Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 17.61
…help drone operations beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) or in GPS-denied environments? Sweet: Yes – many enterprise robots are using 4G as a robust telemetry backhaul for tracking. 5G significantly increases network capacity to enable video, edge AI processing, and real-time command and control. 5G connectivity provides ultra-high reliability and low latency connectivity during flight, allowing drones to operate BVLOS. 5G’s low latency is especially useful in navigation scenarios where drones fly in GPS-denied environments. In this use case, drones can’t use GPS and rely on VIO to navigate in areas where the pilot’s view is obscured. 5G…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 20.77
…SATCOM to our unmanned aircraft platforms unlocks global beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) connectivity for command-control, as well as mission-specific data relay. Our customers will enjoy the ability to connect to their assets anytime, anywhere, without the need to set up elaborate ground-based BVLOS infrastructure.” Pipistrel designs and manufactures small aircraft. With more than 30 years of experience, the Slovenia-based company has produced more than 2,200 aircraft to date. It has also developed propulsion systems, including batteries, power controllers, and electric motors, for small and general aviation class of aircraft for NASA and Siemens, among others. The company said it was the first…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 12.41
…software for complex operations such as beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) flights and universal traffic management (UTM). The FAA is also working with American Robotics Inc. and Scientific Applications & Research Associates Inc. (SARA) on applying SARA's acoustics-based collision-avoidance technology with American Robotics' Scout drones. In February, Verizon said it would acquire incubed IT, which has built software providing autonomous navigation tools for managing mixed fleets of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) in industrial settings. Robotics Business Technology will also include a team focused on automating command and control of robots on Verizon’s 5G Ultra-Wideband network. In May, Verizon said its New…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 11.76
…Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for automated beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) operations with no humans on site. In the six months since it received FAA approval, the company has reported an 80% increase in business-development activity in key industrial sectors, including infrastructure. In addition, the MassRobotics member said it has supported its rapid growth by adding team members such as Kevin Willis, who was recently appointed as vice president of sales. In just six months, American Robotics has increased full-time employees by 90%, and it said it expects its headcount to grow at a similar rate through 2021 and 2022. American…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 43.92
…FAA's rulemaking committee to advance beyond visual line-of-sight, or BVLOS, drone flights. The committee will provide recommendations for regulations to normalize safe, viable, and scalable BVLOS operations to support the $100 billion commercial drone industry. “American Robotics is excited to participate in pushing forward BVLOS regulations alongside the FAA to develop safe integration of UAS [unmanned aerial systems] into our National Airspace System,” said Reese Mozer, co-founder and CEO of American Robotics. “Our groundbreaking FAA approval in January 2021 was an important and significant step forward for the commercial drone community as a whole.” Roboticists from Carnegie Mellon University and…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 21.31
…developing airborne acoustic sensors needed for beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) flights, addressing business and regulatory hurdles to commercial UAS operations. SARA said its Terrestrial Acoustic Sensor Array (TASA) can effectively identify other aircraft and maintain a safe distance from them while in flight. It can detect aircraft even when the line of sight is obscured by trees, buildings, darkness, fog, or terrain features, claimed the company. Combining patented microphone technology and advanced signal-processing algorithms, a single TASA unit can detect aircraft bearing, approximate range, and determine aircraft threat status over a full 360 degree field-of-regard, said SARA. TASA is tightly…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 13.20
…and moving vehicles” beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS). DroneUp also provides drone services to government organizations in 11 states. Furner added that Walmart has “4,700 stores stocked with more than 100,000 of the most-purchased items, located within 10 miles of 90% of the U.S. population.” Hundreds of drone deliveries were conducted during Walmart's initial testing with DroneUp. “The trial demonstrated we could offer customers delivery in minutes versus hours,” said Furner. “In the coming months, we'll be beginning our first operation at a store in Bentonville, Ark.” “Conducting drone deliveries at scale is within reach,” Furner said. “DroneUp’s…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 32.86
…and demonstrate their progress in a beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) demonstration in Munich next year. “We are very excited to work together with the leading player in the aerial autonomy industry,” stated Christophe Hommet, chief VoloDrone engineer at Volocopter. “Near Earth Autonomy has years of experience, shown real results, and is going to help our VoloDrone stay ahead of the curve with autonomous capabilities.” “Volocopter’s track record, unique safety design, and vision have established it as the leader in the eVTOL industry,” said Sanjiv Singh, CEO of Near Earth Autonomy. “We look forward to proving autonomy systems for their aircraft.…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 8.99
…now issues Part 107 waivers for beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) flights, such exemptions took a while to create, slowing the growth of the drone industry. “Right now, the technology is more advanced than regulations allow,” Rabkin said. “We still have two people right now—a pilot and an inspector—but as drones beome more automated, we'll see several drones monitored from a central, remote location, depending on safety regulations. In some verticals, you might have a single drone operator who is not necessarily a trained pilot in two to five years.” Are fully autonomous drone inspections coming for every market? “The systems…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 19.51
…as the first system for automated beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) operations with no humans on-site. The company said this approval gives it an exclusive first-mover advantage to unlock the commercial drone market by overcoming the need for costly visual observers to be on the ground during every drone flight. With humans removed from the field and data processing achieved at the edge, users can reduce data-acquisition costs by more than tenfold, said AR. American Robotics said Scout System consists of the following: Scout, a fully autonomous drone with advanced imaging payloads ScoutBase, a ruggedized base station for housing, charging, data…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 7.06
…helping to understand what's going to be required when it comes to battery and power for beyond visual line-of-sight [BVLOS] operations. Fuel requirements of 20% are well defined for weight in aviation. The FAA [U.S. Federal Aviation Administration] is wise to be careful about this. What does the 500th recharge look like?” “We've been doing a lot of work in wireless and autonomous charging with Commander,” he said. “We also have onboard chargers that are able to be standalone battery chargers and are also looking at contact-based charging systems because Commander can manage onboarding for applications that aren't necessarily contactless.”
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 8.19
…exemption allowing for a “beyond visual line of sight” (BVLOS) operation, also a first in the U.S. for regular revenue-generating delivery. Read: UPS Partners with Matternet to Transport Medical Samples via Drone across Hospital System UPS has proven the need for drone delivery in healthcare operations, where the shortest time in transit can improve efficiency and help healthcare professionals serve their patients better. Earlier this year, UPS partnered with drone-maker Matternet to launch its healthcare delivery service on the WakeMed campus. This first-ever revenue-generating service demonstrated the business case for drone delivery of medical products and specimens. With its Part…