In an effort to improve safety in regards to shark attacks, UAS equipped with a shark detection system that is powered by artificial intelligence will be used to patrol some beaches in Australia starting in September.
After being provided a live-video feed via the battery-powered UAS, the UAS operator will use “shark-spotting software” to identify sharks in real time, with more accuracy than the human eye.
Studies have shown that when interpreting data from aerial images to detect shark activity, people have an accuracy rate between 20 and 30 percent.
According to Dr Nabin Sharma, a research associate at the University of Technology Sydney’s School of Software, that rate can be raised to 90 percent when using detection software.
UAS
UAS
Weekend Roundup
This Week in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World
A startup company called May Mobility that is looking to offer its autonomous driving technology to companies with commercial fleets made its official debut on August 21 at Y Combinator’s demo day. May Mobility wants to focus on customers that have vehicle needs in areas where routes can be easily mapped and conditions are fairly predictable. This includes areas such as closed residential communities, business districts and campuses (school and corporate). (TechCrunch)
General Atomics’ MQ-1C Gray Eagle Extended Range UAS completes 41.9-hour endurance flight
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) has announced that on August 6, its MQ-1C Gray Eagle Extended Range (MQ-1C ER) UAS completed a 41.9-hour endurance flight, which surpassed the 40 hour flight test goal.
The UAS flew out of El Mirage, California in a “representative U.S. Army mission configuration.”
“This is an important milestone for the MQ-1C ER program,” says David R. Alexander, president, Aircraft Systems, GA-ASI.
“The MQ-1C ER represents a significant enhancement in capability over the currently fielded MQ-1C and will be a game changer on the battlefield in support of our Army customer.”
This month, the MQ-1C ER production aircraft will begin flight testing for evaluation of the Army's First Article Test (FAT).
Lockheed Martin to pair its Indago UAS with MyDefence Communication’s KNOX Counter-UAS System
Under a new development agreement, Lockheed Martin will pair its Indago quadrotor UAS with the MyDefence Communication KNOX counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS).
By pairing the systems together, Lockheed Martin and Denmark-based research and development company MyDefence Communication hope to achieve rapid response aerial surveillance capabilities, which will give users the ability to “quickly and effectively detect adversaries and record evidence that could be used for prosecution.”
The KNOX system is an “anti-drone alarm and protection capability paired with Indago to gather real-time information about a suspect drone and its pilot.”
U.S. Marine develops low-cost 3D-printed UAS
In 2015, the U.S. Marine Corps’ Next Generation Logistics innovation group, known as NexLog, was established to “advocate for the future of emerging technologies on the front lines and for equipping Marines with the ability to make solutions for their own environment.”
With this in mind, Rhet McNeal, a 26 year-old Corporal from Griffin, Georgia, developed a 3D-printed UAS nicknamed “Scout” that is a cheaper alternative to the hand-launched, fixed-wing RQ-11 Raven and RQ-12 Wasp III UAS that the Marines currently use.
Department of Homeland Security's Common Unmanned Aircraft System Site opens in Mississippi
The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Common Unmanned Aircraft System Site has opened in Mississippi at the Camp Shelby military post.
Acting DHS Undersecretary William Bryan says that the UAS Support facility, which cost $72 million, is the only Unmanned Aircraft Regional Flight Center in the country.
“This is a great day for Mississippi,” Bryan says through the Hattiesburg American.
According to Bryan, the site has several goals, including improving the security and safety of the country’s borders, conducting search and rescue operations, and helping during natural disasters.
AUVSI and National Council on Public Safety UAS Announce Partnership
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug 23, 2017
Contact: Tom McMahon, tmcmahon@auvsi.org, (571) 255-7786
Decorah Fire Department in Iowa uses UAS to find six people stranded along the Yellow River
In Eastern Iowa, the Allamakee County Sheriff's office enlisted the help of the Decorah Fire Department and its UAS to help locate six people who were stranded along the Yellow River near Effigy Mounds, after they got lost while tubing.
It took just 10 minutes for the UAS to locate the first three of the six stranded, after they were spotted using a heat seeking camera that was attached to the UAS.
Decorah Firefighter Zack Kerndt, who was at home when he got the call to put his UAS skills to work, says that a foot-search for the missing people would have been very difficult, which made the UAS that much more valuable.
Nevada UAS Test Site and Microsoft test artificial intelligence in Microsoft’s UAS
The Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) and the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems (NIAS) have teamed up with Microsoft's UAS research team to test Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Microsoft’s sailplane.
The sailplane being tested, which is 16.5 feet and weighs 12.5 pounds, relies on a battery to “run onboard computational equipment and controls,” including the rudder, and radios to communicate with the ground.
The UAS also has a motor, which allows a pilot to take over manual operation if and when necessary.
During this set of tests though, the UAS demonstrated its ability to operate on its own, as it found and used thermals to travel without the help of the motor or a person.
White Settlement Independent School District in Texas adopts USI’ UAS curriculum
White Settlement Independent School District has become the first Texas school district to adopt the Unmanned Safety Institute’s (USI) UAS curriculum, which is made up of four college-equivalent courses, and totals more than 150 hours of instruction.
“We congratulate White Settlement ISD for leading the way in Texas with USI drone curriculum,” says Aaron Greenwald, President of Unmanned Safety Institute.
“Embracing Unmanned Safety Institute curriculum will help students access valuable education within the aviation field. White Settlement is an important component in creating a pathway for students to access this curriculum.”