A group of college aerospace engineering students in the 2012-2013 Aeronautics Academy at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center have proven German aerodynamicist Ludwig Prandtl’s theory on how to overcome one of the thorny problems of flight — adverse yaw due to induced drag — without relying on rudders or complicated computerized flight controls to accomplish it. Continue reading
Category Archives: Research
McGill Research Develops Autonomous Support for UAS
Research at McGill is helping the Canadian military develop UAS software for use in combat operations, according to documents obtained through the Access to Information (ATI) Act. Since 2011, the University has received more than $1 million in defence contracts from the Department of National Defence.
FAA Awards UAS Research Grant to Rutgers University
The Federal Aviation Administration awarded Rutgers University a contract to develop UAS, currently used by the military, for civilian use. The research will be ongoing over the next several years, he said. The FAA plans to take the results from the first phase of the project and present them to Congress in order to create more concrete parameters for the system designs. Continue reading
Fixed Wing UAS to Assess Bird Hazards on Power Lines
A team led by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) has used fixed-wing UAS in Spain with the aim of assessing their capabilities for assessing electrocution risk for birds. Continue reading
Unmanned Systems Canada Announces Three Phase 1 Winners in Student UAV competition
The mission for the competition is to address challenges commonly faced by the Oil and Gas, Mining and Agriculture industries. A judging panel, comprised of Canadian subject matter experts, has completed its independent review of the technical papers submitted by each team. Overall, the judges were impressed by the quality of the reports, the inclusion of new technologies into the systems and the way the solutions were presented. Continue reading
New Radar Technology Detects Small UAS
Cambridge innovators have worked with government in the UK to develop a new way to detect and track small, slow moving Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) using innovative radar technology. Plextek Consulting has collaborated with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) UAS R&D Programme on the solution. Continue reading
ARES Aims To Provide Front-Line Units With Mission-Tailored VTOL Capabilities
U.S. military experience has shown that rugged terrain and threats such as ambushes and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) can make ground-based transportation to and from the front lines a dangerous challenge. Combat outposts require on average 100,000 pounds of material a week, and high elevation and impassable mountain roads often restrict access. Helicopters are one solution, but the supply of available helicopters can’t meet the demand for their services, which cover diverse operational needs including resupply, tactical insertion and extraction, and casualty evacuation. Continue reading
Central Michigan University Acquires UAS to Help with Wetland Research
For professor Benjamin Heumann, and a group consisting of professors, graduate students and undergraduates, Central Michigan University’s new, 6-foot long, unmanned helicopter will help their wetlands research in ways they never thought possible. Continue reading