DARPA Wants to Track UAS Over Urban Environments

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Airspace for the flying public today is perpetually congested yet remarkably safe, thanks in no small part to a well-established air traffic control system that tracks, guides and continuously monitors thousands of flights a day. When it comes to small unmanned aerial systems (UAS) such as commercial quadcopters, however, no such comprehensive tracking system exists. Continue reading

Drones Cut Cost of Thermographic PV Panel Inspections

skycatch- Drones could cut the cost of thermographic PV panel inspections to between €1,800 and €2,750 a day, covering two hectares an hour, Solarplaza has learned. The cost is a typical daily rate for a pilot and a sensor operator and drone inspections from a height of 15 metres yield “very accurate results,” said Benjamin Federmann, director of marketing and communications at specialist firm Aibotix. Continue reading