The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina has purchased a new UAS.
The UAS will be used in conjunction with the sheriff's office’s helicopter for various operations such as search and rescue missions, locating the elderly as a part of Project Life Saver, and locating potentially dangerous fleeing suspects.
The sheriff’s office says that UAS offer capabilities that helicopters do not for certain missions. UAS take less time to deploy, and they can also help find subjects that are located in areas where an extended aerial view may be limited.
Technology
Technology
N.C. A&T professor to help NCDOT examine how UAS can be used to inspect bridges
In October, a North Carolina Agricultural and Technical (A&T) State University professor will help the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) on a project to examine how UAS can be used to inspect aging civil infrastructure.
Milrem Robotics delivers THeMIS UGVs to Royal Netherlands Army
Milrem Robotics recently delivered two of its THeMIS UGVs to the Robot and Autonomous Systems (RAS) Unit of the 13th Light Brigade of the Royal Netherlands Army.
The robots were delivered for the Army's Concept Development and Experimentation Project, which examines how to take advantage of the possibilities new unmanned platforms provide for increasing combat power and decreasing risk to soldiers.
The THeMIS UGVs were delivered in transport configuration together with initial spare parts and accessories. Milrem will also provide operator and maintenance training, tactical deployment know-how and life cycle support and upgrades during a two-year period.
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approves Public Safety small UAS program
On Tuesday, May 21, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve a Public Safety small UAS program in Fairfax County, Virginia.
Vestas selects Sulzer Schmid, WKA to inspect wind turbines using UAS
Wind turbine company Vestas has selected Sulzer Schmid, a Swiss UAS technology company for rotor blade inspections, and WKA, a blade inspection and repair service provider, to conduct a large UAS-based blade inspection campaign in Scandinavia on 1,250 wind turbines in less than 12 weeks.
Located across Sweden and Finland, the blades of the 1,250 Vestas turbines must be inspected by the end of June, just in time for the beginning of the repair work season, which traditionally takes place during the less windy summer months.
To meet this tight deadline, Vestas opted for UAS, which is the “only approach that can meet its high-quality standards within such a demanding time-frame,” the companies say.
DJI equipping new consumer drones with airplane and helicopter detectors
As part of a 10-point plan to “ensure the world’s skies remain safe in the drone era,” DJI has announced that it will install airplane and helicopter detectors in new consumer drones.
AirSense technology, which receives ADS-B signals from nearby airplanes and helicopters and warns UAS pilots if they appear to be on a collision course, will be integrated into all new DJI drone models released after January 1, 2020 that weigh more than 250 grams. According to DJI, this will be the largest single deployment of ADS-B collision awareness technology to date, and will set a new standard by putting professional-grade aviation safety technology in drones available to everyone.
Alpha Unmanned Systems' Alpha 800 selected as UAS platform for H2020 ResponDrone Project
Alpha Unmanned Systems has announced that its Alpha 800 has been selected as the UAS platform for the European Union's three year €8.3 Million H2020 ResponDrone Project.
According to Alpha, the Alpha 800 will be used to demonstrate how multi-UAS operation can deliver high value data and services for first responders following a disaster.
The project, which kicked off on Monday, May 20 in Madrid, Spain, is made up of 20 companies—including Thales, IAI and DLR—from 12 countries. Alpha says that it will manage all flights and systems integration into both the Alpha 800s and the cloud-based data analysis platforms.
MIT, U.S. Air Force launching program to advance artificial intelligence
In an effort to make “fundamental advances” in artificial intelligence (AI) that could improve Air Force operations, while also addressing broader societal needs, MIT and the U.S. Air Force have signed an agreement to launch a new program called the MIT-Air Force AI Accelerator.
Leveraging the expertise and resources of MIT and the Air Force, the effort will be used to conduct fundamental research directed at “enabling rapid prototyping, scaling, and application of AI algorithms and systems.”
Building off of its five-decade relationship with MIT, the Air Force plans to invest approximately $15 million per year in the effort.
Soldiers train with first personal UAS in the U.S. Army
From April 29 to May 3, Program Executive Office Soldier (PEO Soldier) fielded the first personal UAS in the U.S. Army to soldiers of 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Along with inventory and taking possession of the technology, soldiers also spent the week-long fielding receiving classroom instruction on the system's capabilities, its controls, and how to operate it.
