Uncrewed Views

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.

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 previews Commercial UAV Expo 2023 and discusses Skydio’s recent decision to exit the consumer drone market, DJI’s delivery drone, recent FAA approvals, and more.

Sources:

Commercial UAV Expo 2023

·         Conference Program

·         Keynotes

·         Exhibitor List

The Verge: Skydio is pivoting to enterprise — its consumer drones are dead

TechCrunch: Skydio closing consumer drone business

Heliguy: Delivery Drone Launched By DJI

UAS Vision: FAA Authorizes Phoenix Air Unmanned to Operate Drones BVLoS for Certain Aerial Work

Yahoo! Finance: Sustainable Skylines Secures First-Ever FAA Authorization for Drones to Tow Full-Size Advertising Banners

NPR: An AI quadcopter has beaten human champions at drone racing

PetaPixel: Thermal Drones and Infrared Cameras Used to Search for Loch Ness Monster

For this special edition of Uncrewed Views, Scott Howe, Editorial Analyst for Commercial UAV News, spoke with Will Austin, President, Warren County Community College (WCCC), and Chief Pilot, Warren UAS. They discussed WCCC’s long history of training pilots and other drone industry professionals, the need for specialized education in the UAV sector, how WCCC collaborates with public and private entities on innovative projects, and much more.

While you’re at Commercial UAV Expo, be sure to stop by Booth 348 to learn more about Warren UAS.

Special thanks to Warren County Community College for sponsoring this year's coffee cafe at Commercial UAV Expo!

Geo Week News Content Manager Carla Lauter and Scott Howe, Editorial Analyst for Commercial UAV News, are joined by Daneille McLean, Founder and CEO of HYSKY Society, for the latest Uncrewed Views podcast. The panel looks at the opportunities presented by powering drones with hydrogen, the upcoming FLYING HY event, UAV-based medical aid delivery efforts in Kenya, artificial intelligence, and more.

Sources:

Commercial UAV News: 

• Exploring the opportunities for hydrogen in the drone market with HYSKY Society
• Powering Solutions for Your Drone in 2022
• Powering Solutions for Your Drone, Part 1: What's Out There?
• Why Should We Care About Drone Power? Part II of Powering Your Drone

HYSKY Society

FLYING HY – The World’s Largest Hydrogen Aviation Event

Toni Drummond from Titan Aviation joins Geo Week News Content Manager Carla Lauter and Scott Howe, Editorial Analyst for Commercial UAV News, for the latest Uncrewed Views podcast. The panel discusses the Advanced Airspace Summit, scheduled for this September’s Commercial UAV Expo, as well as the impact remote ID will have on commercial drone operations, recent FAA news, and more.

Sources:

Commercial UAV Expo: Advanced Airspace Summit, Part I / Advanced Airspace Summit, Part II

JD Supra: FAA UAS Remote ID Rule and the Insurance Industry Data Use Case

Dronelife: House Passes FAA Reauthorization Bill

Axios: Biden plans to pick "flying taxi" exec Mike Whitaker to lead FAA

Flying: FAA Releases Its ‘Innovate28’ Plan for AAM Integration by 2028

For our latest podcast, Geo Week News Content Manager, Carla Lauter, and Scott Howe, Editorial Analyst for Commercial UAV News, are joined by Matt Isenbarger from Freefly Systems. The panel looks at the US Forest Service’s successful drone program, how New York State is using uncrewed systems to monitor shark activity, AI and swarming technology, and more.

Sources:

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

Longmont Leader: Aims Community College offers associate degree for drone pilots

The Hill: New York to deploy shark-monitoring drones to beaches following reported attacks

Dronelife: AI-Powered UAV Swarming Technology Steps Out of Science Fiction into Real World Scenarios

Geo Week News: Riegl and Schiebel integrate laser scanning system on UAS

For our latest podcast, Geo Week News Content Manager, Carla Lauter, and Jeremiah Karpowicz, Editorial Director for Commercial UAV News, look at drone light shows, UAV training facilities, drones in firefighting, robotics and the Titan submersible rescue effort, and more.

Hosted by Scott Howe, Editorial Analyst for Commercial UAV News.

Sources:

CNN: Some US cities are replacing 4th of July fireworks with environmentally friendly drones

Chicago Tribune: Drones, metal detectors among precautions as Southland communities prep for July Fourth security

CBS News: These cities are having drone shows instead of fireworks displays for Fourth of July celebrations

The Daily Advance: Time to fly: ECSU cuts ribbon $1M drone facility

AZO Robotics: New Drone Designed to Enter Burning Buildings

StudyFinds: This hero drone can fly into flames and may revolutionize firefighting

Future Farming: ‘Get a professional opinion when buying a drone’

Popular Mechanics: Could This Undersea Drone Have Saved the Titan Crew?

Yahoo: Drone finds accident victim in west-central Minnesota as he collapses on tracks with train on its way

Geo Week News Content Manager, Carla Lauter, and Jeremiah Karpowicz, Editorial Director for Commercial UAV News, join host Scott Howe, Editorial Analyst for Commercial UAV News, for the latest edition of the Uncrewed Views podcast.

The panel discusses the financial health of the drone industry, the power of strategic partnerships, advances in AAM and air taxis, ways police departments use UAVs, and more.

Sources:

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

Dronelife:  Drone Industry Fragility: From the Floor of the Energy Drone and Robotics Summit

UAS Weekly:  Strayos and Quantum Systems Forge Strategic Partnership to Transform Mining Operations

DroneDJ:  Quantum-Systems’ AI-based push for drone adoption in mining ops

Smart Energy International:  Software platform deployed to help drones with powerline inspections

WYFF: Drone first responders help Asheville Police and Fire keep community safe

WTTW:  Illinois Expands Use of Police Surveillance Drones

Heliguy:  How To Pick The Best Camera For Drone Photogrammetry 

Heliguy:  LiDAR vs Photogrammetry For Drone Surveys

Financial Times:  Which flying taxi will take off first?

Aviation Week:  AAM Spotlight: Christian Bauer, Volocopter CCO/CFO

FAA:  Urban Air Mobility (UAM) Concept of Operations

Commercial UAV Expo:  Advanced Airspace Summit – Part I: Cultivating Public Trust

Commercial UAV Expo:  Advanced Airspace Summit – Part II: Establishing Regulatory and Operational Frameworks

For the latest edition of our Uncrewed Views podcast, host Scott Howe, Editorial Analyst for Commercial UAV News, speaks with Geo Week News Content Manager Carla Lauter and Jeremiah Karpowicz, Editorial Director for Commercial UAV News.

The panel discusses recent reports on the use of artificial intelligence with drones, changes at the FAA, how autonomous systems are mapping abandoned mines, drones in traffic management, and the recently announced conference program for the 2023 Commercial UAV Expo.

Sources: 

• The Guardian: US air force denies running simulation in which AI drone ‘killed’ operator
• NBC News: Biden names deputy transportation secretary as new acting FAA chief
• Canadian Mining Journal: Exyn Aero drone makes accurate maps of historic mines 
• Government Technology: Drones Assist Iowa DOT in Directing Traffic Around Wrecks
• Commercial UAV Expo: 2023 Conference Program

For our latest edition of Uncrewed Views, host Scott Howe, Editorial Analyst for Commercial UAV News, speaks with Geo Week News Content Manager Carla Lauter and Brett Kanda, Senior Vice President, Business Development at Aerodome.

The panel discusses the latest developments in drone delivery, public perceptions around uncrewed vehicles, the recently formed Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Detection and Mitigation Aviation Rulemaking Committee, drones and lidar in public safety and more.

Sources:

·       Dronelife - Wing Demonstrates Drone Delivery Anywhere – Delivering Beer and Peanuts to Coors Field

·       CNBC - Amazon’s 100 drone deliveries puts Prime Air far behind Alphabet’s Wing and Walmart partner Zipline

·       Inside Unmanned Systems - The Tech Behind BVLOS

·       sUAS News - Counter-UAS Use Cases Wanted for FAA Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC)

For our edition of Uncrewed Views, host Scott Howe, Editorial Analyst for Commercial UAV News, speaks with Geo Week News Content Manager Carla Lauter and Jeremiah Karpowicz, Editorial Director for Commercial UAV News.

The panel discusses cybersecurity in the drone industry, the threats posed by unauthorized drones, recent actions by the FAA and private industry to secure the airspace, and privacy and security issues in the geospatial sector.

Sources:

·       Dronelife – AUVSI Xponential: The Keynote on Cybersecurity for Drones

·       Commercial UAV News – Cybersecurity takes center stage at AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2023

·       AV Web –  FAA Announces UAS Rulemaking Committee Members

·       Yahoo Finance – RAFAEL's DRONE DOME to be Tested by FAA for Use at US Airport

·       Drone DJ – Dedrone expands its role in FAA airport drone detection trials

·       Commercial UAV News – Counter-UAS Advances as FAA Enlists WhiteFox for Airport Protection

·       Newsweek – Law Enforcement Needs the Tools to Fight Domestic Drone Dangers

·       Geo Week News – How technology can make safer job sites

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