This Week in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World
Airspace
Airspace
3D Robotics to offer Site Scan to AEC professionals in Japan after partnering with SoftBank C&S
3D Robotics (3DR) has announced a new partnership with one of Japan’s largest distributors of information and communications technology, SoftBank C&S, which will result in 3DR providing its Site Scan UAS data platform to AEC professionals in Japan.
Site Scan will be the only commercial UAS software offered by SoftBank, which will open up the power of UAS data to Softbank’s customers across Japan.
“Aerial data software like Site Scan is already driving productivity for our customers in Japan,” says Matt Harrison, Head of Sales at 3DR.
“The partnership with SoftBank will allow 3DR to meet the demand for drone data across the country.”
Rockwell Collins avionics chosen by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems to support UAS ground control station
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) has selected the Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion integrated avionics system to support the company’s MQ-9B SkyGuardian UAS.
In an effort to simply civil airspace access, Rockwell Collins will offer support to GA-ASI to “efficiently upgrade the proven Predator B Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) system.”
The UAS ground control station will utilize the capabilities of the Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion integrated avionics system, to support customers and missions that require operations in civil airspace.
Shadow UAS operators and maintainers of 7th Infantry Division train in Washington State
During the Bayonet Focus (BF) 17-03 exercise, Shadow UAS operators and maintainers of 7th Infantry Division worked on their skillset at the Yakima Training Center in Washington, at a recently built UAS airfield.
Imagery support for units conducting the BF 17-03 exercise was provided by the soldiers, which gave UAS personnel and service members in the field more realistic training.
“This is different than training back at Joint Base Lewis-McChord because we are in a more tactical setting and we move a lot faster,” says Spc. Brysen Borja, a UAS operator with 2-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, via DVIDSHub.net.
Textron Systems unveils NIGHTWARDEN Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System
At the 2017 Paris Air Show, Textron Systems Unmanned Systems introduced its NIGHTWARDEN Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (TUAS), which has a maximum speed of up to 90 knots, an endurance of up to 15 hours and a payload capacity of up to 130 pounds.
With more than 400 hours of flight time under its belt for potential customers, including delegations from the Mideast, the Asia-Pacific region, and from Europe, the NIGHTWARDEN TUAS has undergone thorough internal testing and demonstration efforts.
The NIGHTWARDEN TUAS builds upon the lineage of TUAS that Textron Systems has developed, and according to the company, the NIGHTWARDEN is the “new next-generation platform, representing the production-ready model of the developmental Shadow® M2.”
Douglas County Search and Rescue team uses UAS to locate and rescue missing hikers
On June 15, the Douglas County Search and Rescue team in Colorado used a UAS to locate two missing hikers and a dog in the Pike National Forest, after they mistakenly left the Devil's Head trail.
The hikers were able to call 9-1-1 with limited cell service, and the Douglas County Search and Rescue volunteer teams responded to the area. More than two dozen people responded, which included foot searchers, ATVs, a K-9 team, and the UAS team.
About two hours after the teams responded to the area, the UAS team made visual contact with the lost hikers, and shortly after that, a search team on foot made contact with the hikers.
According to Incident Commander Bruce Fosdick, the UAS saved hours of time in searching for the hikers.
Weekend Roundup
This Week in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World
Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper has signed a bill that mandates the creation of a study on how UAS can help public safety agencies with their missions, and in turn, lower their dependence on manned aircraft. Through H.B.1070, a UAS pilot program will be established, and the Department of Labor and Employment will receive authorization “to provide resources for the training and development of eligible pilot program members.” The results of the program (which will be funded through gifts, grants and donations) and the study will be submitted to General Assembly committees. (Unmanned Aerial)
China’s solar-powered UAS flies in near space region
The project team under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation has announced that the country’s first near-space solar drone, called Caihong (CH), or Rainbow, has successfully completed a flight at an altitude of 20 kilometers, or nearly 12 and a half miles.
The UAS, which has a wingspan of 45 meters, flew “smoothly in near space for over 15 hours under control, finishing its scheduled path,” and then landed safely.
Police in China using UAS for various tasks
UAS are being used across China to help police conduct a variety of missions.
Recently, a UAS was used to help search for, and capture, a man who robbed a woman and then disappeared into a “sprawling, muddy village” in the Minhang District.
Through the Shanghai Daily, officer Wen Jia of the Tianyuan Xincun police station (which handled the Minhang robbery) explained why the UAS was so beneficial in this situation by saying, “in the case of the June 1 robbery, we didn’t have enough manpower to quickly search the whole village. A drone did the work for us.”
Traffic jam in the skies: NASA updates UTM effort
By Clark Perry
There could be 7 million UAS vehicles flying in U.S. airspace by the year 2020, according to the FAA. It’s a staggering number, especially when it comes to safely managing all that air traffic.
To get a sense of what the skies may be like in just a few years, imagine the following scenario: firefighting aircraft are racing to the scene of a wildfire, only to find their air path strewn with municipal UAS vehicles inspecting power lines, hobbyists capturing vacation footage with the latest off-the-shelf drone from Best Buy, and Amazon Prime’s local drone fleet launching to make their daily deliveries.
