Système autonome de surveillance
Aerodyne Japan and ACSL partner to develop Level 4 drone autonomy infrastructure in the ASEAN market
Business Today – 09/11/2020 – Aerodyne Japan, a DT3(Drone Tech, Data Tech, and Digital Transformation) solutions provider and Autonomous Control Systems Laboratory (ACSL) have joined forces to break new ground in Level 4 (high) automation testing of commercial drones in the ASEAN region. Aiming to take an early lead in the future of industrial drone applications, Aerodyne Japan and ACSL, a Tokyo-based manufacturer of autonomous industrial drones, are pursuing the Level 4 autonomous flying standard, in which a drone can handle all aspects of commercial operations without human intervention. Lire l’article
Logistique médicale & UTM
Matternet launches BVLOS medical drone delivery operations in Berlin
Unmanned Airspace – 18/11/2020 – Drone delivery company Matternet has launched beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone delivery operations in partnership with the major European hospital laboratory, Labor Berlin. According to a Matternet press release, the program kicked-off 17 November 2020 with permanent operations expected next year. The drone network expects to significantly improve the timeliness and efficiency of Labor Berlin’s diagnostics services by providing an option to avoid roadway delays, which will improve patient experience with potentially life-saving benefits and lower costs. Lire l’article
Relevés Volumétriques
Drone mapping in the real estate industry
Housing Wire – 13/11/2020 – Year to year, the evolution of computer technology can be staggering. In most cases, the advancements cause disruption— and opportunity—in every industry. In real estate, one such disruption is caused by drones, which have become an extremely effective tool for mapping and marketing property. Drone mapping is replacing manned aerial flyovers such as Google Earth, a technology the industry has relied on for decades. Lire l’article
Inertial Labs Launches LiDAR Remote Sensing Platform
UST Drone – 13/11/2020 – Inertial Labs has launched RESEPI (Remote Sensing Payload Instrument), a customizable remote sensing solution that produces highly accurate colorized point clouds for inspection and mapping applications. The low-SWaP (size, weight and power) system, weighing 0.37kg and consuming 4W of power (excepting the LiDAR scanner), is ideal for integration into UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) and features an excellent price to performance ratio. Lire l’article
New GNSS Base Station Receiver for Drone Mapping
UST Drone – 13/11/2020 – ComNav Technology has launched a new UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) mapping solution that utilises the company’s high-accuracy T300 Plus GNSS receiver as a base station. The new solution provides an intuitive workflow and centimeter-grade accuracy for professional unmanned aerial surveying applications. The T300 Plus features both PPK and RTK Work Modes to meet the demands of different users. It is equipped with a Wi-Fi module and in-built webserver, allowing easy configuration and transmission of correction data without the need to rely on 4G or GPRS. Lire l’article
Anti-drone
Japan to develop drone-hunting lasers
Nikkei Asia – 16/11/2020 – TOKYO – Japan’s Ministry of Defense will develop vehicle-mounted laser devices to shoot down small drones, Nikkei has learned. Heat from the high-powered lasers will disable and drop the unmanned aerial devices, according to sources. The ministry is increasingly concerned about drones being used in terrorist attacks. Mounting the lasers on vehicles will let the authorities quickly move them close to the action and respond. Lire l’article
Tracking drone flight path via video, using cameras
Hackaday – 13/11/2020 – Calculating three-dimensional position from two-dimensional projections are literal textbook examples in geometry, but those examples are the “assume a spherical cow” type of simplifications. Applicable only in an ideal world where the projections are made with mathematically perfect cameras at precisely known locations with infinite resolution. Making things work in the real world is a lot harder. But not only have [Jingtong Li, Jesse Murray et al.] worked through the math of tracking a drone’s 3D flight from 2D video, they’ve released their MultiViewUnsynch software on GitHub so we can all play with it. Lire l’article
Logistique Maritime et terrestre
Watch: World’s First Commercial Drone Delivery At Night
Marine Insight – 17/11/2020 – On 1 November 2020, F-drones completed the world’s first commercial drone delivery at night in Singapore. F-Drones helped deliver a critical part for Wilhelmsen to Berge Sarstein, a vessel owned by Berge Bulk, anchored 5km from shore within 7 minutes. The payload was another significant milestone in itself, being the world’s first 3D Printed CE-Certified Lifting Tool from Wartsila. Lire l’article
Air Canada Cargo embraces drone delivery as growth area
American Shipper – 15/11/2020 – Airlines could soon be operating unmanned drones in addition to aircraft flown by pilots, or serve as a logistics intermediary between shippers and third-party carriers. Air Canada (TSX: AC) is leveraging its knowledge moving cargo to support drone deliveries and expand business in the fertile e-commerce sector. Japan Airlines is also involved in a drone delivery project and Astral Aviation in Kenya has set up a drone division. Lire l’article
VIDEO: Ballistic Missile Submarine Tests Aerial Resupply With Air Force C-17, Drone
USNI News – 18/11/2020 – Videos released from the test events show the drone dropping a small red package onto the top of the surfaced SSBN, where some crew members were waiting to retrieve it. The Air Force C-17 dropped a larger package into the water nearby using a small parachute. And the Navy MH-60 delivered a crate inside a net, similar to how the helos conduct vertical replenishments from supply ships to surface ships underway. Lire l’article
US Navy studies resupplying ships and submarines using small UAVs
Flight Global – 19/11/2020 – The US Navy (USN) is studying resupplying submarines and other ships over long distances using small unmanned air vehicles (UAVs). Toward that goal, the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division acquired in October a Blue Water Maritime Logistics UAV prototype, made by start-up Skyways, to demonstrate long-range ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore cargo transport at NAS Patuxent River in Maryland, the service said on 9 November. The small UAV is to be customised for requirements set by military sealift operations. Lire l’article
Inspection technique
A New Drone-based System to Assess Aging Infrastructure Projects
The Constructor – Canada-based infrastructure technology company, Niricson, has developed a unique drone-based data collection and damage-assessment system to inspect and detect problems with aging infrastructure. The system was recently put into use for inspecting dams for BC Hydro and could soon play a pivotal role in the renovation and maintenance of aging tunnels, bridges, and other types of infrastructure across the world. Lire l’article
Drone Inspection & Asset Digitalization for the Wind Industry
UST Drone – 19/11/2020 – Scopito has released the following interview with the company’s CEO and founder, Ken Falk. Scopito is a cloud-based, AI-assisted data management solution designed to process large amounts of UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) aerial inspection imagery. The interview initially appeared as an article in the October 2020 issue of PES Wind magazine. Lire l’article
KR completes first drone and crawler hull inspection survey
All About Shipping – 13/11/2020 – The Korean Register (KR) has successfully completed its first hull survey using both a drone and crawler (a type of drone capable of climbing up and down walls) without scaffolds. The remote inspection technology was used for the intermediate survey of the bulk carrier PAN GLOBAL and was completed with the assistance of POSSM Co, Korea’s largest ship management company and HST Technology, who provided the remote inspection technology on 10 November. Lire l’article
Traitement phytosanitaire
EAD and Engie use drones in mangrove rehabilitation
Trade Arabia – 17/11/2020 – Abu Dhabi is pioneering an initiative that will use specialised, custom UAE-built drones and rigging to plant thousands of mangrove seeds near Engie’s Mirfa plant in Abu Dhabi, as well as monitor their growth over the year. For this, the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) is partnering with the global utility company Engie which is sponsoring the launch of the first phase of the “Blue Carbon” Environmental and Social Responsibility project that uses drone technology to help in rehabilitating areas of Abu Dhabi’s mangrove habitats, demonstrating the benefits of government and the private sector working together to preserve our environment. Lire l’article
Agricultural Drone Startup XAG Raises RMB1.2 Billion
CMN – 17/11/2020 – Guangzhou Jifei Technology Co., Ltd., or XAG, announced the completion of a new round of RMB1.2 billion yuan of financing, led by Baidu Capital and Softbank Vision Fund Phase II. The round also attracted existing investors Sinovation Ventures, Yuexiu Industrial Fund and Guangzhou Xinxing Fund, and others. China Renaissance Capital acted as the exclusive financial advisor. This is by far the largest commercial financing in the field of agricultural technology in China. Lire l’article
Avec son drone Agras T20, DJI met en avant une solution 100% dédiée à l’agriculture
L’Usine Digitale – 13/11/2020 – DJI dévoile un nouveau drone dédié au monde agricole. L’Agras T20 est un drone pliable et dépliable en quelques secondes qui peut réaliser des missions d’épandage et de semis avec une couverture de 12 hectares de terrain par heure grâce à son réservoir de 20 litres. Programmé à l’avance, l’Agras T20 fonctionne de façon autonome et contourne automatiquement les obstacles rencontrés sur son chemin. Lire l’article
Neutralisation
Simple Lethality: Assessing the Potential for Agricultural Unmanned Aerial and Ground Systems to Deploy Biological or Chemical Weapons
Real Clear Defense – 20/11/2020 – Small, locally built unmanned vehicles, similar to those used in agriculture, can easily be configured to release a chemical or biological payload. Wide, air-dispersed agents could be set off over a populated area with low likelihood of either interdiction or traceability. Domestic counter-UAS can not only eliminate annoying imagery collection, but also to mitigate the growing potential for an inexpensive chemical or biological weapon attack on U.S. soil. Lire l’article
Surveillance des espaces maritimes
EMSA Surveillance UAV Deployed in Romania
UST Drone – 17/11/2020 – Nordic Unmanned has provided unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) surveillance services via the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) to Romania’s Border Police for multipurpose coast guard missions over the Black Sea, which include maritime pollution monitoring, detection of illegal fishing, border surveillance and search and rescue operations. The service utilizes a Lockheed Martin Indago UAS operated by a Nordic Unmanned drone pilot. Lire l’article
Surveillance de zone ou de site
Le cinquième aéronef Phoenix arrive à la base d’opérations principale de l’AGS
NATO – 12/11/2020 – Le 12 novembre 2020, le cinquième et dernier aéronef de la capacité alliée de surveillance terrestre (AGS) est arrivé à la base d’opérations principale de l’AGS, à Sigonella (Italie). L’arrivée de cet appareil RQ-4D à sa base d’attache en Europe représente une nouvelle étape dans le programme AGS de l’OTAN, portant la flotte AGS de l’OTAN au complet. Lire l’article
Surveillance de longs linéaires
Thales teste des solutions pour sécuriser l’emploi des drones sur longues distances
AeroBuzz – 18/11/2020 – L’opérateur gazier Teréga offre à Thales 5.000 km de canalisations pour tester des solutions destinées à sécuriser l’utilisation de drones pour la surveillance d’infrastructures hors de portée de vue (grande élongation). Il s’agit de faire sauter les verrous réglementaires en proposant des solutions technologiques fiables. Jusqu’à présent, les contraintes réglementaires ne permettent pas au drone de s’imposer face aux avions ou aux hélicoptères sur le marché de l’inspection de réseaux. Lire l’article
UTM
Preliminary Design Review Completed for Statewide BVLOS Drone Network
UST Drone – 19/11/2020 – Thales has successfully completed the preliminary design review for the key site implementation of a statewide unmanned aerial systems (UAS) network in North Dakota. The network, known as Vantis, will incorporate surveillance and communications infrastructure that will enable BVLOS (beyond visual line of sight) drone operations. The network will centre around Thales’ TopSky UAS Traffic Management (UTM) software as a service (SaaS) platform, based at a network operations centre located at the Grand Sky UAS facility near Grand Forks, North Dakota. Lire l’article
Guerre électronique
Le ministère des Armées veut doter ses mini-drones d’une capacité de guerre électronique
Opex360 – 17/11/2020 – Les mini-drones comme les Spy’Ranger, qui entrent progressivement en service au sein de l’armée de Terre, sont utilisés pour des missions de renseignement, de surveillance et de reconnaissance grâce à leurs caméras et autres capteurs optroniques embarqués. En clair, ils recueillent des images, qui sont ensuite analysées et exploitées à des fins opérationnelles. Mais le ministère des Armées entend leur faire réaliser d’autres tâches, comme en témoigne le programme « Sauron » [un clin d’oeil à l’oeuvre de JRR Tolkien?], qui vient de faire l’objet d’un appel à projets lancé par l’Agence de l’Innovation de la Défense [AID]. Lire l’article
Liaison radio
uAvionix Files FAA TSO Application for World’s First Certified Drone Transponder
UAvionix – 20/10/2020 – uAvionix Corporation announced it has filed a Technical Standard Order (TSO) application with the FAA Aircraft Certification Office (ACO) for its flagship Mode S ADS-B OUT transponder for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). The ping200X follows a line of groundbreaking, low Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) avionics developed and certified by uAvionix for UAS and General Aviation aircraft. Approval is expected in Q4 2020. Weighing only 50 grams, the Level 2els Class 1 transponder packs a punch, delivering 250W of transmit power while only drawing an average of 1.5W, making its profile small enough to be fitted onto Group 1 and 2 UAS. Lire l’article
Recherche scientifique
First Drone Goes Flying to the North Pole on a Climate Mission
Bloomberg – 28/10/2020 – Roberta Pirazzini set out an Arctic expedition to do something no one had ever tried before: fly a drone near the North Pole. Sensors on the drone would assess sunlight reflected from the ice. This measurement, known as surface albedo, is key to understanding how much solar radiation is absorbed by the Earth and how much is reflected back into the atmosphere. It’s one of the scientific puzzles that can help predict how fast sea ice will melt. Lire l’article
Divers
Fire Scout drone crashes at California base
Navy Times – 19/11/2020 – A MQ-8C Fire Scout helicopter drone crashed last week at a Southern California Navy base, the second unmanned helicopter operated by Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 23 to crash there in recent months. HSC-23 is one of two helo squadrons operating the latest version of the 35-foot-long Fire Scout, which the Navy says will expand at-sea intelligence and reconnaissance capabilities. Lire l’article
Feds Charge Drone Pilot For Mid-Air Collision With Helicopter
Forbes – 19/11/2020 – On November 18, 2020, a federal complaint was filed in the Central Federal District Court of California charging Andrew Hernandez with unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft. 18 USC Section 39B(a)(2) makes it a crime for any person who operates an unmanned aircraft and “Recklessly interferes with, or disrupts the operation of, an aircraft carrying 1 or more occupants operating in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States, in a manner that poses an imminent safety hazard to such occupants[.] » A violation shall be punished by a fine and/or imprisonment for not more than 1 year; however, if the person causes serious bodily injury or death during the commission of an offense, they can be fined and/or imprisoned for a term of up to 10 years. Lire l’article