & Contra Costa Counties (CA)

Dive Delivery plans to deliver face masks and other lightweight items to residential backyards using off-the-shelf drones equipped with drop mechanisms. Pilots will operate under Part 107 rules making visual line of sight (VLOS) deliveries. Residents of San Mateo and Contra Costa counties in California can sign up to participate in the trials. This is “last-mile delivery.” BVLOS delivery is pending UTM technology from the regulator.

328 Blockchain for Unmanned Aircraft

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The U.S. Department of Transportation issued a report showing the benefits of blockchain for unmanned aircraft. Also, drone cinematographers and a labor agreement, a drone modeled after a dragonfly, VTOL reconnaissance, AI controllers, and AUVSI virtual sessions.

UAV News

US Transportation Dept. Says Blockchain Could Bring More Trust to Commercial Drones

In a report titled Blockchain for Unmanned Aircraft, the U.S. Department of Transportation says blockchain could help in areas with large numbers of drones operations, especially near high-risk areas like airports or in crowded areas. The report says “Blockchain technology is being looked on to deliver a framework that can be used by stakeholders in the commercial drone industry, as it can ensure security and provide for identity management as well as providing a supporting role in aircraft traffic management, UAS conflict management and flight authorization.”

Cinematographers Guild Celebrates Drone Victory Over Warner Bros. in Arbitration

The International Cinematographers Guild initiated arbitration over a dispute with Warner Bros. The Guild said drone operators filming for productions are covered under the labor agreement. Those who work in “all phases of motion and still picture photography,” including members of a drone crew, should be treated the same as aerial directors of photography, camera operators, and camera technicians. They say the drone crew should get the same health and pension benefits.

The stealthy little drones that fly like insects

Animal Dynamics is a technology start-up that takes lessons from wildlife and applies them to drone design. The Skeeter project uses flapping wings to power a small hand-launched drone, mimicking the dragonfly.

AeroVironment unveils fully-automated hybrid vertical takeoff and landing unmanned aircraft system

The AeroVironment Quantix™ Recon is a lightweight and rapidly deployable reconnaissance solution that is fully-automated. It produces high resolution, georeferenced terrain, vegetation, and infrastructure imagery. The VTOL transitions to a fixed-wing unmanned aircraft and can survey up to 0.6 square miles or 12.4 linear miles with a 45-minute flight time. The aerial imagery data is compatible with many geographic information systems (GIS)

Hybrid Drones: Coupling Disruptive Mechanisms to Reshape UAV Industry

The MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), Dartmouth, and the University of Washington have developed an AI-based system that uses “reinforcement learning” to train the model. This approach is being applied to VTOL designs that transition from vertical to horizontal flight. The AI works with the popular OnShape CAD software.

AUVSI Launches UAS Webinars

AUVSI postponed XPONENTIAL 2020 (tentatively scheduled for August 10-12, 2020). In the meantime, five webinars will be offered starting May 4, 2020:

  1. Digital Twins – the Future of Virtual and Mixed Reality Robotic Avatars
  2. Drone Delivery Supporting Public Health
  3. NASA’s Vision and Role to Enable Urban Air Mobility
  4. Advancing Autonomy Through DARPA Challenge to Benefit First Responders
  5. Aerial Connectivity Joint Activity – Bridging the Gap Between Cellular and Aviation