Tag Archives: conferences

289 UAS Threat to Critical Infrastructure

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DHS resources for the threat of UAS to critical infrastructure, urban testing of drone flights in Reno, using drone images as evidence, a delay for the remote ID NPRM, and a drone used by the Army Corps of Engineers.

UAV News

‘We’re Not Being Paranoid’: U.S. Warns Of Spy Dangers Of Chinese-Made Drones

NPR references the DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) website Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) – Critical Infrastructure. It contains a video describing the UAS threat to critical infrastructure, as well as a description of what the threat is, why the threat is important to critical infrastructure, actions critical infrastructure organizations can take, available DHS UAS resources, and contact information.

Video: UAS and Critical Infrastructure – Understanding the Risk

NASA’s First-Of-Kind Tests Look To Manage Drones In Cities

Tests in downtown Reno have included an autonomous drone flight from one rooftop of a five-story parking garage to a roof across the street. The drone adjusted itself for gusty winds. In another test, drones approached each other and avoided colliding. The drones have onboard software for landing, avoiding crashes, surveillance, detection, and identification. Ground system software communicates flight plans and positions to other software systems. The Nevada Institute of Autonomous Systems is conducting the Reno tests.

Man says neighbors used drone footage in court against him

A man in Indiana bought a 35-acre property in 1985, but his new neighbors didn’t like what he was doing on his own land. The neighbors complained to the county accusing him of violating county ordinances. Apparently, they flew a drone over the property taking pictures as evidence. The property owner says they had to be BVLOS to get those pictures.

Remote ID Regulations For Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Are Delayed Until September 2019

The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for Remote Identification of UAS was scheduled for July 2019. The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs says the NPRM will instead be issued in September 2019. This comes from the May 22, 2019 OIRA publication of the Trump Administration’s Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions.

UAS adds cutting-edge capabilities for Corps projects

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District has begun using a Microdrones quadcopter. The District’s 4-person UAS team has been trained by Microdrones. Two of them are Part 107-certified UAS pilots. Applications include video footage and photos for the Public Affairs Office, creating detailed site maps, and high-resolution 3-D images for team members and partner agencies.

Microdrones to Host GeoDays 2019, June 12 – 14

Microdrones is hosting GeoDays 2019 at their location in Germany. They’ll be conducting flight demonstrations and explaining how to integrate surveying, mapping, LiDAR, and inspection into your business.

Mentioned

Drones: Latest incidents around the world – A map highlighting the latest drones incidents around the world has been published as part of the Countering Drones Conference, taking place July 9-11, 2019 in London, UK.

Opinion piece: Risk, regulation and resilience in countering drones – A report you can download on risk and regulation around drones.

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.

270 Our Predictions for 2019

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Recent drone news and a few predictions for the unmanned aircraft industry in 2019.

UAV News

NYC police to use camera drones for security at Times Square NYE party

What’s the best anti-drone technology? Rain, it turns out. The New York Police Department had planned to utilize drones with cameras for the Times Square New Year’s Eve party, but inclement weather prevented their use.

Drones likely to be regulated by state, city governments in 2019

With Gatwick and the Aeromexico 737 incident, safety is on people’s minds. State and local governments are likely to continue to legislate drone rules that address safety and privacy.

Gatwick Cops: Some of Those Drones Could’ve Been Ours

The Sussex Police department’s chief constable says some of drone sightings might have been police surveillance drones. However, 92 of the 115 reported sightings have been confirmed.

Gatwick drones: Army withdrawn from airport

The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that the “military capability” has been withdrawn from Gatwick. That capability is believed to include the Israeli-developed Drone Dome system. Also, Gatwick said it had spent £5m to prevent future attacks.

‘Just look at Gatwick’: Drone regulations welcomed, but WA Senator calls for ‘deeper’ focus

A bipartisan Senate inquiry into drone safety regulations reported out in July 2018, but the Australian federal government didn’t respond. Until now.

Severn Bridge shuts after man scales tower to fly a drone

On Dec 31, 2018, the M48 motorway crossing the Severn River between England and Wales was closed for a time until the drone operator came off the tower. He was arrested and is out on bail.

Camera drones to hunt killer sharks in new patrols on Australian beaches

A fleet of drones will monitor 50 beaches along a 1,300-mile coastline for sharks. The drones will use “SharkSpotter” software developed by the University of Technology Sydney. From the Press Release:

In a collaboration with industry partner The Ripper Group, SharkSpotter is a world-first software system that allows for faster reaction times to potential shark threats. Westpac Little Ripper has a suite of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVS, drones) created to react quickly and efficiently to situations at sea where lives are at risk. The drones are loaded with the SharkSpotter AI application which can efficiently distinguish and identify sharks in real-time using image processing techniques, state-of-the-art sensors and software.

Video: Little Ripper Lifesaver Drones Spot Sharks Electronically

https://youtu.be/HItdecoGK3A

See SharkAttackData.com for worldwide shark attack data.

Predictions for 2019

David and Max offer a few industry predictions for 2019.

Mentioned

The Lego Sky Police Drone Chase.

Counter UAS Conference 2019

The UAV Digest is pleased to be a media partner for Counter UAS Conference 2019 aimed at the defense industry and to be held April 16-88, 2019 at the Hilton London Kensington, 179-199 Holland Park Ave London W11 4UL, United Kingdom.

Counter UAS 2019 addresses the key questions being asked by joint forces about the nature of the growing UAS threat and the appropriate tactics, techniques, technologies, and procedures to counter it.

The UAS industry has grown considerably in recent years and our ability to counter these new threats is becoming more strained. These rapidly developing systems are becoming harder to identify and track, as well as being capable of carrying larger payloads. Their potential is devastating and the consequences of inaction are growing larger.

The third annual C-UAS Conference provides a platform for military and industry to discuss the current developments in C-UAS capabilities, emerging technologies, and the latest case studies to give a real-world context to the conceptual and theoretical discussions. The proliferation of inexpensive commercial UAS democratises capabilities previously held by militaries and enhances asymmetric threats.

Attend this conference to:

Gain understanding of what the future C-UAS operating environment will look like and how to prepare your forces for it.
Align your current plans for C-UAS capabilities with the latest solutions and recommendations from leading experts.
Make the correct decisions in this rapidly changing space in order to equip your force by examining new concepts and approaches to emerging technologies.
Acquire the knowledge of how to better protect your forces be they static, on the move, at home or abroad.
Implement cost-effective solutions to defend against the increasing number of UAS threats by learning how to use the latest C-UAS technologies effectively.

Speakers:

Lieutenant General Thomas Sharpy, Deputy Chief of Staff Capability Development, Allied Command Transformation, NATO.
Dr. Juanita Christensen, Director, US Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Centre, US Army.
Brigadier General Brian Gibson, Commandant, Air Defence Artillery School, US Army.
Colonel Giles Malec, Commander Joint-GBAD, British Army.
Colonel Cornelius Kliesing, Head of Capability, Situation, Analysis and Development Branch, German Army HQ.
Colonel Claudio Icardi, Chief of Concept Development, Centre for Defence Innovation, Italian Armed Forces.
Full speakers list can be found on the event website.

267 Drones and the Public Safety Sector

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Drone programs for the public safety sector, post-emergency reforestation from DroneSeed, package delivery from Wing and Amazon, a new Airbus high altitude pseudo-satellite flight base, and a proposed BVLOS infrastructure for North Dakota.

UAV News

Send in the drones: NYPD launches its new ‘unmanned aircraft’ system

The NYPD Technical Assistance and Response Unit has acquired 14 drones to be used during emergencies such as rescue missions, inaccessible crime scenes, and hostage situations. They stressed that the drones will be unarmed, they won’t carry out routine patrols, and they won’t spy on potential suspects, but the Legal Aid Society and the New York Civil Liberties Union have concerns.

Detailing the Success of the L.A. Fire Department’s Drone Program

The LAFD created their drone program to provide Incident Commanders with better situational awareness. They spent two years of planning how the drones would be valuable and how they were going to operate the program. Their theme was transparency and communication within the department and with the public.

Swarms of drones can now plant trees in areas devastated by fires

The recent wildfires in California’s were devastating with loss of life, loss of property, and loss of forests. The forests need to be restored and DroneSeed is planning to assist with their system that creates a 3D terrain map with lidar, uses a multispectral camera for soil and vegetation data, and then determines the best location to plant a tree. DroneSeed “seed vessels” include a nutrient puck with a seed in the middle and capsaicin on the outside to help keep animals from eating them. DroneSeed has FAA approval for multi-craft, over-55-pounds UAVs that can work in swarms of up to five crafts to cover larger areas.

Los Angeles Area UAS Disaster Conference to Explore Evolving Role of Drones in Public Safety, Emergency Management, and Wildfire Fighting

Two UAS Drones Disaster Conferences are planned for 2019: Los Angeles March 8-9 at the Columbia Memorial Space Center, and Miami April 11-12 at Florida International University. These will discuss and showcase the role of UAS in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from major incidents and disasters. The conferences will feature presentations, workshops, and live flight demonstrations.

Google’s drone delivery spin-off ‘Wing’ aims to be operational in 2019

Google’s Wing delivery drones head to Europe

Wing is the drone delivery company owned by Google’s parent Alphabet. A flight test program in Helsinki, Finland is to start in the spring and they plan to become operational by the end of 2019. Customers will order through an app, packages can weigh up to 1.5kg (3.3lbs), and delivery will be free during the trial period. Wing will use their own UTM system.

Amazon delays on five-year drone delivery promise

Meanwhile, Amazon will miss its 2013 prediction that delivery drones would be operating in five years. Amazon remains committed, but says they are staying away from fixed timelines.

Airbus opens flight base in Australia for Zephyr UAS operations

Airbus Defence and Space announced the opening of the world’s first High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS) flight base serving as the launch site for the Zephyr UAV in Wyndham, Western Australia. Airbus Press Release: Airbus celebrates opening of the world’s first Zephyr Solar High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite operating site.

Burgum announces $30 million UAS infrastructure proposal to support statewide beyond visual line of sight operations

The governor of North Dakota announced a proposal to build out infrastructure for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations for unmanned aircraft systems across North Dakota. The $30 million investment would establish a statewide BVLOS network for UAS command and control, and surveillance equipment for safe integration of manned and unmanned aircraft.

UAV163 The Best Drone Podcasts

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The top 14 drone podcasts, FAA’s Huerta delivers InterDrone keynote, using drones to discover ancient geoglyphs, and a college course where students build real UAS business plans.

ProDrone PD6B-AW-ARM

News

Top Drone Podcasts

Skytango looked at the available drone podcasts and made a list of the top 14. These are, in order of the number of episodes released so far:

Ask Drone U
The UAV Digest
sUAS News Podcast
DroneVibes Podcast
Drone Radio Show
Drone Law Today Podcast
Let’s Drone Out
Quad Talk FPV Podcast
FPV Podcast
Drone News
Commercial Drones FM
Aerial Insights
Somedrones Podcast
DroneLife Podcast

Industry, Regulators Look Beyond Small UAS Rule

FAA Administrator Michael Huerta delivered the keynote at InterDrone, and provided some interesting statistics:

The FAA estimates that as many as 600,000 UAS could be used commercially in the next year.
More than 520,000 hobbyists have registered.
Section 333 exemptions, which used to take three months to process, are being approved at a rate of several dozen a day.
Several Part 107 waivers are being granted per day. The current waiver approval time is around 90 days, but the FAA is trying to shorten that.

Drones will uncover the history of humans in the Amazon

The University of Exeter has partnered with the National Institute for Space Research in Brazil to use drones to study the impact of humans on the Amazon rain forest. Fixed-wing drones from Brazilian RPA manufacturer XMobots are fitted with a high quality, survey-grade laser device. These then scan the landscape and create a 3-D map where the landscape has been changed. Those geoglyphs represent candidates for archaeological digs.

Attrition: Sergeants Who Are Not Allowed To Shoot Back

The U.S. Air Force has experienced a shortage of drone operators since 2001. The operators they do have (who must be officers for armed UAVs) are thus overworked, and many leave the service. They sometimes find work with civilian contractors performing the same job and earn as much as three times the pay they received in the Air Force. Cash bonus incentives were tried by the USAF, but that proved to be ineffective.

New UND class puts focus on the business of drones

The Entrepreneurship 395 course at the University of North Dakota focuses on unmanned technology applications. Student groups work to develop business concepts which they present as a feasible UAS business plan for their final project.

Videos of the Week

Awesome new ‘drone surfing’ could be the future of rich-kid sports

A video from drone company Freefly features their $18,000 Alta 8 industrial-grade octocopter that is powerful enough to pull you over the water.

Terrifying ‘2-armed’ drone designed for dangerous ops

The six-rotor PD6B-AW-ARM from Japanese company ProDrone has two claw-tipped articulating arms hanging underneath it, ready and willing to perform tasks too dangerous for humans. The UAV has a maximum payload of about 10kg (22lb) and a flight time of up to 30 minutes.

Dual Robot Arm Large-Format Drone PD6B-AW-ARM

UAV143 Drone Dealer Expo 2016 – Part 2

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An interview by Tim Trott with drone lawyer Jonathan Rupprecht at Drone Dealer Expo 2016.

We continue our coverage of Drone Dealer Expo 2016 with an insightful conversation that Tim Trott recorded with Jonathan Rupprecht from Rupprecht Law.

Jonathan notes that the industry will become more regulated and comments on the responsibilities of drone manufacturers and retailers. He also has a very interesting and sobering take on the many organizations that represent the unmanned industry: their objectives, focus on constituencies, power, and approach to dealing with the FAA.

Jonathan comments on regulations that are coming in the future, such as the “micro UAV” rule recommendations, FAA reauthorization, Part 107 changes, and even Part 48 drone registration as a result of the lawsuit. We also hear his thoughts on the “cowboy operators” and the risks they pose.

Tim Trott, from Southern Helicam, is an instructor and the author of UAS Operations: Preparing to meet the anticipated FAA knowledge test requirements for UAS Operator and/or Pilot UAS Rating and The Droner’s Guide: From Beginner to Professional . In the future, we’ll bring you Tim’s interviews with a number the exhibitors at the Expo.

Video of the Week

Watch DARPA’s bizarre 24-motor drone aircraft fly for the first time

The Aurora Flight Sciences LightningStrike aircraft is intended to be a pilotless VTOL aircraft that can carry several thousand pounds of cargo and achieve a 400-knot cruise speed. A one-fifth-scale model has achieved its first flight.

UAV142 Drone Dealer Expo 2016 – Part 1

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Observations from the Drone Dealer Expo, hydrogen fueled drones, a drone rescue patent, and proposed federal preemption of UAS laws.

Guest

Mike Daniels says he has been designing, building and flying model aircraft since the 1970s. He’s flown free flight, control line, and RC airplanes, helicopters, and multi-rotors. Mike built an F550 with parts he designed and printed, and he’s currently flying a Yuneec Typhoon Q500 and an Ares Ethos Q130. His new Typhoon H should arrive at any moment.

Mike holds an FAA pilot’s certificate to fly single engine land and sea planes, and an FAA repairman certificate for Light Sport Airplanes with a Maintenance Rating.

Mike shares his experiences by blogging at blog.mikeflys.com, and he’s created an online e-paper called “The UAV Daily.” He’s also starting a drone store at www.mikeflys.com where he’ll only sell products he knows and likes. Follow Mike on Twitter as @Mike_Flys.

Drone Dealer Expo 2016

Mike gives us his observations from the Drone Dealer Expo he attended April 11-13, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. Mike characterizes the attendees and describes some of the event themes.

A drone racing expo was held in the parking lot to demo FPV racing, and there was talk about ESPN broadcasting races. The subsequent press story With ESPN deal, drone racing gets serious confirms that ESPN has signed a multi-year deal to broadcast drone races.

We talk with Mike about the theory that the timing of the FAA UAS registration requirement may have depressed holiday drone sales. We also learn that a panel discussion led to a lively discussion about UAS regulations. There was a consensus belief that a future drone operator’s certificate will require an in-person written test, not an online test.

News

MMC’s Hydrogen-fueled Drone, the HyDrone 1800, Leads the Way into a New UAV Era

MicroMultiCopter Aero Technology Co., Inc. (MMC) launched their HyDrone 1800, a hydrogen-fueled drone with a claimed flight time in excess of four hours, a one-minute recharge cycle, and a flight radius of up to 100km with a live video stream.

Google Has Patented a Drone Rescue Service

Google’s concept is that users could push a button instead of calling 911 and get the help they need, delivered by a self-flying drone.

Lawmakers seek to ensure FAA bill won’t preempt local drone laws

Senate debates contentious provision against state drone laws

Some members of the US Senate are adding amendments to the FAA reauthorization bill that would create a federal preemption for state or local laws related to the design, manufacture, testing, licensing, registration, certification, operation, or maintenance of UAS. Local governments could not regulate airspace, altitude, flight paths, equipment or technology requirements, and pilot requirements.

Video of the Week

Killerdrone! Flying chainsaw

Crazy Finnish farmers built an epic drone with a remote controlled chainsaw.

Mentioned

Facebook will now let any camera stream to Facebook Live, even a DJI drone: Post to your wall, but from the air

UAV114 UAS Industry Days 2015

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A first report on UAS Industry Days 2015 with the keynote by Lisa Ellman and an interview with Lawrence Brinker.

NUAIR Alliance and Empire State Chapter of AUVSI Second Annual UAS Industry Days: Collaboration for Innovation

Held September 22-23, 2015 at the NUAIR Alliance Hangar and at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino Events Center in New York, this conference offered speakers, exhibits, flight demonstrations, and networking opportunities.

David, Max, @dronemama, and @ProfVanderhoof attended the event, conducted a number of interviews, and recorded the presentations. This episode we bring you the conference keynote presentation and also a concluding interview with the director of the NUAIR Alliance. We’ll have more interviews and presentations in the coming weeks.

Presentation

Keynote, Lisa Ellman, partner and co-chair of Global Unmanned Aircraft Systems Practice Group, Hogan Lovells.

Interview

Lawrence Brinker, Executive Director and General Counsel, NUAIR Alliance.

Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance

The NUAIR Alliance is a New York based not-for-profit coalition of more than 70 private and public entities and academic institutions working together to operate and oversee UAS test ranges in New York, Massachusetts, and Michigan. Headquartered at Griffiss International Airport, in Rome, New York, NUAIR manages one of just six UAS test sites in the United States leading the research and deployment technologies that establish the case for safe UAS operations in the nation’s commercial airspace.

Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International

AUVSI is the world’s largest non-profit organization devoted exclusively to advancing the unmanned systems and robotics community. Serving more than 7,500 members from government organizations, industry, and academia, AUVSI is committed to fostering, developing, and promoting unmanned systems and robotic technologies. AUVSI members support defense, civil, and commercial sectors.

Presentation and Interview Recordings

For audio recordings of some of the conference presentations, as well as the interviews we conducted with speakers, attendees, and exhibitors, see:

https://theuavdigest.com/uas-industry-days-2015/

Appreciation

We’d like to take the opportunity to reiterate our thanks to the sponsors of The UAV Digest: GoEngineer and UAV Propulsion Tech. Their support enables us to attend events such as this in order to bring great content to our audience.