Tag - drones

21Nov

Reforestation at Industrial Scale Possible Via Drone?

A former NASA engineer is harnessing the potential of drone technology for a very ambitious project. The project? Ecosystem restoration. More precisely, scaling reforestation projects to a size previously unimaginable. The goal? Plant 1 billion trees every year...via drone. Lauren Fletcher spent 20 years at NASA as an engineer before founding BioCarbon Engineering. The startup's entire focus is reforestation. More precisely, reforestation via the use of drones. BioCarbon Engineering plans to combat deforestation and restore global forests with a unique solution. Their platform takes the best data available and enables local specialists to restore their landscapes both quickly and affordably.  

Industrial-scale Combating Clear-Cutting, 1 Billion Trees at a Time

Advancements in technology facilitated the large-scale harvesting of forests. Now, in a process known as clear cutting, acres of forests are harvested in a single day. Each year, it is estimated that clear-cutting is responsible for the disappearance of 26 billion trees around the world. Reforesting such vast areas is a challenge. The end result? Trees are cut down much quicker than they are replaced. Industrial-scale deforestation around the world is threatening to upset the ecosystem’s balance. To combat the danger, reforestation projects continue to gain prominence. Through various initiatives, many countries are actively working to replace trees. Traditionally, reforestation is done by hand. On average, a single individual can plant 3000 seeds or saplings in a day. This method is labor intensive and time consuming which makes closing the gap on deforestation frustratingly slow. BioCarbon Engineering believes technology holds the answer. Drone technology can speed up and improve the process of replanting trees. They hope to improve the replanting rate to a projected 36,000 plants per day...or 1 billion trees in a year. Because terrains can vary, using drones to plant trees and regenerate forests is not meant to replace the human element, but complement it.  

Reforestation via Drone?

BioCarbon's plan? Modify consumer drones so they can plant seeds and tree saplings. But that's just the start. What follows is a simple, yet clever way of using the drones to improve the speed and efficiency of replanting efforts. First, drones fly over a potential site, take photographs and conduct an aerial surveys. The team then creates a 3D aerial map and a "seeding" plan suitable for the terrain. The team developed specialized pods which contain germinated seeds packed in a nutrient-rich substance. These bio-degradable pods sustain and protect the young plant until it can take root. The pods load into a pressurized canister aboard the drone and fire into the ground. Drones fly a path that is roughly 3-6 feet above the ground. The number of drones in operation depends on the size of the site. BioCarbon estimates that just two drone pilots operating multiple UAVs can plant up to 36,000 saplings a day. If successful, the company’s approach would significantly improve global reforestation efforts.  

Replacing Tree Losses on a Massive Scale

Today, some of the highest rates of deforestation occur in Latin America, Brazil, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Additionally, parts of Africa face the same issue. This may explain why Fletcher and BioCarbon are targeting projects in South Africa and the Amazon jungle first. In addition to improving reforestation efforts, drones can also access areas that are inaccessible to humans. Plus, BioCarbon believes this technology can help improve the overall health of local ecosystems. For example, pods can help spread various fungi and micro-organisms that improve soil quality as well as diversify the species of trees replanted in the forest. The efforts of BioCarbon is another example of drone use for humanitarian purposes. The company’s goals align with the UN’s plan to restore up to 300 billion trees by the year 2030. And, tree planting drones may just bring that goal within reach.  
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16Nov

MicroPilot Autopilot Successfully Interfaces Landing Assist Functionality

MicroPilot recently announced the successful interface of SightLine Applications’ landing assist functionality with MicroPilot’s autopilots. This new functionality gives integrators the option of a robust landing assist feature. As such, it helps reduce operator workload and training requirements. This feature rolls out in version 3.7.1016 of MicroPilot’s HORIZONmp software.  

Landing Aid features

SightLine Applications’ Landing Aid is a video based landing assist. It enables safe operations, even in GPS degraded (urban canyon, indoors, etc.) or GPS denied environments. Landing Aid uses a down-facing camera mounted on the UAV to track on a specified “landing pattern”. It provides accurate relative-position data to the autopilot. This enables the UAV to land with more precision than conventional GPS. The 8gm video processor enables low SWAP landing assist implementations.  

Need for greater precision

As the use of UAVs expands into a variety of civil and commercial applications, autonomous precision landings become more vital. SightLine’s Landing Aid taps into this need. Its functionality, along with reduced operator workload, and its landing area safety checks, sets Landing Aid apart. Previously, MicroPilot demonstrated compatibility with SightLine video processors, which are in a wide range of ISR gimbaled camera systems. Integrating SightLine Applications’ landing assist functionality with the autopilot was a logical next step. This provides a convenient package encompassing both a professional grade UAV autopilot and video landing assist for the ever-advancing UAV market.  

About MicroPilot

Started in 1994, with 1000 clients in over 85 countries, MicroPilot is the world leader in professional autopilots for UAVs and MAVs. An ISO 9001 autopilot manufacturer, MicroPilot brings to market an ISO 9001 sub 30 gram autopilot, triple redundant autopilot, and full-function general purpose autopilot. It offers a family of lightweight UAV autopilots that can fly fixed-wing, transitional, helicopter, and Multirotor UAVs. MicroPilot also provides complementary products such as the XTENDERmp SDK, and trueHWIL2.   Shop MicroPilot's line of autopilots at Unmanned Systems Source.
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07Nov

MicroPilot Integrates Autonomous Sense & Avoid System for UAV Operations

MicroPilot announced the successful integration of FLARM’s Sense and Avoid system with its autopilot. This integration grants clients a reliable autonomous collision avoidance option for fully autonomous UAV operations. With any form of autonomous vehicle, a primary concern is safely avoiding collisions with other craft...without the need for human intervention. A sense and avoid system allows a UAV to do exactly that. Thus, it dramatically reduces operational risks and the need for human monitoring.  

What is FLARM?

FLARM is a traffic awareness and collision avoidance technology used by light aircraft and UAVs. When integrated with MicroPilot’s autopilot, the system alerts the autopilot of nearby aircraft, along with its velocity and altitude. The autopilot uses the information to avoid the aircraft. Thus, it autonomously prevents a collision without a single input from the human operator. With increasingly crowded airspace and the popularity of UAVs, a reliable sense and avoid system is quickly becoming a necessity. This is especially true for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) and other autonomous operations. This new system should give operators the confidence to use their UAVs to the full extent of their abilities. “FLARM has been in use for over a decade helping manned aircraft avoid midair collisions,” says FLARM. “We are very happy to see that UAVs are the next type of vehicle that benefit from FLARM, and that UAVs are becoming visible to manned aircraft.”  

Sense and Avoid technology

This integration may give UAV manufacturers the confidence to market larger and longer-range UAVs. Consequently, it also gives operators the confidence to conduct long-range BVLOS operation. Combined, this technology furthers the utility and viability of UAVs.  

About MicroPilot

Started in 1994, with 1000 clients in over 85 countries, MicroPilot is the world leader in professional autopilots for UAVs and MAVs. MicroPilot offers a family of lightweight UAV autopilots that can fly fixed-wing, transitional, helicopter, and Multirotor UAVs. MicroPilot also provides complementary products such as the XTENDERmp SDK, and trueHWIL2.   Shop MicroPilot's line of autopilots at Unmanned Systems Source.
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30Oct

FAA requests emergency fast-track of electronic drone authorization

It seems the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) finally reached a breaking point with requests to access restricted airspace. Currently, it can take up to 90-days for an operator to get authorization to navigate controlled airspace. With more and more authorization requests pouring in, the logjam continues to get worse. As such, the speculation is that some operators decide not to wait and fly without authorization. This may explain the increase in the number of non-compliant operations, as reported by the FAA. It is estimated that there are over 250 drone-related safety reports each month.  

Access to restricted airspace

Under 14 CFR 107.41, “no person may operate a small unmanned aircraft in Class B, Class C, or Class D airspace or within the lateral boundaries of the surface area of Class E airspace designated for an airport unless that person has prior authorization from Air Traffic Control (ATC).” Since Part 107 launched, the FAA has received an extremely high volume of airspace authorization requests from UAS operations. From September 2016 to July 2017 the Agency received 20,566 authorization requests. Of these, the Agency processed 14,334. At any given time, there are up to 6,000 authorizations in the processing queue. Additionally, the number of requests continue to increase. The FAA expects the queue will exceed 25,000 pending authorizations within the next 6 months.  

Ongoing efforts by the FAA

The solution? Fast-track the electronic authorization of drone flights. The groundwork for this eventuality has been a work-in-progress for the FAA. The first step came when the FAA implemented Part 107 in August 2016. This year, the FAA – in collaboration with airport tower staff – developed and published a series of grids. These grids depict the maximum safe and permissible altitude for unmanned aircraft operations. The FAA published these maps online. The maps serve as the foundation for the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) system. The goal is for LAANC to provide a quick and efficient response to airspace authorization requests.  

Real-time authorizations with LAANC?

When operational, the FAA believes LAANC will help the agency grant “near-real time" authorizations for the vast majority of operations. The FAA states that remote pilots certified under part 107, who submit requests that comport with the published limitations, can expect almost real-time, electronic approval. The system is also vital to the safety of National Airspace. The FAA expects LAANC to reduce “non-compliant” operations by at least 30 percent. Plus, once operational, it reduces distraction of controllers working in the Tower. The FAA’s recent request seeks to accelerate the implementation of LAANC, which was to take until the end of the year. “Due to the pressing safety consideration of reducing safety reports due to non-compliant UAS operations, the FAA cannot wait the normal 90 days of public comment,” the agency stated in the Federal Register notice Oct. 11. “Therefore, FAA is requesting Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval of this collection of information 7 days after publication of this Notice in the Federal Register. Upon OMB approval of its Emergency clearance request, FAA will follow the normal clearance procedures for the information collection associated with LAANC.”  
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25Oct

Humanitarian drones and the future of aid delivery

Industry is not the only sector moving towards the rapid adoption of drones for operations. In fact, a growing number of non-profit organizations are beginning to test the feasibility of drones for their work. Recently, the Malawi Government and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) announced the launch of a unique testing corridor. The corridor's purpose is to test the effectiveness of delivering humanitarian aid via drone. A first of its kind in Africa, the Humanitarian UAV Testing Corridor launched in June. Today, it is fairly common to use drones for search and rescue efforts as well to capture live images of inaccessible disaster zones. But, many believe that's just the beginning. Given the vast area and various issues plaguing the continent, technology can play an important part in Africa's development and growth. The continents launch of humanitarian drones may very well turn out to be the vanguard in helping to tackle some of those problems. “This humanitarian drone testing corridor can significantly improve our efficiency and ability to deliver services to the world's most vulnerable children,” Christopher Fabian, UNICEF Office of Global Innovation Principal Adviser said in reference to the program in Malawi.  

Innovative drone-based healthcare deliveries

The UAV corridor’s launch follows a successful pilot project that took place in March of 2016. The study tested the drone transport of blood samples as a way to speed up HIV diagnosis in infants. The results determined UAVs were indeed a viable addition to existing transport systems used by health providers. Now, UNICEF and the Malawian Government are taking it a step further. The plan is to test the UAV corridor for a year with participation from over a dozen organizations. Universities, companies, and non-governmental organizations all applied to take part in the program. Currently, Malawi has one of the highest rates of HIV infections in the world. In 2014 alone, 10,000 children died from the virus. While large numbers of young people are tested each year, it represents only a fraction of the population. Physical constraints on the country’s health system is a primary reason testing is limited. The hope is that the drone corridor will reduce the cost and wait time of HIV tests.  

Humanitarian drones

The drones follow pre-programmed flight paths to carry dried blood samples between rural clinics and hospital labs. During the pilot program, one trip took under 20 minutes to complete. The drones conducted tests at various times of day as well as in different weather conditions. The operational advantages drones provide in these rural, underdeveloped areas are tremendous. Malawi, with a population exceeding 18 million people, only has eight facilities that conduct HIV testing for mothers and their children. Consequently, many patients live far away from testing centers. From testing to treatment, the entire process is often delayed, sometimes by as much as two months. Long wait times are a major issue. The sooner a child begins treatment with an antiretroviral medicine the greater the chance of survival. The government of Malawi hopes the humanitarian corridor helps decrease HIV related deaths. But that's just the beginning. Ultimately, one of the aims of the trial corridor is to research the viability of adopting the use of drones across the country’s health sector. Beyond the initial cost of purchasing sUAS, their low maintenance costs mean that drones may have an advantage over traditional transportation methods.  

Zipline takes to the skies in Rwanda

Malawi isn't the only country to benefit from drones delivering humanitarian aid. In fact, a company called Zipline regularly conducts humanitarian deliveries in Rwanda. Based outside of San Francisco, Zipline describes itself as "the world's only drone delivery system at a national scale to send urgent medicines like blood to patients, no matter where they live." In the Fall of 2016, Zipline partnered with the Rwandan health ministry to deploy 15 drones to serve 21 clinics from a single base. The company uses its fleet of sUAS to deliver critical supplies such as blood and plasma to rural hospitals. With its forested and, at times, impassable terrain, deliveries by road are painfully slow in Rwanda. Drones have the advantage of simply flying over the rugged and difficult terrain. Deliveries that  took up to eight hours by road, now happen in under a half-hour. Financed by the Rwandan Healthy Ministry, the project is a success.  

Distribution simplified

The process starts when a hospital sends an order to the Zipline distirubtion center. Local crews pack the product into a small container and load it onto the drone. The drone flies to the hospital and deploys the package, which is attached to a parachute, and returns to the distribution center. Within 5 minutes, after a staff member changes batteries and loads  the drone is once again airborne after a staff member changes batteries and loads a new package. The fleet of fixed-wing UAVs can fly missions up to 50 miles away from the distribution center. The fleets conducts nearly 500 missions a day. In January 2018, Zipline is expanding its operations into Tanzania. The scale of the Tanzanian operation is significantly larger. The plan, in partnership with the health ministry of Tanzania, is for 120 drones operating out of 4 bases. These centers will serve more than 10 million people at 1,000 clinics across the country.  

The future of humanitarian aid?

The advancement of drone technology advancing into humanitarian operations is heartening. And the pioneering projects taking place across Africa are but a fraction of what’s possible. As costs go down and expertise continues to grow, drones will simply be another tool to help deliver humanitarian aid.
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19Oct

U.S. Border Patrol Announces sUAS Pilot Program

The steady advance of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) into real-world environments, continues. In September, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced  a new pilot program. The program, executed by the U.S. Border Patrol, evaluates the use of sUAS within the CPB operational environment. Tests sites, already identified, include three USBP sectors. The program kicks off within the Tucson sector with plans to expand to Rio Grande Valley and Swanton later this year.  

Eyes in the sky

Border Patrol agents will use the remotely piloted sUAS for reconnaissance, intelligence, surveillance, tracking, and acquisition capabilities. Their primary operational environment is in areas that are difficult to access or otherwise considered too high-risk for manned aircraft or CBP personnel on the ground. “We anticipate the sUAS program to be a valuable tool for Border Patrol’s highly trained law enforcement personnel in securing our borders and helping identify and intercept illicit activity along U.S. borders,” said Carla Provost, Acting Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol. “These aircraft will enable Border Patrol agents to surveil remote areas not easily accessible by other means, which is critical to our ability to secure the border," Provost said. "They will also be invaluable for humanitarian missions, aiding in locating individuals in need of medical assistance along inhospitable areas of the border.”  

Border Patrol sUAS program

The pilot program tests the operational effectiveness of three sUAS fixed-wing and rotorcraft: Puma, Raven and InstantEye Quadcopter. All of the sUAS share a few common features deemed vital for operations. Each is portable, easily fitting inside an SUV, highly maneuverable and deploy rapidly. The sUAS pilot features two rotations in each of the three identified sectors. The first rotations began in September 2017. The second starts in January 2018. The aim is to test both hot and cold weather capabilities of the sUAS. CPB will issue a final review late Spring 2018. The review is expected to also include future investment decisions and expansion of the program to other USBP Sectors.  

The End Game

The hope is that the rapid deployment of sUAS will help field agents do their job safely and effectively. The three sUAS models should deliver vital sensory and visual data to agents on the ground. Each model has a proven track record in military operations for surveillance and Force Protection missions. The sUAS program is fully compliant with all Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, policies and laws. USBP will operationally test the sUAS under an approved Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the FAA and USBP. The MOA in place maximizes risk avoidance to commercial and general aviation traffic in the National Airspace System. All sUAS are to operate under a 400-foot ceiling. In addition, USBP has an approved MOA with CBP’s Air and Marine Operations further addressing operational risk avoidance in day-to-day operations.
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