Uncrewed Views: Drone Delivery, Regulations, and Public Safety

In recent years, more and more business leaders, government officials, and members of the general public have come to understand the threats posed by rogue drones and the need for effective counter-uas solutions.

For our latest Uncrewed Views podcast, Jeremiah Karpowicz, Editorial Director for Commercial UAV News, and Commercial UAV News Editorial Analyst Scott Howe explored the world of counter-uas with Jeffrey Starr, Chief Marketing Officer at D-Fend Solutions. The panel discussed recent advances in counter-uas systems, issues around privacy and public trust, and D-Fend Solutions’ unique approach to counter-uas.

Sources:

• D-Fend Solutions: Enabling Counter-Drone “Proportional Policing
• Increase in Illegal Drone Flights at Stadiums Highlights Security Concerns Ahead of Super Bowl LVIII
• Improving Counter-UAS: FAA and SkySafe Extend Detection and Mitigation Program
• UAS Detection and Risk Mitigation Moves Forward with New FAA Rulemaking Committee

For our latest Uncrewed Views podcast, Jeremiah Karpowicz, Editorial Director for Commercial UAV News, and Commercial UAV News Editorial Analyst Scott Howe spoke with BAAM.Tech Vice President Christian Stallings. The panel discussed the ways uncrewed vehicles are used in surveying and mapping, previewed the upcoming Geo Week event in Denver, and explored the ways advances in systems and technology impact surveying industry standards and best practices.

Sources:

·       State of the Drone Industry: Surveying & Mapping

·       Lidar use cases will continue to explode in 2024

·       Geo Week: The Intersection of geospatial + the built world

·       RIEGL Uncrewed Laser Scanning (ULS) Product Updates

·       Nearthlab Launches New AIDrone

·       DJI Launches Its First Intelligent 3D Model Editing Software: DJI Modify

For the final Uncrewed Views podcast of 2023, Jeremiah Karpowicz, Editorial Director for Commercial UAV News, and Commercial UAV News Editorial Analyst Scott Howe review the top stories of 2023. They discuss changes in regulations, advances in the drone delivery sector, propulsion innovations, including the use of hydrogen, professional opportunities and training, and more.

Sources:

·       Commercial UAV Expo Keynote: The Confluence of Technology, People, and Regulations

·       Senate Confirms Mike Whitaker to Lead the FAA

·       Will 2023 Prove to be the Pivotal Year for Drone Delivery?

·       What’s Happening With Drone Delivery?

·       Exploring the opportunities for hydrogen in the drone market with HYSKY Society

·       Success and scale with drone programs: How the US Forest Service saves taxpayer dollars and reduces wildfire response risk

·       Southern Company Defines the Safety Case for Indoor Drone Inspections in GPS-Denied Environments

·       Navigating the global UAV market’s skills shortage

·       Drone-Focused Educational Programs Continue to Grow

·       Building Tomorrow's Drone Workforce: Universities Tackle Key Challenges

·       PrecisionHawk Merger Signals the End of an Era for the Drone Industry

·       What do drone operations and applications from around the world look like?

For this edition of Uncrewed Views, Scott Howe, Editorial Analyst for Commercial UAV News, spoke with Rob Knochenhauer, Director of Regulatory Affairs at Censys Technologies. Rob discussed his company’s recent achievement: a 30-mile, BVLOS operation flying Sentaero 5 over a cellular network in South Florida. He also offered his perspectives on the regulatory issues facing drone operations and previewed his presentation at next February’s Geo Week event, “Getting Off the Ground with UAV Survey.”

Sources:

Commercial UAV News: 30-Mile True BVLOS Flight – Scalable Operation for All Organizations with Sentaero 5

Geo Week: Getting Off the Ground with UAV Survey

In October 2023, Exyn Technologies, SKIPPER NDT, and Flyability sponsored How Have Drones Changed Underground Mapping?, a Commercial UAV News webinar that explored the ways uncrewed technology has improved underground mapping operations.

In this special edition of the Uncrewed Views podcast, you’ll hear perspectives and insights from that webinar from Raffi Jabrayan, Vice President, Business Development & Commercial Sales, Exyn Technologies. Jabrayan discusses the uses of drones in mining and related operations and what the future may hold for the deployment of drones in underground mapping.

Geo Week News Content Manager Carla Lauter and Juan Plaza, Commercial UAV News Staff Writer and CEO of Plaza Aerospace, join Scott Howe, Editorial Analyst for Commercial UAV News, for the latest Uncrewed Views podcast. The panel discusses recent business news in the drone sector, including the uAvionix/Iris Automation deal, what’s happening with drone delivery in the US, South America, and beyond, and what to expect at next February’s Geo Week event.

Sources:

Commercial UAV News: uAvionix Acquires Iris Automation: An interview with Jon Damush

Geo Week News: Skydio and Trimble announce new strategic collaboration

Commercial UAV News: What’s Happening With Drone Delivery?

Geo Week News: Getting Off the Ground with UAV Survey

Geo Week News: Geo Week Announces Sneak Peek of 2024 Keynote Lineup

Geo Week News Content Manager Carla Lauter and Jeremiah Karpowicz, Editorial Director for Commercial UAV News, join Scott Howe, Editorial Analyst for Commercial UAV News, for the latest Uncrewed Views podcast. The panel discusses the impact the new FAA administrator could have on the UAV and AAM industries, how safety and privacy concerns influence the use of drones in law enforcement, the top drone companies in delivery and remote sensing, and more.

Sources:

• Commercial UAV News: Senate Confirms Mike Whitaker to Lead the FAA
• ENO Center for Transportation: FAA Administrator Whitaker Confirmed, Sworn In
• The Drone Girl: What Michael Whitaker’s Confirmation as Faa Administrator Means for the Drone Industry 
• NY Post: NYPD eyeing tricked-out van to track down illegal drones, fight terror  
  
• Reason: Should Governments Need a Warrant To Spy on You With a Drone?  
  
• Route Fifty: Policing police drones: How regulations can protect privacy while expanding public safety   
  
• Statescoop: Michigan junkyard case could change how government uses drones
  
• Commercial UAV News: The Leading Drone Service Companies of 2023
  
• Crossroads (MNDOT): Sensor And Drone Technologies Help Maintain Minnesota’s Aging Bridge Infrastructure

Geo Week News Content Manager Carla Lauter and Scott Howe, Editorial Analyst for Commercial UAV News, spoke with Percepto Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer Ariel Avitan for the latest Uncrewed Views podcast. They discussed how Percepto’s recent round of funding and its approval to fly BVLOS nationwide will impact the company’s future. In addition, the panel looked at a new poll showing increased public acceptance of drones and explored the ways uncrewed technology may contribute to our understanding of climate change.

Sources:

·       TechCrunch: Percepto flies high with $67M for its industrial drones

·       Commercial UAV News: Percepto showcases true BVLOS UAS operations at AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2023

·       UAS Vision: NATS Survey Finds that Majority of UK Public Supports Use of Drones

·       Geo Week News: Key technologies coming together to prepare for the effects of climate change

For this special edition of Uncrewed Views, Scott Howe, Editorial Analyst for Commercial UAV News, Sean Muldoon, a UAV Operator and Sales & Services Support Specialist at Frontier Precision Unmanned. They discussed Frontier Precision’s recent work in assisting the Alaska Department of Transportation in the wake of this August’s flooding disaster in Juneau at Mendenhall River and Mendenhall Lake. Muldoon explained how coordinated with Alaskan officials to deploy uncrewed systems to collect crucial data to aid in disaster recovery and assessment efforts.

Click here to register for a webinar in which Muldoon will further explore the details of Frontier Precision’s work in Alaska.

For this special edition of Uncrewed Views, Scott Howe, Editorial Analyst for Commercial UAV News, spoke with Ben Williams, COO of Exyn Technologies, a pioneer in the use of autonomous aerial robot systems for complex, GPS-denied environments. Williams discussed the ways mining operations currently use drones and related technologies, how Exyn works with clients to create workflows and processes that produce real value, and what the future holds for the integration of uncrewed systems with mining operations.