DOT’s Robert Hampshire Discusses Assured Autonomy

May 4, 2021 | AUVSI News

The virtual segment of AUVSI’s annual XPONENTIAL event, the world’s largest conference focused on the unmanned systems industry, launched today with a keynote address by Robert Hampshire, PhD. As Deputy Assistant Secretary and Chief Science Officer at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Dr. Hampshire possesses deep expertise in both public policy and engineering systems. His research has focused on infrastructure issues around environmental impacts and equal access to opportunities. In his remarks, Dr. Hampshire shared DOT’s priorities under the new Administration for the years ahead and how unmanned systems fit into those priorities.

“The past year has shown how prominent unmanned systems will be in future of transportation.”

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 global health situation, organizations turned to autonomous systems to meet critical needs while limiting human-to-human contact. Dr. Hampshire stated that since the end of 2020, DOT has seen a large spike companies using drones to conduct deliveries and inspections.

The speed at which the industry is advancing to address societal and business challenges means that regulatory challenges must also be addressed with urgency. As an advocacy organization, AUVSI is working with regulators to resolve barriers to system integration – and important progress has been reached with new rules from the Federal Aviation Administration that address longstanding issues in drone remote ID and operations over people and at night. Dr. Hampshire agreed that these changes are a critical first step in securely managing the growing use of drones in national airspace, calling them “a big game changer” that will “open new possibilities and applications for UAS.” 

“The impact of UAS on moving forward with these priorities is limitless.”

Dr. Hampshire discussed how environmental sustainability, economic recovery from COVID-19, and job development are among the Biden-Harris Administration’s top transportation investment priorities.

The unmanned systems industry is already investing in many of these priorities by using sustainable and innovative materials, developing technology that is more resilient to natural disasters, and training workers for the jobs of the future.

Possible use cases on DOT’s radar include last-mile drone delivery and automated freight – systems that present unique regulatory challenges but can revolutionize their respective industries. 

“Safety is the number one goal for DOT.”

While investment priorities may shift over time, safety remains DOT’s top priority. To reach a future of Assured Autonomy, the unmanned systems industry must prioritize the safe and seamless integration of these systems. Dr. Hampshire confirmed that DOT is committed to collaborating with a variety of stakeholders, including academia, state and local governments, community organizations, and industry partners.

One way DOT engages with the unmanned systems industry to support safe integration is through the Highly Automated Systems Safety Center of Excellence, which offers a hybrid platform that offers a standardized testing approach. Entities can collaborate with others while protecting their own intellectual property, validate engineering hypotheses, and test prototypes – all to build confidence that their system is interoperable in the real world.

Discussions on regulations and their impacts on the unmanned systems industry will continue at the in-person XPONENTIAL 2021 segment. Register today to join us in Atlanta from August 16-19.