GPS World

Tag: unmanned aerial vehicles

  • FAA unveils effort to expand the safe integration of UAVs

    The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is establishing an aviation rulemaking committee with industry stakeholders to develop recommendations for a regulatory framework that would allow certain UAS to be operated over people who are not directly involved in the operation of the aircraft.

    The FAA is taking this action to provide a more flexible, performance-based approach for these operations than what was considered for micro UAS. A UAS is generally defined as a micro UAS if it weighs no more than 4.4 pounds (2 kilograms) and is constructed of frangible materials “that break, distort, or yield on impact so as to present a minimal hazard to any person or object.”

    The committee will begin its work in March and issue its final report to the FAA on April 1. The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) is a participant.

    “The Department continues to be bullish on new technology,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “We recognize the significant industry interest in expanding commercial access to the National Airspace System. The short deadline reinforces our commitment to a flexible regulatory approach that can accommodate innovation while maintaining today’s high levels of safety.”

    The rulemaking committee will develop recommendations for performance-based standards for the classification and operation of certain UAS that can be operated safely over people; identify how UAS manufacturers can comply with the requirements; and propose operational provisions based on the requirements. The FAA will draft a rulemaking proposal after reviewing the committee’s report.

    “Based on the comments about a ‘micro’ classification submitted as part of the small UAS proposed rule, the FAA will pursue a flexible, performance-based regulatory framework that addresses potential hazards instead of a classification defined primarily by weight and speed,”said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta.

    To develop this framework, the FAA is seeking advice and recommendations from a diverse set of aviation stakeholders, including UAS manufacturers, UAS operators, consensus-standards organization, and researchers and academics.

    The UAS registration task force established last October serves as a model for the Micro UAS rulemaking committee.  The committee will be co-chaired by Earl Lawrence, Director, FAA UAS Integration Office and Nancy Egan, General Counsel, 3D Robotics.

    A Q&A PDF provides additional details.

  • Intel to acquire German drone company Ascending Technologies

    Intel CEO Brian Krzanich demonstrated the broad capabilities UAV technology during his keynote presentation at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show Jan. 5, in Las Vegas. Krzanich showcased the Yuneec Typhoon H with Intel RealSense Technology. (Photo: Intel)
    Intel CEO Brian Krzanich demonstrated the broad capabilities UAV technology during his keynote presentation at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show Jan. 5, in Las Vegas. Krzanich showcased the Yuneec Typhoon H with Intel RealSense Technology. (Photo: Intel)

    Intel has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Ascending Technologies, a drone company located in Krailing, Germany, that produces drone auto-pilot software and algorithms.

    Intel has already partnered to combine Ascending Technologies’ sense-and-avoid algorithms with Intel RealSense technology’s real-time depth-sensing capability. These technologies can improve drone safety, helping them avoid obstacles and collisions.

    With Ascending Technologies, Intel gains expertise and technology to accelerate the deployment of Intel RealSense technology into the fast-growing drone market segment. The Ascending Technologies team is expected to continue supporting its current customers while also collaborating with Intel’s Perceptual Computing team to develop unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology that can help drones fly with more awareness of their environments.

    “Drones are quickly emerging as an important computing platform of the future, writes Josh Walden on an Intel blog. “With practical applications ranging from disaster response, to infrastructure inspection, to delivery of goods, UAVs offer an incredible opportunity for innovation across a multitude of industries. As a result, Intel is positioning itself at the forefront of this opportunity to increasingly integrate the computing, communications, sensor and cloud technology required to make drones smarter and more connected.”

  • FAA small unmanned aircraft registration begins

    The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Small Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) registry is now live and ready for owners of hobby UAS to use at www.faa.gov/uas/registration. Registration is free for the first 30 days with a rebate, then $5 after that.

    The online registration system does not yet support registration of small UAS used for any purpose other than hobby or recreation — for example, using an unmanned aircraft in connection with a business. The FAA is developing enhancements that will allow such online registrations by spring of 2016.

    During the registration process, each owner must provide his or her name, home address and e-mail address. When registration is complete, the web application will generate a Certificate of Aircraft Registration/Proof of Ownership including a unique identification number for the UAS owner, which must be marked on the aircraft.

    Owners using the model aircraft for hobby or recreation will only have to register once and may use the same identification number for all of their model UAS. The registration is valid for three years.

    All aircraft weighing more than 0.55 pounds (250 grams) and less than 55 pounds (approx. 25 kilograms), including payloads such as on-board cameras, must be registered.

    Under this rule, owners who previously operated an unmanned aircraft exclusively as a model aircraft prior to Dec. 21, 2015, must register no later than Feb. 19, 2016. Owners of any other UAS purchased for use as a model aircraft after Dec. 21 must register before the first flight outdoors. Owners can use either the paper-based process or the new streamlined, web-based system. Owners using the new streamlined web-based system must be at least 13 years old to register.

    If assistance is needed with registration, email [email protected].

    The FAA also reminds unmanned aircraft owners there’s no need to work with a “drone registration” company to help file an application for a registration number. The registration site is designed to be simple and easy to use for every hobbyist.

    The FAA has partnered with several industry associations to educate the public about using unmanned aircraft safely and responsibly. Flight rules include:

    Fly below 400 feet altitude.

    • Keep your unmanned aircraft in sight at all times.
    • Never fly near manned aircraft, especially near airports.
    • Never fly over groups of people, stadiums or sporting events.
    • Never fly near emergency response efforts.

  • Amazon Delivery Drone Plans Include Tiered Flight Zones

    Amazon has announced a plan for its package-delivery drones, according to NBC News.

    The proposal includes tiered flight zones that would limit small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) to slow speeds in airspace below 200 feet and allow them to fly faster for long-distance travel between 200 and 400 feet.

     

    Commercial aircraft are governed by the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) Air Traffic Control, and in Amazon’s vision, there would be a similar central command and control network that takes in data about the position of each drone and shares it with every other vehicle connected to the network. The command and control network would also have vehicle-to-vehicle communication, similar to networks proposed for autonomous automobiles.

    Amazon’s plan would be to use the space below 500 feet — minus a 100-foot buffer — for small drones such as its Prime Air vehicles.

    Access to the various layers of the airspace would be governed by how well a drone can communicate with its pilot, the command and control network and other drone, according to The Verge website. “Everyone can have access to the airspace,” said Gur Kimchi, who heads up Amazon’s Prime Air program. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a hobbyist or a corporation. If you’ve got the right equipment, you can fly.”

    Someone operating a radio-controlled quadcopter with no Internet connection would be relegated to the area below 200 feet.

  • NovAtel Talks GPS Anti-Jam Technology for Use in UAVs

    NovAtel’s Peter Soar shares on the company’s GAJT (“Gadget”), a single unit GPS anti-jam antenna for use in UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles). GAJT nullifies jammers, ensuring satellite signals necessary to compute position and time are always available.

    GAJT may integrate into unmanned vehicle platforms or can be retrofitted with GPS receivers and vehicle navigation systems on military fleets.

  • Geospatial Solutions, GPS World at the 2014 Esri International User Conference

    This is the mecca of geographic information systems, or GIS, at least in the United States: the 2014 Esri International User Conference (UC) in San Diego, California, held every July. GPS World and Geospatial Solutions were there in force. A newly dominant technology that got plenty of discussion was unmanned aerial systems (UAS or UAV). Eric Gakstatter, GPS World’s survey and GIS editor, said “I can boil where this technology is headed down to one word: real-time.”