A disaster site. A rainforest. A battlefield. These places have something in common: we have a need to understand what’s going on where established infrastructure can’t give us good data. Advances in computation, fabrication, and materials over the last half-century have resulted in small, cheap, and lightweight sensors that can provide us with these data; now the task is to find ways to deploy such sensors rapidly and effectively. Continue reading
Airborne Inspectors Could Help Control Corrosion
It has long been recognised that drones also have potential in the offshore wind industry where, it is anticipated, they could provide significant cost and efficiency benefits. Work undertaken to date in the RepaKorr project suggests that these potential benefits extend to new, more cost-effective ways to detect corrosion. Continue reading NBAA Highlights Advantages of Integrating sUAS
With more than 2.5 million small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) operating in the U.S., and the FAA poised to release its new Part 107 rules governing commercial sUAS use, interest in the technology has never been higher. Continue reading
US Air Force wants Machine-to-Machine UAS Software
The US Air Force, which is planning on developing unmanned aerial systems that can work autonomously and in teams, is looking for the next generation of machine-to-machine teaming software, which could enable UAS to operate in “swarms.”
Special Ops Hand-Launched UAS Failed Tests
U.S. Special Operations Command bought dozens of hand-launched drones that failed military tests and may not be able to meet mission requirements in the harsh environments they were designed for, according to a newly released report from the Defense Department’s inspector general.
Drone Pilot Convicted in New Zealand Test Case
Fire crews and a helicopter battle a blazing scrub fire at Pines Beach, North Canterbury in January. A drone operator who was shooting footage in the area on the same day has been prosecuted for flying without permission.The drone pilot who recorded footage close to the scene of the fire has been convicted of breaching controlled airspace. Continue reading
NRL Wants to Improve Joint ISR Missions
The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Radar Division has teamed with San Diego-based General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. to integrate maritime mode inverse synthetic aperture radar (maritime-ISAR) imaging capability with GA-ASI’s Lynx Multi-Mode Radar deployed on its Unmanned Aerial Systems. Continue reading
US Army Corps of Engineers Buys Swedish UAS
Sweden’s SmartPlanes has, after presentations held with VCU, Virginia Commonwealth University, and USACE, US Army Corps of Engineers, received orders for its fixed wing UAS, Unmanned Aerial Systems, Freya, equipped with multiple sensors. Continue reading