UAS VISION
an independent online news service for the Unmanned Aircraft Systems world
Airliner cockpit for impact testing (left) and computer reference model
The Department for Transport, the Military Aviation Authority and British Airline Pilots’ Association commissioned a study into the effects of a mid-air collision between small remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS, commonly known as a drones) and manned aircraft. Continue reading
Drone with Butterfleye LS hyperspectral images
Precision farming is set to become even more precise with a new camera drawing on satellite imaging. Thanks to research with ESA on new cameras, hyper-spectral cameras flying on drones are now able to see details as small as 4–5 cm. Continue reading
China is developing an airborne mobile Wi-Fi hub in near space with solar-powered drones. The Feiyun (“Flying Cloud”) project is able to secure emergency communication for more than one week and proof of concept is expected to be demonstrated before the end of year. Continue reading
Jarrod Hodgson/Unmanned Research Aircraft Facility University of Adelaide
An experiment using fake ducks to stand in for the real thing has found that when it comes to counting birds, drones beat humans. Jarrod Hodgson and his colleagues at the University of Adelaide in Australia had previously used aerial images from drones to count seabirds and found that the drones had a more comprehensive view of the colonies than the people trying to count them on the ground. Continue reading
A model of the EHang 184 at the World Government Summit 2017 in Dubai’s Madinat Jumeirah
Chinese small unmanned-aircraft manufacturer Ehang plans the launch next year of a commercial version of its autonomous single-passenger vertical-takeoff-and-landing air vehicle that flies without a pilot, under the control of a plug-and-play iPad. Continue reading
A Perth student has built a high-performance drone with a new kind of battery that allows it to fly faster for longer, hitting speeds up to 65 kilometres per hour. Continue reading
Forest fires are common phenomena and they often lead to fatal consequences. Both on the environment but also on people and animals living in the area. Continue reading
The U.S. federal research facility Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) needed something that could carry lots of equipment to measure solar irradiance, three-dimensional windspeed, and analyze air particulates. It needed an aircraft to help climate scientists understand what’s happening in an ecosystem undergoing a massive transformation. However, a manned aircraft would be too expensive (and potentially dangerous), and no existing drone fit the bill. Continue reading