DZYNE Technologies has been awarded a seven-year, $49 million contract through the Small Business Innovation Research program to conduct research and development on advanced unmanned aerial systems for the U.S. Air Force. R&D efforts will include improving flight performance, sensor capabilities and flight endurance of long endurance UAS. Furthermore, the initiative seeks to advance low-cost precision […]
Research
Johns Hopkins Researchers Study Autonomous Air Traffic Control for Drones
Ten years from now, we could be in for a new sort of traffic jam. In the near future, posits a new study led by two members of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Assured Autonomy, some 65,000 drones—weighing up to 55 pounds each, most of them programmed to operate without a pilot—will be “taking off, flying, or landing” […]
MIT Drones Navigate Unseen Environments with Liquid Neural Networks
Inspired by the adaptable nature of organic brains, researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have introduced a method for robust flight navigation agents to master vision-based fly-to-target tasks in intricate, unfamiliar environments. The liquid neural networks, which can continuously adapt to new data inputs, showed prowess in making reliable decisions in […]
Teal Group Predicts Worldwide CIVIL UAS Spending of $150BN Over the Next Decade
The dynamic growth in Civil Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) over the next decade will create significant rewards for smart investment as nations open their airspace, commercial applications take off, and civil governments adopt systems for new roles in border security and public safety. At the same time, some sectors of the market are reaching maturity […]
Towards More Efficient Electric Propulsion UAV Systems Using Boundary Layer Ingestion
Researchers at the Escuela Politecnica Nacional in Chile have just published a paper which examines a formulation for the sizing of ducted fans for BLI configurations with a distributed propulsion system, based on the NASA X-48B. Abstract The implementation of distributed propulsion and boundary layer ingestion for unmanned aerial vehicles represents various challenges for the […]
Embry‑Riddle Student Research on Drone Swarm Mapping Selected to Compete at NASA Challenge
A team of Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University students is conducting research using swarm microdrones that could change the way 3D mapping is done, especially in complex, hard-to-reach locations. “The main application is to map out GPS-denied locations and make a 3D map in a more efficient way,” said Daniel Golan, the project’s co-principal investigator and a junior […]
New Method to Measure Wind Speed Could Unlock Drones’ Potential
Traditionally, remotely piloted aircraft systems, or drones, have used onboard flow sensors to measure wind effects, producing in-flight metrics on which operators rely. Leveraging GPS instead, however, might provide more robust measurements, leading to safer, more efficient flights, according to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University researchers. As most drones weigh less than 55 pounds, even mild gusts […]
Manchester Researchers Design and Fly World’s Largest Quadcopter Drone
Engineers at The University of Manchester have built and flown the world’s largest quadcopter drone. The drone, made from a cardboard-like material called foamboard, measures 6.4m (21 ft) corner to corner and weighs 24.5kg – 0.5kg less than the weight limit set by the Civil Aviation Authority. The innovative design of the drone, dubbed the […]
Towards a Low-Cost UAV Coordinated Carbon Observation Network (LUCCN)
A group of Chinese scientists is harnessing the power of specialized drones in an effort to enhance the monitoring of carbon emissions linked to human activities. These unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have demonstrated promising potential, with the capacity to provide more accurate data regarding emission changes compared to existing carbon monitoring satellites. Global carbon dioxide […]