The University of Maryland (UMD) A. James Clark School of Engineering has opened the only “university outdoor flight laboratory” for testing UAS in the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia region, and it is located just minutes away from the main College Park campus in the UMD Discovery District.
Known as the Fearless Flight Facility (F3), the facility, which is netted, will “serve as a catalyst for innovation in the areas of flight control, sensing, autonomy, collaboration, and counter-UAS.”
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Sharper Shape and SkySkopes use UAS for construction project
In cooperation with an investor owned utility, Sharper Shape and SkySkopes recently used a Sharper A6 UAS to “string sock lines for a 675 kV line construction project.”
Sock pulling, which is the “act of flying a strong and lightweight rope and attaching it to the towers,” is usually performed by the way of helicopters, or by workers climbing the towers, but these methods are dangerous for helicopter pilots and ground crews alike.
Using UAS, the previously complicated process that involves several steps of reattaching the rope is eliminated, which ultimately lowers the risk of injury for all parties involved.
Virginia Tech's Mark Blanks provides optimistic outlook on UAS
“Drones are going to change our daily experience.”
That was the opening statement of Mark Blanks, director of the Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (MAAP), during a media briefing in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 13.
There are a number of ways that UAS could change our daily experience, according to Blanks, with UAS package delivery, insurance claims, traffic management and air transportation being just the tip of the iceberg.
But before we can get to the point where UAS have a daily impact our lives, Blanks — who serves on the Board of Directors for AUVSI, and on the Advocacy Committee of AUVSI — says there are a number of hurdles that the industry has to surpass. Chief among these are security concerns, safety assurance and technology maturity.
Government representatives discuss impact of UAS during AUVSI’s Hill Day Luncheon
During AUVSI’s Hill Day luncheon on Sept. 12, Mark Bathrick of the U.S. Dept. of Interior (DOI) and Marke “Hoot” Gibson of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spoke about how their respective departments are using UAS for “mission-critical operations,” and also spoke about some of the latest policy developments to integrate the technology into the country’s airspace.
The discussion was led by AUVSI President & CEO, Brian Wynne.
For Bathrick, attending his first Hill Day, the reasoning for the DOI’s use of unmanned technology was quite simple from the start.
Drones, Droids and Unmanned Systems
Please join us at the beautiful Kah-Nee-Ta Resort and Spa for the Pacific Northwest's premier unmanned systems and robotics event. Celebrate the grandeur of central Oregon, enjoy superb hospitality, hear from industry leadership, see live UAS demonstrations and engage in awesome networking opportunities! We hope you will choose to support our 2nd Annual AUVSI Cascade Chapter STEM Benefit Dinner, the proceeds from which go to support STEM activities in Oregon and Washington. You'll even have a chance to take home a DJI drone! And please join us on Friday morning for our workshop on Part 107 to hear about common challenges for Remote Operators and then head for the Kah-Nee-Ta Golf Course to round out the conference activities. We look forward to seeing you there!
University of Colorado engineers develop new UAS swarming technology
A team of University of Colorado (CU) engineers has developed a new UAS swarming technology that allows multiple UAS to be controlled at the same time by a single operator.
In collaboration with the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, the CU team tested this new technology at the Pawnee National Grassland in Weld County, Colorado for three weeks in August.
According to the DailyCamera.com, this project was granted the “first-ever approval by the Federal Aviation Administration to allow multiple aircraft to be manned by a single pilot.”
University of Arkansas UAS experts provide seminar on technology to state’s public agencies
On August 31, experts in UAS at the University of Arkansas provided a four-hour seminar to public agencies in the state that are considering starting UAS programs.
Members of law enforcement, first responders, inspectors, the highway department and various state engineers attended the seminar.
During the seminar, some of the topics discussed included complying with FAA laws, selection of UAS, and sensors for different types of operations.
Topics presented during the seminar included management of risk and safety management systems, as well as how to develop effective policy and guidance.
Jerry Chism, director of the Arkansas Department of Aeronautics, says that UAS are very beneficial to the state of Arkansas.
Weekend Roundup
This Week in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World
In front of representatives of the Army and the special operation forces of Indonesia, UAVOS Inc. recently demonstrated an “unmanned aerial complex” with a gasoline-powered helicopter UVH-29E. The robotized helicopter demonstrated its biggest strength—being able to operate in a tropical and humid maritime climate—as it successfully completed all of its tasks. UAVOS investor and Board member Vadim Tarasov says that the UAV helicopter has a number of potential use cases, including anti-terrorist operations, law enforcement and intelligence operations, and search and rescue operations.
Hurricane relief efforts being powered by UAS
With hurricane season in full effect, unmanned aircraft have been pushed to the forefront as an innovative technology that can be used during relief efforts.
Just a few weeks ago, Hurricane Harvey throttled Texas and Louisiana, leaving billions of dollars’ worth of damage in its wake.
With mass flooding and other factors leaving areas difficult, or in some cases impossible, to navigate, UAS have become invaluable during the recovery efforts in Texas, especially in the Houston area which was hit the hardest.
This has been possible thanks to swift action from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which has been actively cooperating with UAS operators to get these systems into the sky quickly and effectively where they are most needed.
UAVOS launches projects for industrial use of UAS in Eastern Europe
UAVOS Inc., which a Mountain View, California-based developer of UAS and robotics, has announced the launch of several projects for the industrial use of UAS in Eastern Europe, which will feature UAVOS-developed UAS.
By introducing unmanned technologies, this long-term initiative by UAVOS will look to ultimately “increase the safety of inspection activities” by using robotic technologies to replace traditional methods of inspection in the oil, gas and energy sectors.
Another objective of the initiative is to reduce the budget that is typically spent by oil, gas and energy companies for “monitoring the use of ground vehicles, manpower, and manned equipment.”