UAS VISION
an independent online news service for the Unmanned Aircraft Systems world
A few years ago, Davide Scaramuzza’s lab at the University of Zurich introduced us to the usefulness of a kind of dynamic vision sensor called an event camera. Event cameras are almost entirely unlike a normal sort of camera, but they’re ideal for small and fast moving robots when you care more about not running into things than you do about knowing exactly what those things are. Continue reading
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) officially transitioned its production line from the MQ-1C Gray Eagle to its new long-range variant, the MQ-1C ER Gray Eagle Extended Range following the completion of the last contracted MQ-1C aircraft. Continue reading
Iris Automation, a San Francisco-based, venture-backed company, has made history by demonstrating the first long range, airborne sense and avoid system for industrial UAS as part of the FAA Pathfinder initiative. Although a dozen sense and avoid companies were invited, Iris Automation was the only airborne solution that participated. Continue reading
Commercial drones are lining up on the runway with high hopes for air traffic control systems tailored for unmanned vehicles. But a lack of appropriate regulations may keep them from getting off the ground for a while. That was the view from the Drone World Expo here. The event gathered proponents that ranged from Airbus, GE and Lockheed Martin to Facebook, Google and a White House science and technology advisor. Continue reading
Officials of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) issued a sources-sought notice Wednesday for the unmanned aerial system (UAS) integration in the national airspace (NAS) systems integration demonstration industry workshop — better-known as UAS-NAS — which will be 30 Nov. 2017 at the Kimpton Solamar Hotel, 435 6th Avenue at J Street, in San Diego. Continue reading
AeroVironment, Inc. has announced that its Puma AE and Raven small unmanned aircraft systems, the most widely deployed UAVs in the United States Department of Defense fleet, are being enhanced with new upgrades. The new aircraft, Puma 3 and Raven 3, will be unveiled at the AUSA Global Force Symposium in March 2018. Continue reading
Traditional methods involving helicopters for exploration are invasive and costly. Paired with the treacherous arctic conditions, including freezing temperatures and heavy winds, exploration from a boat in these remote areas is challenging even for the most experienced researchers. Continue reading
Lockheed Martin is being awarded a $9.4 million contract for the Low Power Laser Demonstrator (LPLD) that aims to fire a laser beam from a UAV. Under this contract, Lockheed will perform the next step for the LPLD Phase 1 effort that addresses laser power and aperture size by integrating and testing a low power laser on an unmanned aerial vehicle. Continue reading