Tag Archives: Skysense

UAV254 Unmanned Aviation Companies Partner Up

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AgEagle is set to acquire Agribotix, Skysense and Avansig partner on indoor surveillance drones, DARPA investigates high-speed indoor drones with partners, Boeing and SparkCognition bring AI and blockchain to unmanned aircraft system traffic management, GE Aviation links with Korea’s Kookmin University to study future systems and possible uses for UAVs.

DARPA Fast Lightweight Autonomy (FLA) program. Courtesy DARPA.

UAV News

AgEagle Signs Agreement to Acquire Agricultural Analytics Company Agribotix

AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc. is acquiring Agribotix, LLC. AgEagle offers 3 fixed-wing drones for precision agriculture, while Agribotix is a precision agriculture software company that provides imaging and data analysis. AgEagle plans to integrate the Agribotix FarmLens data analytics platform into AgEagle’s offerings. FarmLens software takes remotely sensed imagery and develops crop reports.

AgEagle plans to hold a conference call on Tuesday, August 7, 2018, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time to discuss the acquisition of Agribotix and new sustainability initiatives. The conference call will be broadcast live and available for replay here. Details:

Conference Call Date: Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Time: 1:00 p.m. Eastern time (12:00 p.m. Central time)
Toll-free dial-in number: 877-473-2646
International dial-in number: 702-374-0792
Conference ID: 3462458

Get Ready for Indoor Surveillance Drones

Avansig and Skysense announced a joint venture to develop a fully automated indoor drone security service. Automated drone “security guards” would follow a pre-programmed route, livestream video, and flag any detected security concerns. The drone would return to a charging pad when batteries get low.

Skysense is currently focused on research, development, and production of charging pads and “droneports.” Avansig is a Spanish information and communication technology company that produces “smart drones” for indoor navigation. Press release: Avansig & Skysense – Autonomous Drone Solution for Indoor Surveillance.

Faster, Lighter, Smarter: DARPA Gives Small Autonomous Systems a Tech Boost

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has completed Phase 2 of its Fast Lightweight Autonomy (FLA) program. DARPA says, “The goal of the FLA program is to explore non-traditional perception and autonomy methods that could enable a new class of algorithms for minimalistic high-speed navigation in cluttered environments.” DARPA wants to develop small autonomous UAVs that can fly up to 45 mph with no communication links to the operator and without GPS guidance.

Video: Fast Lightweight Autonomy (FLA) Phase 2 Flight Testing

Boeing to Establish New Aerospace & Autonomy Center

The Boeing Aerospace & Autonomy Center “advances the development of next-generation aircraft and the enabling technologies that allow for safe, autonomous flight.” Boeing says their Aurora Flight Sciences subsidiary will operate the 100,000 square foot center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It will be located in a new 17-floor building in Kendall Square on the east side of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus. When the Center is opened in 2020, both Boeing and Aurora engineers will move in.

Boeing, SparkCognition to shape the future of travel and transport

Last month at the Farnborough Air Show, Boeing announced it is collaborating with artificial intelligence (AI) technology company SparkCognition to deliver unmanned aircraft system traffic management (UTM) solutions. Boeing and SparkCognition will track unmanned air vehicles in flight using AI and blockchain technologies, then allocate traffic corridors and routes. They also say they’ll “provide a standardized programming interface to support package delivery, industrial inspection and other commercial applications.”

GE Aviation Signs Agreement for Future Systems Studies with Kookmin University

GE Aviation and Kookmin University in Seoul, Korea have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to study various future systems, procedures and possible uses for UAVs. Kookmin University established the Defense UAS Research & Development Center in April 2018. Alan Caslavka, president of Avionics Systems for GE Aviation, said, “This collaboration builds upon our experience with Kookmin University in Aviation and recent indigenous new UAV testing in South Korea. Our ongoing work with Kookmin will help validate various technologies as we work globally to accelerate safe unmanned air systems.”

UAV Video of the Week

How to shoot surfing with a drone

Surfer Today has tips and techniques for creating videos of surfers with drones. They describe selecting the right drone, drone settings and where to film from, as well as drone altitude, flying techniques, and best angles. The article finishes with a video:

Koa Smith Skeleton Bay 2018: 1 wave, 8 Barrels

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UAV153 ADS-B Out for Small UAS

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Flightradar24 and Skysense collaborate on ADS-B for drones, Boeing establishes the Collaborative Autonomous Systems Laboratory, Kansas chooses an unmanned aircraft director, Eurotunnel employs UAVs, implications of AI, and DJI updates its geofencing capability.

Flightradar 24 and the Skysense BCON1

News

The Site That Lets You Track Planes In Real-Time Wants to Track Drones Too

Flightradar24 and Skysense are partnering to bring ADS-B solutions to drones. Flightradar24 is investing capital in Skysense, who will use the investment for product development. Skysense has been developing small, lightweight ADS-B OUT boards for small UAS and manned aircraft. They call their BCON1, “the world’s lightest, most energy-efficient and smallest ADS-B OUT device for drones.”

Boeing Opens Collaborative Autonomous Systems Laboratory in Missouri

The new 8,100-square-foot Collaborative Autonomous Systems Laboratory (CASL) will conduct research to test hardware and software that makes autonomous vehicles work together more effectively as a team or unit. The Lab will work with academic institutions, research partners, government agencies.

Kansas names Air Force veteran first unmanned aircraft director

Kansas has chosen Bob Brock to be its first director of unmanned aircraft systems, reporting to the state’s director of aviation. Brock had a 22-year career in the Air Force and held positions in intelligence and special operations units utilizing drones. He’ll help develop drone-related businesses, ensure safe operation of drones by individuals and companies, and developing a plan with the Department of Commerce and the Department of Agriculture to bring jobs to Kansas.

Drones deployed to keep migrants and refugees out of Channel Tunnel amid warnings of post-Brexit surge

Eurotunnel operates the 30-mile tunnel between Britain and France, and they had already been thinking about tracking people seeking asylum. With the Brexit vote, they are even more concerned about migrants passing through the tunnel before it becomes more difficult to get into Britain. To help address this, Eurotunnel has demonstrated using small surveillance drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras if they believe people are in the 18-mile secure zone surrounding the tunnel entrance in France.

Is AI The Worst Mistake In Human History?

This LinkedIn “Pulse” article by John Battelle looks at the possible implications of a world dominated by Artificial Intelligence, also called Machine Learning and Cognitive Computing.

DJI makes it easier to keep your drone out of no-fly zones

DJI is making improvements to the geofencing system employed by its Phantom and Inspire drones. Permanent and temporary flight restrictions are included, as well as a process to unlock the geofence when that is necessary.

Connecticut father, son fight Federal Aviation Administration over gun-firing, flame-throwing drones

A teenager and his father are refusing to comply with subpoenas ordering them to provide information about the videos they posted. They claim the subpoenas violate their constitutional rights, and they question the FAA’s authority to regulate recreational drones. During questioning for an unrelated assault event, police seized the teen’s phone and reportedly found material that could lead to felony charges.

Video of the Week

Salmon Seining

Listener Josh Jarvis is a commercial fisherman in Southeast Alaska who started flying drones in 2013. After receiving encouraging feedback about his video clips on Instagram, he edited this video that shows commercial salmon fishing in Alaska. Josh has a video channel for his other drone video projects, all filmed with a Phantom 2 and a GoPro HERO3+.

Feedback

This X-shaped sensor will alert you to incoming drones, so you can freak out

FAA Part 107 Frequently Asked Questions in Drone Law by Jonathan Rupprecht

US sUAS/Drone Owner Maps

UAV075 Charge Your Drone on a Pad

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:16 — 16.2MB)

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A charging pad for your drone, USAF Unmanned Systems faces a huge manpower problem, real estate and agriculture gain FAA exemptions, timeline for ICAO RPAS standards, and UAS in Canada.

News

New Charging Pad for Parrot Drones Changes the Way You Charge Your Batteries

The portable Skysense Charging Pad is said to support nearly all existing multicopters and VTOL aircraft. Plug the Pad into an electrical outlet, land your drone on the Pad, and your batteries will charge at the same rate as your regular charging cable. Pads are available in different widths and should ship next month.

Skysense also offers the Droneport, “a protective closed structure that is managed remotely and can hold a Skysense Charging Pad and your drone. It also provides synching of sensor data to the cloud and connectivity within your Skysense Droneport network.”

Drone War pushes pilots to the Breaking Point

The U.S, Department of Defense wants 61 Combat Air Patrols (CAP) per day by April 15. Each CAP requires four Predators or Reapers for 24-hour coverage. These require ten “men” per drone per CAP, for a total of forty. With a shortage of drone pilots, the crews have high workload and low morale.

FAA Grants Real Estate, Agricultural UAS Exemptions

The FAA granted two exemptions on January 6. One was to Douglas Trudeau with Tierra Antigua Realty in Tucson, Arizona. Their DJI Phantom 2+ quad will be used to “enhance academic community awareness and augment real estate listing videos.”

The second exemption was to Advanced Aviation Solutions in Spokane, Washington. Their fixed wing senseFly eBee will fly to take “photographic measurements and perform crop scouting for precision agriculture.”

Both still need a COA “that ensures the airspace for their proposed operations is safe, and that they have taken proper steps to see and avoid other aircraft. In addition, the COAs will mandate flight rules and timely reporting of any accident or incidents.”

The FAA has received 214 requests for exemptions from commercial entities.

ICAO Panel Will Recommend First UAV Standards in 2018

The International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) new Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) Panel is focusing “on development of standards and recommended practices (SARPs) for adoption by the Council of ICAO in 2018 related to airworthiness, operations (including RPAS operator certification) and licensing of remote pilots.” Detect and avoid regulations are to follow in 2020.

Cameraman hit with $1,000 fine for filming with drone

The co-founder of a Canadian video and photography company that uses drones was fined by Transport Canada after a real estate shoot. He’s fighting the fine, saying that Transport Canada’s rules on flying unmanned aerial aircraft are not clear.

City man has high hopes for school for drone pilots

Buoyant Aircraft Systems International in Winnipeg wants to develop a flight school for UAV pilots. They plan to take the idea to Transport Canada’s UAV working group in April for approval, and could be teaching by August, if approved.

Video of the Week

Coast Guard Helo takes out drone

In August 2014, a hurricane caused heavy surf off the coast of California. That brought out body surfers, boogie boarders, and surfers, along with thousands of spectators and some camera-equipped quadcopters. One of the copters didn’t fare too well in the Coast Guard helicopter downdraft.

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50 Things You Can Do With A Drone

Some applications you’ve seen before, some you haven’t, and some you shouldn’t.