Tag Archives: package delivery

UAV253 High Altitude Pseudo Satellite Drone

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A pseudo satellite drone with deformable wings, an agricultural drone that sprays crops, a project for drone applications in cities, the FAA makes a Federal preemption statement, a payment concept for drone package delivery, and a deformable drone that absorbs impacts.

A high altitude pseudo satellite. Courtesy UAVOS Inc.

UAV News

Prototype Solar-Powered, High-Altitude UAV Undergoing Flight Tests

The UAVOS Inc. HAPS (High Altitude Pseudo Satellite) aircraft is solar-powered with a flexible wing for control. The ApusDuo prototype has been flown more than 1000 hours at altitudes of up to 65,617 feet (20,000 meters). Flight tests confirmed the aircraft can handle turbulence by actively changing the bend of the wing. UAVOS specializes in the design, development, and manufacturing of unmanned vehicles and autopilot systems and components. Their solutions range from small industrial surveillance drones to large UAVs.

North Dakota State University’s Herbicide-Spraying Drone Covers 33 Acres in an Hour

The University’s Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering department is using an AG V6+ agriculture drone from Homeland Surveillance & Electronics. It holds four gallons of herbicide and flies autonomously for 30 minutes, covering 33 acres in one hour. The department’s “smart farm” project looks to deploy the drone in precise areas of land and fly autonomously without the need for a high-resolution imaging drone.

Promotional video: AG v6a+ UAV Crop Sprayer

Report: UK has golden opportunity to shape future of drones

The Nesta innovation foundation conducted the Flying High Challenge pilot project to investigate applications for drones in cities. The objectives of the Challenge were to shape plans for the future of drones in UK cities, identify and address key complexities, and detail technical and economic plans. The project collaborated with five cities to analyze socially beneficial use cases. See the final report: Flying High: The future of drone technology in UK cities

FAA Clarifies Federal Authority Over Drone Rulemaking

Some state and local governments have passed laws that regulate drones, but who has authority over the airspace? In Press Release – FAA Statement–Federal vs. Local Drone Authority, the FAA says, “Congress has provided the FAA with exclusive authority to regulate aviation safety, the efficiency of the navigable airspace, and air traffic control, among other things. State and local governments are not permitted to regulate any type of aircraft operations, such as flight paths or altitudes, or the navigable airspace.” But local governments can control landing sites through their land use powers.

Worldpay’s Drone Delivery Mat Identifies Customer Before Releasing Package

While many companies are developing package delivery systems, Worldpay is thinking about the payment system: how the customer ensures they receive the package and how the seller ensures they get paid? Worldpay’s idea is that customers get a portable landing pad tied to their credit card, the delivery drone lands on the pad, and the drone confirms the delivery location is correct. Then payment is authorized and the package is released. Worldpay’s Drone Pay proof-of-concept uses EMV contactless payment card technology embedded into the drone landing pad.

Demonstration video: Drone Pay by Worldpay

https://youtu.be/YR9s_lp9l30

An insect-inspired drone deforms upon impact

Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) developed a drone that deforms on impact. The design is inspired by insect wings and also by origami. The hybrid origami drone can be stiff or flexible depending on the circumstances. The structure is stiff when airborne but if the drone runs into something, it becomes flexible and absorbs the shock.

Video: An insect-inspired drone deforms upon impact

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Webinar Invitation by the UAVs for Payload Delivery Working Group

August 1, 2018, 10am Eastern (GMT-4)

The newly developed Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Procurement Guide will be shared by the USAID Global Health Supply Chain Program – Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM) project. The guide’s purpose is to share lessons and insight from the project’s experience to help other organizations undertaking similar efforts. The guide will prevent them from reinventing the wheel or starting from zero to expedite the rate at which this technology is applied and scaled up. This webinar is open to anyone to attend.

UAV245 Airbus Urban Air Mobility

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Airbus pushes forward with a new Urban Air Mobility unit, law enforcement embraces drones, another Amazon drone delivery patent, and FAA UAS news.

Urban Air Mobility. Courtesy Airbus.

UAV News

Airbus Steps Up Push for Flying Taxis, On-Demand Helicopters

Airbus SE is creating an Urban Air Mobility (UAM) division based in Munich. The division will consolidate all UAM activities except current air vehicle projects. Eduardo Dominguez Puerta becomes head of Urban Air Mobility. Previously, Puerta was CEO of the Airbus A3 innovation center in Silicon Valley. In Autonomous Skies: Airbus is working towards a world of self-piloted air travel, the company says, “The future of transport lies in the skies. By developing a range of cutting-edge autonomous technologies, Airbus is working towards a world of self-piloting urban air mobility vehicles, cargo drones and more autonomous commercial aircraft. The vision: a safer, more efficient and eco-friendly global transport network.”

Wisconsin, Texas, California states with most law enforcement agencies with drones

The Bard College Center for the Study of the Drone estimates that “at least 910 state and local police, sheriff, fire, and emergency services agencies in the U.S. have acquired drones.” Texas, California, and Wisconsin have the most agencies with drones. In Public Safety Drones: An Update, Bard says they “estimate that the number of public safety agencies with drones has increased by approximately 82 percent in the last year alone. All told, there are now more than twice as many agencies that own drones as there are agencies that own manned aircraft in the U.S.”

Amazon patent covers how to signal a delivery drone (and how it signals back)

Amazon was issued Patent 9,984,579, Unmanned aerial vehicle approach notification for methods by which a delivery drone and the customer could communicate. Patent abstract:

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) may provide an approach notification to enable people to understand and interpret actions by the UAV, such as an intention to land or deposit a package at a particular location. The UAV may communicate a specific intention of the UAV and/or communicate a request to a person. The UAV may monitor the person or data signals for a response from the person, such as movement of the person that indicates a response. The UAV may be equipped with hardware and/or software configured to provide notifications and/or exchange information with a person at or near a destination. The UAV may include lights, a speaker, and possibly a projector to enable the UAV to project information and/or text on a surface. The UAV may control a moveable mechanism to “point” toward the person, at an object, or in another direction.

Webinar Series – How to Apply for an Operational Waiver

The FAA will host a summer webinar series to help drone operators maximize their chance of success when applying for an operational waiver. The eight free, live webinars start June 5, 2018, and will be conducted every two weeks. The series will address the waiver application process and cover the most requested Part 107 waivers, under the Small UAS Rule: daylight operation, operation over people, operating limitations (altitude), and visual line of sight aircraft operation. Registration is on a first come, first served basis, and caps at 1,000 attendees.

Note: As of June 1, the June 5 webinar registration is currently full, but you can sign up for the waitlist.

The FAA Will Require Recertification for Commercial Drone Pilots | InterDrone

The Remote Pilot Airman Certificates under Part 107 for commercial drone pilots are good for 24 months. This update (Remote Pilot – Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Airman Certification Standards (FAA-S-ACS-10A) [PDF] describes the process for recurrent testing.

UAV Video of the Week

Hawaii volcano: Drone video shows emergency services evacuate home as lava approaches

See USGS.gov for more. Specifically, Kīlauea Volcano Erupts for current information and more videos and still photographs.

Mentioned

Unmanned Systems Industry Survey (USIS)

This Embry-Riddle Worldwide survey looks at the future challenges for and expectations of the workforce in unmanned systems. Embry-Riddle Worldwide wants to learn about current market developments and challenges, identified gaps, and upcoming needs for graduates and employees in this field.

Sound Idea: Acoustic Technology Lets Small Planes “Listen” for Nearby Aircraft

A device mounted on the exterior of small aircraft that listens “for characteristic sounds that indicate the presence of other fliers. Called an acoustic vector sensor (AVS), the system uses nanoscale materials to alert pilots to other aircraft within about 10 kilometers…” For more, see the paper, Acoustic Detection of a Fixed-Wing UAV [PDF].

uAvioniX and the potential for ADS-B for sUAS from Southern Helicam

Forum on Air & Space Law from the American Bar Association, June 5, 2018, in Washington, D.C.

UAV242 Rockwell Collins CNPC-1000 Data Link

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Testing at the Northern Plains UAS Test Site utilized the Rockwell Collins CNPC-1000 UAS command and control data link, the DOT published procedures for obtaining operator exemption to hold economic authority, New Zealand police ask the public to report drones instead of shooting them down, drones as autonomous air ambulances, battlefield deliveries by drone, the Customs and Border Protection drone program comes under fire, and Intel wants to play a major role in processing drone sensor data.

CNPC-1000 UAS command and control data link. Courtesy Rockwell Collins.

UAV News

Rockwell Collins Enables Airspace Management During Test Flights For NASA’s UAS Traffic Management Program

Two weeks of tests were conducted for the NASA Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Traffic Management (UTM) program. Under a NASA contract, the tests were organized by the Northern Plains UAS Test Site. Rockwell Collins was the UAS Service Supplier (USS) for the safe management of a UAS flying beyond visual line of sight, utilizing Rockwell’s CNPC-1000 Command and Control data links. The University of Iowa Operator Performance Laboratory partnered with Rockwell Collins, integrating the CNPC-1000 links with its Pulse Aerospace Vapor 55 unmanned test vehicle.

DOT Takes Step Toward Expediting Drone Delivery Authorizations

A “Notification to UAS Operators Proposing To Engage in Air Transportation” was published in the Federal Register [PDF] on April 30, 2018. This document sets forth the procedure to seek an air taxi operator exemption to hold economic authority from the Department of Transportation (DOT or Department) for companies proposing to engage in certain air transportation operations with unmanned aircraft systems. This authority is separate and distinct from any safety authority required by the FAA.

Nothing to suggest link between drones and burglaries

A Facebook post shared with a number of community pages claimed drones were being used by burglars to scope out properties. Some comments suggested that people should shoot down the drones. However, police in Selwyn, New Zealand say they have no evidence of this and they are telling residents not to shoot down drones.

Drones Being Tested as Ambulances

Researchers at CalTech have been developing a “personal rescue system” and they are testing a one fifth scale model of an autonomous drone ambulance. Internal sensors would monitor the patient’s vital signs, and the actual vehicle would be the size of a small car.

DOD seeks battlefield blood delivery drones

The Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx) calls itself “a fast-moving government entity that provides non-dilutive capital to companies to solve national defense problems.” They accelerate commercial innovation for national defense by “contracting with companies offering solutions in a variety of areas – from autonomy and AI to human systems, IT, and space – to solve a host of defense problems.” The Unit had a solicitation for the ability to deliver a 5-pound package over 100 kilometers in “austere environments.”

The Marine Corps’ Next Generation Logistics branch and DOD’s Rapid Reaction Technology Office recently tested the Hive Final Mile project. In that system, a group of UAVs are autonomously deployed to deliver small supplies such as food or ammunition to marines on the field.

Drones on the Border: Efficacy and Privacy Implications

The author believes U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) “should wind down its drone program and in the meantime establish more robust privacy protections.” Issues include surveillance of Americans living along the border with minimal oversight and without warrants, the cost of the drone systems, and the lack of effectiveness.

Intel Wants Its New Drones to Find Jobs Outside the Spotlight

Why is Intel so into drones? They have shown huge PR displays at events like the Olympics and the Super Bowl and the industrial-grade Falcon 8+ drone just received UL 3030 certification. Well, Intel wants to rely less on the personal computer market and be a “data-centric” company. They want Intel technology to be central to whatever new market emerges for data processing. And that describes the massive processing of sensor data required for some commercial drone missions.

UAV Video of the Week

1,374 dancing drones break world record

China-based Ehang used a fleet of 1,374 Ghostdrones and beat Intel’s record of 1,218 flying drones at the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games in February. But as Digital Trends points out in China nabs world record for biggest drone display, but it’s a bit of a mess, all didn’t go according to plan.

UAV Conference

The fourth annual Drone Focus Conference will be held May 30-31, 2018 in Fargo North Dakota. Short-format talks from over 50 speakers on topics ranging from cybersecurity and innovative hardware to policies and ethics regarding autonomous systems. The short-format talks challenge speakers to present relevant information quickly and concisely, with only four to twelve minutes on stage.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to get hands-on with interactive workshops, focused lunch panels, and a party with live demos. Other elements of the conference include a Drone Focus Film Festival, student pitches, and celebration of National Autonomous Vehicle Day (May 31st).

More information and tickets are available online at https://dronefocuscon.com.

UAV237 MQ-25 Stingray

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Lockheed Martin’s MQ-25 Stingray concept, UTM testing, nuclear power plant inspection, pizza delivery by drone, another near-miss, Canadian drone regulations, and a new drone racing idea.

MQ-25 Stingray concept. Courtesy Lockheed Martin.

UAV News

Skunk Works Reveals Stealthy UAV Demonstrator

The Lockheed Martin Skunk Works is celebrating their 75th anniversary and they were a major sponsor at the LA County Airshow in California. Lockheed put the X-44A small UAV on static display for the public for the first time. The X-44A first flew in 2001 to test the flying-wing design.

Lockheed’s MQ-25 Tanker Drone Looks Impressive, But It’s Still Just A Paper Plane

Lockheed has unveiled its MQ-25 Stingray concept for a carrier-based unmanned tanker. Other designs were considered, but the flying-wing design had a number of advantages, including aerodynamic efficiency, greater fuel load, lower parts count and reduced footprint on carrier decks with the wingtips folded up. Later this year, the Navy will select one of the three proposed designs and award a contract for four prototype aircraft.

NASA completes the third phase of UAS airspace testing

The week-long test was conducted by the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems (NIAS) and NASA UTM partners, focusing on airspace management technologies for integrating UAS into the national airspace. The UTM development program is progressing through four “Technology Capability Levels,” this being the third.

Small US Built drones searching damaged Fukushima Nuclear Plant

Tests are being conducted for drones to be used for inspection and damage assessment at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan. In 2011, that facility experienced nuclear meltdowns, explosions, and the release of radioactive material following the tsunami. A team from Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and the University of Pennsylvania GRASP Laboratory plan to use UAS technology to fly into the containment vessels. SwRI Press Release: SwRI-led team to develop drones for use in Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

Exploring Nuclear Power Plants with an Autonomous UAS

HBO Used Pizza-Delivery Drones to Promote the New Season of Silicon Valley

In a promotion for the Silicon Valley television comedy series on HBO, fans could order a free pizza with a certain Tweet. In Los Angeles and San Francisco, Drone Dudes would deliver the pizzas up to a maximum of twenty in each city.

UAV regs changing – for the better

Transport Canada looks to streamline and standardize the rules for drone use. At the Unmanned Systems Canada Conference in Toronto last November, Transport Canada presented draft changes to regulations governing UAVs. Another round of draft changes are expected by the summer of 2018.

Yet another drone narrowly misses a plane – how do we fix this?

Pilots of an Air New Zealand Boeing 777-200 reported that a drone came within five meters of their airplane. Flights at the airport shut down for 30 min.

Air NZ calls for tighter regulation on UAVs after near-miss

ANZ chief operations integrity and standards officer David Morgan says, “It’s clear the time has now come for tougher deterrents for reckless drone use around airports to safeguard travellers, including imposing prison terms in the case of life-threatening incidents.”

‘Exploded’ windscreen: TV journo blames drone for plane crash

Also in New Zealand, a man says a drone hit his small plane while flying over the Western Bay. The windscreen exploded and he was forced to make a crash landing.

You’ve Never Seen a Drone Race Like This Before: Pro Aerial League’s Full Contact Championship

Recently, the Pro Aerial League held its season championship event. (The Generals won.) Watching were more than 800 live spectators and more than 45,000 online. But drone racing is difficult for spectators and Pro Aerial League has an idea where team members rotate roles over four 20 minute quarters of nonstop racing in a small 200′ by 85′ course.

AgEagle Aerial Systems Closes Merger with EnerJex; To Initiate Trading on NYSE as UAVS

AgEagle Aerial Systems, Inc. announced that it has closed its merger transaction with EnerJex Resources, Inc. under which AgEagle becomes a wholly-owned subsidiary of EnerJex Resources. EnerJex will be renamed AgEagle Aerial Systems and is now traded on the NYSE under the ticker symbol UAVS.

UAV Video of the Week

Top 10 Waterfalls of Iceland (DJI Phantom 2 and GoPro HERO3+)

UAV236 A Folding Arm Drone

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Picking up objects with a folding arm drone, a drone that protects dropped objects with an airbag, a large air freight drone, training drone photographers and videographers, a first night flight for the NTSB, a general aviation company partners with an unmanned company, and an autonomous vehicle accident.

A folding arm drone developed by South Korean researchers.

UAV News

This Drone Has Retracting Arms that Allow it to Pick Up Objects

South Korean scientists have created a drone with folding arms that can pick up objects. They are calling it an “origami-robot” because it uses the origami principle of perpendicular folding. A collection of rigid rectangular boxes and elastic bands allows the arm with a gripper to extend from 40 millimeters collapsed to 70 centimeters fully extended. This is described in the in the Science Robotics journal article, An origami-inspired, self-locking robotic arm that can be folded flat.

Amazon receives patent to literally ‘drop’ packages from a drone on your doorstep or patio

Amazon received U.S. Patent 9,914,539 for an “Airlift package protection airbag,” or APP. The concept is for a drone to drop an airbag-protected package from some height. The Amazon drone would have cameras to verify that the drop-zone is clear. The patent also describes a package that travels “partially horizontally” to land on “an elevated balcony of a tall building.”

This Leviathan Could Disrupt Unmanned Global Air Freight: Natilus CEO Aleksey Matyushev

Natilus is the California company that wants to reduce global air freight costs by 50% through the use of large autonomous drones. Company CEO Aleksey Matyushev says the prototype was completed in December 2017 and low-speed taxi tests were conducted in February 2018. Modifications to the prototype are now being made and medium speed taxi testing should begin at the end of March 2018.

3rd Rock Air Announces Drone Training in Tampa, Fl

Tampa, Florida-based 3rd Rock Air announced a new drone photography/videography course to address a basic lack of understanding of camera controls. Students can bring their personal drone to the class and be taught how to use the camera controls on their specific model. The company provides drone training for both commercial users and hobbyists.

NTSB Deploys Drone at Night

Bill English is the senior NTSB investigator who developed the agency’s drone procedures for accident investigations. Contemplating the use of drones in investigations of aircraft crashes, the NTSB received a waiver from the FAA to fly night. However, the first night opportunity presented itself when a bus carrying a high school band veered off the road into a ravine at night. In that accident, the bus driver was killed. The NTSB used a DJI Phantom 4 Pro at night to try and capture what the bus driver would have seen.

Aspen Teams with Drone Company

Aspen Avionics and drone maker Sensurion Aerospace are partnering to develop avionics for autonomous air taxis and other unmanned aircraft. Aspen offers glass panels that fit in general aviation airplanes. Sensurion provides drone-based data collection services and has developed their own unmanned platforms.

Uber self-driving car kills pedestrian in first fatal autonomous crash

A woman walking her bicycle across a street in Arizona was struck and killed by a self-driving Uber Volvo being operated by an Uber test driver. Uber said it has stopped testing the vehicles throughout the United States and Canada.

UAV235 The Cora Electric Air Taxi

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Testing the Cora electric air taxi in New Zealand, drone research at Ford, package delivery in the UK and in the U.S., UAS traffic management in Switzerland and in the U.S.

The Cora electric air taxi in-flight in New Zealand. Credit: Richard Lord, via Kitty Hawk.

UAV News

Larry Page’s Flying Taxis, Now Exiting Stealth Mode

The Kitty Hawk company calls Cora “your first step towards everyday flight.” Financed by Google co-founder and Alphabet CEO Larry Page, Kitty Hawk’s operator in New Zealand Zephyr Airworks has been testing an electric, self-piloting flying taxi. The plan is for a commercial network of flying taxis in New Zealand in as soon as three years.

New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern said the decision to work with Kitty Hawk was “about sending the message to the world that our doors are open for people with great ideas who want to turn them into reality.” She added, “We’ve got an ambitious target in New Zealand of being net carbon zero by 2050,” and given that the Kitty Hawk vehicle is fully electric, “exciting projects like this are part of how we make that happen.”

Meet Cora

Why a Car Company Is Looking to the Skies: A Glimpse into Ford’s Drone Research

Ford was “…intrigued by the relationship between our vehicles and drones and how we might serve our customers in the future, so we embarked on a mission to find out more.” Ford participated in the FAA Unmanned Aircraft Systems Symposium and they say they are the only automaker on the FAA’s Aviation Rulemaking Committee.

Ford has recommended a way to identify and track drones during flight. The idea is to use the drones anti-collision lights to broadcast the 10-digit registration code as an ASCII-encoded binary signal. The lights would be interpreted by a camera-based software app. See the whitepaper titled, “A Zero-Cost Solution for Remote Identification and Tracking of sUAS in Low Altitude Flights.” [PDF]

The U.K. Might Rid Itself of Beyond Visual Line-of-Sight Drone Regulations

The National Air Traffic Control Service (NATS) in the U.K. intends to eliminate the beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) regulations that are holding up package delivery by drone. Deliveries in the UK could begin as early as next year.

Drone Deliveries Really Are Coming Soon, Officials Say

Under the Trump administration’s “Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Pilot program,” 149 companies have filed applications with the FAA to provide package delivery by drone. At least 10 of them should get approval in May. According to The Wall Street Journal, a senior FAA air-traffic control official at the symposium, Jay Merkle, stated that companies like Amazon “think they might be ready to operate this summer.”

Skyguide & AirMap Join Forces to Develop Europe’s First National Drone Traffic Management System

Skyguide and AirMap have partnered to develop and deploy the first national drone traffic management system in Europe. Skyguide is a Swiss air navigation service provider and AirMap provides an airspace management platform for drones. Powered by the AirMap UTM platform, U-space provides dynamic geofencing, instant digital airspace authorization, and solutions for situational awareness. senseFly is the manufacturing partner.

Amazon, Boeing, GE and Google to develop private Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) system

Amazon, Boeing, GE, and Google announced that they are developing a private Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) system for drones. Testing in conjunction with NASA is supposed to start in the next three months.

UAV230 Ehang Autonomous Aerial Vehicle

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Ehang flies their autonomous aerial vehicle with human passengers, reaction to a close encounter with an airliner, drone safety measures at the Olympics, drone video awards, drone package delivery by Airbus, and thoughts on cargo drones.

Ehang 184 autonomous aerial vehicle. Image courtesy Ehang.

UAV News

Flying car? Watch as this drone flies around with passengers inside

The Ehang 184 autonomous aircraft is rated for a 220-pound payload, a cruising altitude of 500 meters, and a top speed of 80 mph.

CEO takes ride in passenger drone to demonstrate that it’s safe

Ehang has conducted over 1000 flight tests, including some with human passengers. Other flight tests include a 300-meter climb test with a 507-pound payload, a 9.3 mile distance test, and tests in high winds. Video shows two variants: a single-seater with eight pairs of rotors on four arms, and a two-seater with sixteen pairs of rotors on eight arms.

EHANG 184 AAV Manned Flight Tests

FAA Investigating Video of Drone Flying Dangerously Close to Airliner

Video originally posted on a Facebook group shows a drone flying close to a Frontier Airlines Airbus A320 on final approach to McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. The poster says he is a Las Vegas high school student and the video is real, but he didn’t shoot it. The FAA confirmed to Flying that it is taking the video very seriously,

UAS Stakeholders to FAA: Use Full Authority to Apprehend and Prosecute Reckless Las Vegas UAS Operator

A number of UAS stakeholders sent a letter [PDF] to the FAA to encourage it “to use its full authority to investigate, identify and apprehend an operator who recently flew a UAS over an airliner making its final approach at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport.”

DJI institutes no-fly zones around sports arenas as the Olympics open in South Korea

DJI is implementing temporary no-fly zones around sports arenas at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Aviation authorities recommended the size of the zones.

Drone-catching drones to bolster security at Winter Olympics

Despite precautions, officials are concerned about rogue drones and have taken additional steps. A special drone-detection radar developed by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology will be used. There are reports of signal-jamming guns and “drone-catching drones” with nets may be deployed.

2017 Drone Video Awards Winners

The 2017 AirVūz Drone Video Awards winners have been announced:

Dronie — There Is No One Else by Wellington Visuals
Landscape — Perspective by Jay Worsley
Racing — Drone Racing Underground by JohnnyFPV
Countries — “Awaken” Iceland by mikebishop.tv
People — This is Yunnan by Face du Monde
Animals — Majestic Beast Nanuk by florian ledoux
Cities — Moscow Aerial 5K Timelab.pro by Timelab.pro
Tiny Whoop — エアリアルヨガスタジオｙ＋AERO × TINY WHOOP JAPAN by KatsuFPV
Freestyle — NURK’s Flight of the Year // Trains, Bridges, Rapids, Mountains, Sunsets, Gapping, Perching, Powerlooping by nurkfpv
Sports — Dream… by PilotViking
Originality — Cardboard Cadet by chrisxgxc
Reel — Drones are Awesome by thisistilt
Photography — Floating in the Unknown by zimydakid

Airbus Helicopters’ Skyways UAV takes flight into future of parcel delivery

The Skyways UAV completed its first flight demonstration at the National University of Singapore. The drone was launched from the Airbus dedicated maintenance center. It flew to the roof of a specially designed parcel station and used a robotic arm to load a package. It then returned to the maintenance center. Airbus Helicopters’ Executive Vice President of Engineering and Chief Technical Officer, Alain Flourens said, “Safe and reliable urban air delivery is a reality not too distant into the future, and Airbus is certainly excited to be a forerunner in this endeavour.”

Singapore Air Show: Drone tech is ready, but are we?

Air Cargo World noted the Airbus achievement, but comments that “Drones with last-mile delivery capabilities… require a dense population to justify the typically steep costs from research to deployment.” Additionally, Air Cargo World stated that regulatory hurdles exist in densely populated areas, and residents might be hostile to unmanned vehicles.

Also at the Singapore Air Show, ST Aerospace showed the concept for an unmanned freighter piloted by an artificially intelligent computer. ST Aero was optimistic that an unmanned freighter could be possible in the next five years. The technology is available now, they say, but public sentiment is not there yet.

UAV Video of the Week

Beaver Dam Collapse Update 2018

This video documents a Beaver Dam collapse and rebuild on private property in Northern Minnesota. The dam was an engineering marvel as it was double-decked, holding back over nine feet of water.

Mentioned

CNY Drones

Organizing an upstate New York open team drone competition.

UAV229 DroNet Autonomous Flight Through Cities

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DroNet uses deep machine learning for autonomous flight, a labor union takes a stand on package delivery by drone, a tiny radar for sUAS, counter-unmanned aerial systems, and a British drone survey.

DroNet: Learning to Fly by Driving

UAV News

AI-Powered Drone Mimics Cars and Bikes to Navigate Through City Streets

Researchers have developed a drone that can autonomously fly through the streets of a city. DroNet uses minimal onboard sensing and is trained with datasets collected by cars and bicycles.

Two years ago, roboticists at the University of Zurich trained a deep neural network with photographs taken by cameras mounted on a hiker’s head. They could then fly a drone along forest paths. Now, along with researchers from a Madrid University, they have used city datasets to train the rules for navigating through streets without running into anything.

DroNet is a convolutional neural network, designed as a fast 8-layers residual network. It produces two outputs for each single input image: A steering angle to keep the drone navigating while avoiding obstacles, and a collision probability to let the drone recognize dangerous situations and promptly react to them.

The researchers publicly release all their datasets, code, and trained networks. Learn more at the DroNet project website, and the research page on deep learning. See also the video DroNet: Learning to Fly by Driving.

No parcel drones. No robo-trucks – Teamsters driver union delivers its demands to UPS

The Teamsters union and UPS are holding labor negotiations that cover 260,000 union workers in North America. Reportedly, one of the union demands is a prohibition on “driverless trucks, drones, robots, and other driverless technology.” In Teamsters Union Says ‘No’ to UPS Drones, we find this:

“With a smaller carbon footprint and ever-increasing sophisticated, AI-infused behavior, it makes sense to transition to individual aerial deliveries, not to mention the convenience on behalf of the customer. On the other hand, one completely understands and empathizes with the aversion truck drivers have toward this stark, autonomous future. If it feels like their jobs are being endangered by the incredible exponential growth in technology, it’s because they are. Hence, a series of discussions soon to be cemented into policy, with one side trying to slow things down in order to survive, and another eager to march into the fully autonomous future.”

Aurora Flight Sciences and Socionext Develop Radar-Enabled Collision Protection Solution for Drones

Aurora Flight Sciences is collaborating with Socionext Inc. on a Radar Flight Control Module that exists as a single-chip 24GHz radar. It includes range measurement software and the radar can detect multiple objects, objects in open spaces, and target distance and speed. The RFCM talks to the flight controller and provides distance, warning and braking signals, preventing head-on collisions with obstacles. Press release: Aurora Flight Sciences and Socionext Develop Radar-Enabled Collision Protection Solution for Drones [PDF].

DHS SAVER Program Issues ‘Counter-Drone’ Procurement Guide for Emergency Responders

The DHS National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL) System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders (SAVER) program conducted a market survey of counter-unmanned aerial systems. The 19 page Market Survey Report: Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems [PDF] is intended to assist emergency responders in identifying useful products.

The thirteen systems identified range in price from $7,500 to $1.9 million. Eight systems can detect, track, classify and mitigate SUAS; two systems can detect, track and classify SUAS; and three systems can mitigate SUAS.

Market Survey Report: Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems. Source: DHS.

Driving licence for DRONES supported by majority of Brits, while 1 in 5 call for total ban

In a study commissioned by a UK tech firm Nominet, more than 2,000 British adults were surveyed. Nearly three-quarters of the respondents believe that flying a drone should require the equivalent of a driving licence. Thirty-seven percent said the Government should set up a body to manage drone ownership.

UAV211 Matternet Autonomous Drone Network

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The Matternet autonomous drone package delivery network, reasons the drone industry job market is hot, studying the risk of injury when drones strike people, drones and transmission line cable construction, actuator servos and the Aerosonde Mk4.7 sUAS, and a webinar for planning your drone program.

The Matternet Station for deliveries by autonomous drone. Courtesy Matternet.

UAV News

The first autonomous drone delivery network will fly above Switzerland starting next month

Matternet announced an autonomous drone network in Switzerland that will fly lab samples between hospitals, clinics, and labs. The permanent network seeks to make deliveries within 30 minutes. Matternet was granted authorization to operate drones over densely populated areas in Switzerland in March 2017. The company unveiled its “Matternet Station” that can be installed on rooftops or on the ground to send and receive packages by drone. Regular service is expected to start in early 2018. Matternet press release. [PDF]

The Matternet Station

https://youtu.be/dD1yyWuULCs

3 Reasons Why the Drone Industry Is Hiring Thousands of New Workers

In 2016, about $600 million in venture capital was invested in unmanned aerial tech. So far in 2017, $1.2 billion has been invested. Cited as reasons for a hot job market are: ease of obtaining an operator’s license, the ability of drones to fly in difficult environments, and corporate acquisitions of drone startups.

Risks vary widely in drone-human impacts

The Virginia Tech injury biomechanics group and its UAS test site (operated by the Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership) has released an academic study that quantifies the risk of injury associated with drones colliding with humans. The report, Ranges of Injury Risk Associated with Impact from Unmanned Aircraft Systems, was published in the Annals of Biomedical Engineering and looks at head and neck injury risk in different impact scenarios.

Virginia Tech dummy

Images courtesy Virginia Tech.

Sharper Shape and SkySkopes Successfully Execute First Transmission Line Cable Construction Mission using Drones

Sharper Shape and SkySkopes have successfully conducted a demonstration of transmission line cable construction using drones. A Sharper Shape A6 UAS was used to string sock lines for a 675 kV line construction project. This would typically be performed with helicopters or workers climbing the towers.

Sock Pulling Sharper Shape

Volz Servos’ DA 15-N Actuators have been Successfully Flying in Aerosonde Mk4.7 SUAS since 2010 Achieving Over 200,000 Flight Hours

Textron Systems Unmanned Systems division has been flying the Aerosonde Mk4.7 Small Unmanned Aircraft System (SUAS) since 2010 in support of U.S. DoD ISR services contracts. Powered by a Lycoming EL-005 engine, the Mk4.7 is designed for expeditionary land- and sea-based operations. Volz Servos’ DA 15-N actuators have performed for over 200,000 flight hours.

The Littlest Lycoming, EL-005

Skyward Webinar: How to Plan and Budget for Your Drone Program

This webinar is designed to get your drone strategy ready for 2018. Skyward and DARTdrones will walk through best practices for building and budgeting for a drone program. Thursday, October 12, 2017, 10 am – 11 am PST.

UAV195 Drone Registration Struck Down

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A court ruling halts recreational drone registration in the U.S. while China implements a new drone registration requirement. Also, a fast fixed-wing VTOL UAV, heavy-lift delivery drones, remote pilot training in Australia, a long-endurance solar powered unmanned sailplane, and some new drone swarming applications.

The Marlyn VTOL mapping and surveying drone. Courtesy Atmos UAV.

UAV News

Court Strikes Down Drone Registration Requirement

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has struck down the FAA’s drone registration requirement for recreational UAV operators. The three-judge panel agreed with John A. Taylor, a drone hobbyist represented by attorney Jonathan Rupprecht, who argued that the FAA requirement violated the 2012 FAA Modernization and Reform Act passed by Congress. Read the Court Opinion [PDF] and the Court Order [PDF]. Note that the ruling does not affect aircraft operated for commercial operations under Section 333 or Part 107. Rules for commercial operations remain the same. More details: Complete Guide to Taylor v. FAA (Drone Registration Lawsuit).

FAA Statement Regarding US Court of Appeals Decision

“We are carefully reviewing the U.S. Court of Appeals decision as it relates to drone registrations. The FAA put registration and operational regulations in place to ensure that drones are operated in a way that is safe and does not pose security and privacy threats. We are in the process of considering our options and response to the decision.”

Atmos UAV Launches Marlyn

The Atmos UAV Marlyn is a fixed-wing, VTOL UAV designed for high-speed mapping applications like land surveying, mining, precision agriculture, and forestry. It can be deployed from any surface, can map up to 10 times faster than a multirotor, and can fly in a broad range of weather conditions.

Heavy Duty Delivery Drones Coming From JD.com

JD.com says they are China’s largest retailer, online or offline, and they plan to build China’s largest low-altitude drone package delivery network. The heavy-lift drones are expected to carry more than a ton, transport products to remote areas, and move agricultural produce to cities. JD.com will also establish an R&D campus in partnership with the Xi’an National Civil Aerospace Industrial Base (XCAIB) where unmanned systems will be developed, manufactured and tested.

Changes to approved training

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), Australia’s national aviation authority is changing the practical training requirements for receiving an Australian Remote Pilot Licence (RePL) effective 1 June 2017. RePL applicants will satisfy the training requirements by completing a RePL training course conducted by a person holding a RPA Operator’s Certificate (ReOC) that authorized the training. Applicants can also apply to CASA for a flight test. CASA-approved training organisations are located across Australia, and a list of approved drone operators including those who can conduct training, is on the CASA website. More information about the advantages of holding a RePL can be found in Flying drones/remotely piloted aircraft in Australia.

Drone owners will now have to register with the government in China

Pilots of drones weighing 250 grams or more (0.55 pound) will be required to register with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). This requirement is effective June 1, 2017. Registration is online and real names must be used.

FAA releases registered private drone owner database

The Federal Aviation Administration has made available a database of registered drone owners. The spreadsheet shows the city, state and zip code of each registered drone owner.

NRL Tests Autonomous ‘Soaring with Solar’ Concept

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory is looking at long endurance unmanned sailplanes that use solar power. The Navy says, “The Solar Photovoltaic and Autonomous Soaring Base Program and the U.S. Marine Corps’ Expeditionary Energy Office (E2O) want to improve the ability of unmanned platforms to support 24-7 information, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.

DroneSeed Receives the First FAA Approval for Using Drone Swarming to Deliver Agricultural Payloads

DroneSeed has received approval from the FAA to deliver agricultural payloads with drone swarms. The company says, “We’re working with commercial foresters to make reforestation more efficient. Offering a one-stop solution, our team of drones plants tree seeds and sprays fertilizer and herbicides to keep trees healthy.”

Drone Swarms Could Spoof the Enemy

At the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference, the vice president of science and technology at Cintel said a web of swarming unmanned aircraft systems that can spoof enemy drones could be a solution to the shot doctrine problem when exercising counter-UAS capabilities.

UAV Video of the Week

Lockheed Martin Conducts First Underwater Unmanned Aircraft Launch from Unmanned Underwater Vehicle

Lockheed Martin successfully launched a Vector Hawk UAV on command from the Marlin MK2 autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). At the same time, the Submaran unmanned surface vehicle (USV) developed by Ocean Aero provided surface reconnaissance and surveillance.

Mentioned

Airplane Geeks episode 453 The Zunum Aero Electric Airplane.