Tag Archives: Wingcopter

404 Drones Not UFOs

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:36 — 18.3MB)

Subscribe: Email | RSS

The Navy says they were drones not UFOs, an air assault experiment with a drone swarm, drone deployment planned for Africa, a drone that kills wasps, flying in the wind with deep learning, the unique view from above, and Walmart drone delivery service expansion.

UAV News

Navy Ships Swarmed By Drones, Not UFOs, Defense Officials Confirm

The U.S. Navy says the objects detected in 2019 off the California coast were drones. This comes from statements by Department of Defense officials at the recent House hearing on UFOs.

28-Drone Swarm Just Led The Way For A Simulated Air Assault Mission

At the 2022 Experimental Demonstration Gateway Exercise (EDGE 22) in Utah, the U.S. Army conducted an experiment where one operator controlled a swarm of 28 drones controlled through a mesh tactical network. The swarm searched for simulated enemy positions and sent back tactical data. The swarm was overseen by a surrogate for the Army’s Future Attack Recon Aircraft (FARA).

Wingcopter to deploy 12,000 delivery drones across sub-Saharan Africa

German drone delivery company Wingcopter and Continental Drones, a subsidiary of Ghana- and Dubai-based Atlantic Trust Holding, announced a partnership where they plan to build a network of 12,000 Wingcopter 198 drones in Africa. They’ll deliver health care products such as medicine, vaccines, and laboratory samples. The drones will be deployed over five years, starting in 2023 and the network will span 49 sub-Saharan countries.

Wasp-Killing spray drone finds new frontiers

AeroPest has created a precision spraying drone called the Hummingbird. It can be used to control elevated pests like wasps with an articulating nozzle. Other applications can apply liquid at any height, including de-icing fluid and industrial machinery lubrication. The system should be available 3rd quarter of 2022.

Neural-Fly Improves Drones’ Wind-Speed Capability – U.S. Study

California Institute of Technology (Caltech) engineers have created Neural-Fly, which uses deep-learning technology to allow drones can react to unexpected wind conditions in real-time. Research scientist Soon-Jo Chung explained: “The issue is that the direct and specific effect of various wind conditions on aircraft dynamics, performance, and stability cannot be accurately characterised as a simple mathematical model.” So they employ a technique called “separation” where the neural network is “pre-trained” and only a small number of parameters need to be altered in real-time.

Th-airs something you don’t see every day! Drone snaps reveal extraordinary sights only visible from above – from a crashed airplane to a 200ft stuffed rabbit

Aerial photographs reveal things that cannot be appreciated from the ground. This article presents photos including the Pegasus Airlines plane that went off the runway in Turkey, a 200-foot rabbit that was an art installation in Italy, a selfie from the top of a wind turbine, and many others.

Walmart is expanding its drone deliveries to reach 4 million households

Walmart intends to offer drone-delivered packages from 34 stores by the end of 2022 from stores in Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Texas, Utah, and Virginia. Items must weigh less than 10 pounds and orders will be taken between 8 AM and 8 PM. A $3.99 delivery charge will be applied to the service provided by DroneUp.

373 ASRS for UAS Operators

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:21 — 23.6MB)

Subscribe: Email | RSS

The NASA/FAA ASRS safety reporting system is now extended to UAS operators. Also, an autonomy Level 4 drone, learning from dragonflies, a triple-drop drone, a possible ADS-B solution for UAVs, getting your groceries delivered in Ohio, and a virtual UAS Symposium.

UAV News

FAA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) now available for drones

NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) collects confidential information about near misses from pilots and others. The data is used by the FAA to make aviation safer while maintaining confidentiality to maximize the number of incidents reported. Aviation Safety Reporting Program (ASRP) for UAS describes how “NASA’s ASRS has a reporting form tailored to the UAS community. This will ensure that the safety data that is collected will result in actionable information for the entire aviation community.”

Exyn Technologies’ drones achieve autonomy milestone with on-board mapping

Drones from Exyn Technologies have reached “Level 4A” autonomy and can explore a designated 3D area without a remote operator and operate without GPS. All spatial and mapping computations are done onboard, and unlike Level 3 autonomy, they do not  require an operator who can take over if required.

The company says, “We developed an autonomous system that can take you into dark, dirty, dangerous environments. Place it at the edge of danger and send it off to collect the information that you need. Oftentimes the information you need is beyond the line of sight, both in terms of communications as well as visual.”

See The 6 Levels of Vehicle Autonomy Explained for more.

Future drones likely to resemble 300-million-year-old flying machine

Researchers at the University of South Australia designed and tested components of a dragonfly-inspired drone. They describe the dragonfly as the “apex insect flyer” because of its flying abilities. The team modelled the aerodynamic properties of the dragonfly’s body, studied dragonfly wing geometry of 75 species, and created 3D images of the wings. The researchers believe drones that mimic dragonflies could perform many tasks, such as collecting and delivering unbalanced loads, safely operating near people, exploring delicate natural environments, and executing long surveillance missions.

Published in the journal Drones, 27 March 2021: Biomimetic Drones Inspired by Dragonflies Will Require a Systems Based Approach and Insights from Biology

Wingcopter debuts a triple-drop drone to create ‘logistical highways in the sky’

Wingcopter is a German startup that calls their Wingcopter 198 “the world’s first triple-drop delivery drone.” It’s fully autonomous, fixed-wing, BVLOS, and one operator can manage up to 10 Wingcopter 198s simultaneously. It has quick-swap batteries and can deliver up to 3 packages in a single flight. The company is currently pursuing certification from the FAA that would allow it to operate commercial flights in the United States.

New Patent Integrates UAS into National Airspace Systems, Enables ADS-B Inert & Alert Capability

The patent from uAvionix (U.S. Patent 10,991,260) is titled “Intelligent Non-Disruptive ADS-B Integration for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).” The uAvionix patent claims to allow UAS to use ADS-B in a way that minimizes spectrum use. Under the Inert and Alert Concept, the UAS ADS-B solution stays “inert” or in a “listen” mode that is not broadcasting. However, when a safety-critical event takes place, the UAV begins broadcasting its ADS-B position as an “alert.” Once the conditions are safe again, the system reverts to its “inert” state.

Kroger to Deliver Groceries Via Autonomous Drones in Ohio

Forget something for your picnic or barbeque? Drones can help you out in Centerville

Supermarket chain Kroger wants to deliver groceries with autonomous drones, and they are starting a pilot program in Centerville, Ohio, south of Dayton using drones from Drone Express. Test flights near the Kroger Marketplace in Centerville will be managed by licensed Drone Express pilots from an on-site trailer, with additional off-site monitoring. Customer deliveries should begin within a few months and a second pilot is scheduled to start this summer at a Ralphs store in California.

FAA To Host Second Virtual UAS Symposium

The FAA has announced that it will be hosting a two-part virtual UAS/drone symposium in 2021. What the FAA is calling Episode III is scheduled for June 9-10. Episode IV is September 14-15. The FAA notes, “Each episode will feature keynote presentations, expert panels, guided and non-guided networking discussions, one-on-one meetings with experts in the FAA UAS Support Center, and informational sessions with live Q&A.”

Episode III in June will focus on international operations, STEM, public safety operations, recreational drone operations and commercial drone operations.

Episode IV will address UAS traffic management, technology, the FAA BEYOND program, advanced air mobility and international operations.

The symposium is co-hosted by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI).

FAA UAS Symposium program

Commercial UAV Expo Americas, September 7-9, Las Vegas

Showcasing the global commercial UAV industry, with a special focus on solutions in the Americas region and urban air mobility. Collocated with the Urban Air Mobility Summit.

Commercial UAV Expo Europe, December 7-9 Amsterdam

In its third year, this show co-locates with Amsterdam Drone Week for 2021. This leading pan-European conference and expo is focused on commercial drones.

Video of the Week: 

The makers of that Bryant Lake Bowl drone video now have a Mall of America version

Rally Studios of Minneapolis released a first-person video from the Mall of America and its indoor theme park, Nickelodeon Universe.

Video: The Quack Attack is Back

Wingcopter/UPS delivery drone

323 Drones and Low Altitude Operators

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 33:50 — 23.3MB)

Subscribe: Email | RSS

An FAA Request For Information from low altitude operators, drones with super-fast reaction times, the Northern Plains UAS Test site wants to deliver packages, drone deliveries are underway in a small Virginia town, a European program to integrate drones into the airspace, UPS and Wingcopter plan for drone deliveries, using quadcopters to map inaccessible historic ruins, and Reaper replacements.

UAV News

FAA Seeks Information on Low Altitude Operators for UAS Rulemaking

The FAA wants to hear from operators who fly at low altitudes, such as pilots who fly aerial firefighting, agriculture, survey, pipeline and infrastructure patrols. The FAA Request for Information is titled: FAA Low Altitude Manned Aviator Participation In UAS Remote Identification Request for Information. “This RFI seeks input from the manned aviation community regarding whether and/or how they can potentially receive and use UAS remote ID information to further enhance safety, by reducing collision risks at lower altitudes.” Responses will be accepted until April 16, 2020.

Researchers from the University of Zurich have demonstrated a drone that can detect and avoid fast-moving objects

Researchers have fitted a quadcopter with what they call “Event Cameras” and used algorithms that allow a reaction time of a few milliseconds. The results are published in the journal Science Robotics. The PhD student that authored the paper says, “Our ultimate goal is to make one-day autonomous drones navigate as good as human drone pilots. Currently, in all search and rescue applications where drones are involved, the human is actually in control. If we could have autonomous drones navigate as reliable as human pilots we would then be able to use them for missions that fall beyond line of sight or beyond the reach of the remote control.”

ND Sen, UAS test team working with FAA on drone delivery waiver

The Northern Plains UAS Test site had asked the FAA to consider allowing drone delivery operations. Now Senator John Hoeven, has asked the FAA’s Administer, Stephen Dickson, to allow the use of drones to deliver supplies to areas in urgent need: “Small UAS can accelerate the delivery of critically-needed supplies across the country, such as food and medicine, saving time and money, while also reducing the risks of transmitting COVID-19. We’re working with the FAA to get the right waivers in place so these kinds of low-risk, high-reward operations can move forward.”

Virginia Town Where Drone Deliveries are Daily

Christiansburg, Virginia is a small town of about 22,000 people south of Roanoke, right on I-81. In October 2019, the Wing subsidiary of Alphabet started deliveries by drone and Christiansburg became the first town in the U.S. to see drone delivery to a customer’s doorstep.

SUGUS kicks off, a European project for integrating drones into airspace

SUGUS is an 18-month, 485,000-euro, European Union R&D project – the “Solution for E-GNSS U‑Space Service.” It’s designed to speed up the takeup of GNSS and Galileo in the UAV segment. GMV has been awarded the project to lead the consortium. A series of trials will be held to show the benefits of E-GNSS for drone operators as well as its approval by aviation authorities.

Wingcopter flies into delivery partnership with UPS

UPS Flight Forward (UPSFF) and German UAV startup Wingcopter are collaborating to develop a next-generation delivery drone solution for packages. UPS Flight Forward says they are “building a network of technology partners to broaden our unique capability to serve customers and extend our leadership in drone delivery.” Wingcopter VTOL drones have four rotors that swivel 90 degrees, a range of 75 miles, autonomous flight capabilities, and the ability to fly in extreme weather.

Exploring Shetland’s uninhabited Kame of Isbister with GNSS and UAV

The Kame of Isbister is an uninhabited rocky promontory in Shetland. There are old structures there that are not visible from the sea or the nearby land. This inaccessible location is being studied using drones to create a 3D model as well as an orthomosaic and digital terrain model. The team consists of Shetland Flyer Aerial Media, Shetland College UHI, and the Institute for Northern Studies.

Could a commercial drone replace the MQ-9 Reaper? The Air Force is considering it.

The Air Force assistant secretary for acquisition, technology and logistics, said the service is working on a study for the fiscal 2022 budget that will describe how the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper can be replaced, possibly by several different unmanned aircraft.