Tag Archives: Kashmir World Foundation

342 Countering Drone Swarms

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Technology developing to counter drone swarms, a blended wing body drone to catch poachers, studying pollinating bees, and Norway’s first UTM system.

UAV News

The U.S. Navy Plans To Foil Massive ‘Super Swarm’ Drone Attacks By Using The Swarm’s Intelligence Against Itself

Isaac Kaminer, an engineering professor at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School says “large-scale adversarial swarms” of drones are an “imminent threat.” Instead of trying to shoot down super swarms, Kaminer proposes to use the swarm against itself.

Eagleray UAS Scans for Poachers

Laws exist to protect endangered species, but organized criminal networks don’t follow laws so the Kashmir World Foundation (KwF) is fighting back with technology. KwF designs, develops, and applies unmanned autonomous systems, including the Eagle Ray blended wing body Eagle Ray anti-poaching drone. See: Eagle Ray UAS Scans for Poachers.

How Did This Colombian Use Drones To Solve A Bee Mystery?

Entomologist Diana Obregon has been studying the effect of pesticides and deforestation on pollinating bees. She used drones to assess the forest around crops, then correlated that to pesticide residues in the crop and the diversity and abundance of bees visiting the crop.

Avinor ANS Begins Roll Out of First Nordic UTM System at Two Airport Towers in Norway Paving the Way for its Future Tech-Economy

Norwegen airport operator Avinor is testing an unmanned traffic management (UTM) system at two airports. The UTM system provides an operational overview of the airspace and allows two-way communication between air traffic control and drone operators. Ultimately, the system is planned for 18 towers in Norway. Avinor Air Navigation Services (ANS) is working with Frequentis and Altitude Angel to implement the UTM system.

UAV Video of the Week

Kid amazes Dad with his drone flying skills

291 Kashmir World Foundation

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Princess Aliyah Pandolfi from the Kashmir World Foundation is our guest. We spoke with her at the Innovations in Flight Family Day and Outdoor Aviation Display, held June 15, 2019, at the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.

This annual event is held the Saturday before Father’s Day. Besides the museum exhibits, a number of commercial, military, and general aviation aircraft fly in for the day. There are also special exhibitors throughout the museum providing information and activities.

The Kashmir World Foundation promotes wildlife education and conservation, often utilizing drones. Listen as Max, Micah, and Robert catch up on Kashmir World Foundation activities with Aliyah.

Teachers Take Flight:

Teachers Take Flight

UAV152 Teaching Teachers How to Teach Students About Drones

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A workshop to teach educators how to introduce drones to students, Flirtey is in the news again with another package delivery milestone, and a report on the Hogan Lovells sUAS Part 107 webinar.

Guest

Teachers Take FlightPrincess Aliyah Pandolfi updates us on the exciting projects being undertaken by the Kashmir World Foundation. We last spoke with Aliyah when we covered the DaVinci Build-a-Drone workshop in Episode 124. In order to create a more sustainable program and bring this highly successful STEM program to a broader audience, this special workshop was created for educators who can then teach students at their schools and universities.

The first educator workshop is July 11-15, 2016 at Foxcroft School in Middleburg, Virginia. Registration deadline is July 8, 2016. Visit www.kashmirworldfoundation.org for more information.

Aliyah and David

Aliyah Pandolfi and David Vanderhoof

Aliyah also explains a new project to monitor sea turtle activity with MiSHELL drones. To conduct their research, biologists must painstakingly locate sea turtle tracks on the beach and follow them to the nests. Kashmir World Foundation has partnered with Georgia Southern University at St. Catherines Island to discover how sUAS could be used to greatly increase the efficiency of the process.

In addition, Aliyah is conducting a private workshop this summer for girls and technology. This is sponsored by Eagle Ray, a woman-owned business specializing in strategic transformation services.

 

News

Flirtey Conducts First U.S. Ship-to-Shore Drone Delivery

Flirtey and a Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine doctor have successfully completed the first ship-to-shore drone delivery in the U.S. on the New Jersey coastline. This was at the invitation of Field Innovation Team (FIT), a disaster preparedness non-profit. Guests from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (UNOCHA) attended as part of the Drones in Disasters “Do Tank.”

The FAA and DOT Just Released the Small UAS Rule: Will Your Company be Ready?

This Hogan Lovells webinar held June 27, 2016, reviewed the Part 107 commercial sUAS rule and discussed the implications for you and your business. You can watch a replay of the Part 107 Small UAS Rule Webinar, or view the Hogan Lovells custom Part 107 Table of Contents, which contains links to corresponding sections in the rule.

As a related resource, the Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application (IACRA) is the web-based certification/rating application that takes you through the FAA’s airman application process. Remote Pilot certificates for small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) will come to IACRA in late August 2016.

UAV124 DaVinci Challenge: Build a Drone Workshop

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DaVinci Challenge students

DaVinci Challenge

Princess Aliyah Pandolfi created the non-profit Kashmir World Foundation to integrate art, science, and technology for sustainable projects that transform social and economic structures. One of these projects is the DaVinci Challenge: Build a Drone Workshop, which helps students see robotic aircraft from a broader perspective.

The workshop trains students and teachers in the design, fabrication, customization, and operation of small robotic aircraft. In this blend of science, technology, art, engineering, and math (STEM/STEAM), students learn about 3D printing, integration of robotic systems, and flying techniques as they build a quad­copter or hexa­copter in an actively engaging hands­-on and innovative workshop.

In the first three days of the workshop, participants build a drone from components, then set up and test them. The fourth day is Flight Day where students perform ground testing and flight check and conduct first flights. At the awards ceremony, participants receive a Drone Operator Certificate.

We attended a Flight Day on December 22, 2016, at the Northern Virginia Community College Loudoun Campus, and recorded a number of interviews:

  • High school senior Michael C. Kronmiller discusses using UAVs for avalanche search and rescue in Nepal. For more, see his website Bullis-Kanjirowa STEM.
  • Danny (age 12), Andrew (age 13), and Matthew (age 13) prepare their drone for its first hover.
  • On the field with the boys’ mothers as their sons made their first hover.
  • Fadwah and Kitty talk about using drones in the STEM club at Langley High School to increase student involvement. You can provide financial support for this group through Computer Science teacher Susan Huebsch, 703-287-2892.
  • Past workshop graduates Kevin Goth, his son Ben Goth, and Rob Klaus talk about their UAV project that utilizes a Raspberry Pi.

Santiago Makes Final Preparations

Santiago Makes Final Preparations

Rich Hanson (AMA) and Princess Aliyah Pandolfi

Rich Hanson (AMA) and Princess Aliyah Pandolfi

Preparing for First Flight

Preparing for First Flight

After Flight With Danny, Matthew, and Andrew

After Flight With Danny, Matthew, and Andrew

Aliyah, Santiago, and Rich

Santiago Gets His Drone Operator Certificate from Aliyah Pandolfi and Rich Hanson

News

FAA mulls ditching drone registration advice

The FAA’s sUAS registration rules should be released shortly.  Reportedly, “sources familiar with the matter,” say the FAA might deviate from the Task Force recommendations and impose a $5 registration fee. Also, retailers would be more deeply involved in the registration process.

UAV101 Wildlife Conservation UAV Challenge

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Aurora Flight Sciences CentaurThe optionally piloted Centaur flies at a UAS test site, a NASA-led team tests a sense and avoid system, more bad drone behavior, and an interview with the founder of the Kashmir World Foundation.

News

Remote-controlled passenger flights 5 years away, CEO says

An Aurora Flight Sciences Centaur was flown over the New York UAS test site from Griffiss International Airport. The Centaur is an Optionally Piloted Aircraft (OPA) based on the Diamond DA42 twin engine airplane. It becomes the first large-scale fixed wing unmanned aircraft to fly at an FAA-approved test site.

Aurora CEO John Langford believes that unmanned aircraft will ultimately make aviation safer, and we may some day see passenger flights with aircraft like the Centaur. The Aurora website has a video of the flight.

NASA tests advanced Ikhana and Global Hawk technology

A team led by NASA is testing a sense and avoid system using the Ikhana UAV, a General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9 Predator B that was acquired by NASA in 2006. Testing in June included 23 encounters with a Beech C90 King Air acting as the intruder. Besides NASA, the team includes General Atomics, the FAA, and Honeywell.

The current test phase includes validation with the Ikhana of sensor, trajectory, and other simulation models. Other tests will utilize a Lockheed S-3B Viking jet from NASA’s Glenn Research Center acting as a high-speed piloted surrogate aircraft.

Seattle police seek pilot after woman knocked out by falling drone

A drone crashed into a building during a parade in Seattle, then fell and struck a woman in the head. Unconscious, she collapsed into her boyfriend’s arms. The drone was turned over to police, as were a physical description and photographs of the man believed to be the pilot. The drone was described as costing about $1,200 and weighing about two pounds.

Guest

Princess Aliyah PandolfiPrincess Aliyah Pandolfi is founder of the Kashmir World Foundation, established in 2008 to improve the lives of people and animals worldwide. Their projects create healthy habitats for humans and wildlife, and emphasize education, vocational training, job creation programs, and endangered species protection.

Kashmir-Robotics is hosting the worldwide Wildlife Conservation UAV Challenge to foster innovation and invention in the design, fabrication, and utilization of unmanned aircraft to assist with counter poaching and illicit wildlife trafficking.Kashmir World Foundation
Can 3-D Printed Drones Help Save Wildlife? is a National Geographic video about the Wildlife Conservation UAV Challenge.

Wildlife Conservation UAV Challenge

Videos of the Week

FPVRACING.TV Time Trial Course #2

This video shows what FPV multicopter racing looks like from the quad’s perspective.

Sticks of a Mini Beast

A dramatic view of high speed FPV flying that shows the video feed from the multicopter as well as the operator’s hands on the controller. For more, see Mr. Steele’s Youtube channel

Flytrex Sky – The first delivery drone

The Flytrex Sky claims to be the world’s first internet connected drone that serves as a personal courier.