Researchers from TU Delft (the Netherlands), University of Barcelona, and Harvard University have now developed the first swarm of tiny — and hence very safe — drones that can autonomously detect and localize gas sources in cluttered indoor environments. Continue reading
Category Archives: Research
Wave Engine Corp Gets $1M USAF Versatile Air-Launched Platform Award
The USAF Armament Directorate has awarded the North American Wave Engine Corporation a $1 million contract to build and demonstrate the Versatile Air-Launched Platform (VALP) as part of the USAF’s efforts to develop high-impact technologies critical to the future of aviation and aerial combat. Continue reading
Researchers Develop ‘Digital Dog Nose’ for UAVs
New sensors developed by Professor Otto Gregory, of the College of Engineering at the University of Rhode Island, and chemical engineering doctoral student Peter Ricci, are so powerful that they can detect threats at the molecular level, whether it’s explosive materials, particles from a potentially deadly virus or illegal drugs entering the country. Continue reading
Virginia Tech Survey Shows People Love Drone Deliveries
Christiansburg, Virginia, a town of roughly 22,000 people, is the site of the most advanced residential drone delivery trial in the United States, launched by the Alphabet subsidiary Wing in October 2019. Virginia Tech researchers conducted a survey in November 2020 to assess the community’s sentiment. Continue reading
Electrolyzers are First Step to Green Hydrogen Production
The hydrogen market is always associated with fuel cells and vehicles, but this is actually a tiny portion of the overall hydrogen market. In fact, to use hydrogen in fuel cells and industrial applications, it is necessary to produce hydrogen cost-effectively. Continue reading
Private Equity and VCs Predict Huge Growth in eVTOL Market
Horizon Aircraft Cavorite X5
New research (1) with senior private equity and venture capital professionals reveals 71% expect there to be more than 160,000 commercial air taxis operating around the world by 2050. Some 17% anticipate there will be over 200,000. Continue reading
Virginia Tech Tests Windscreen Drone Impacts
A drone slams into a windshield. The drone’s shell cracks, and the windshield shudders. Pieces of a propeller snap off. But the windshield doesn’t shatter. Continue reading
Embry-Riddle Studies Aircraft Wildlife Strikes
As an instructor at the Brazilian Air Force Academy, Flavio Antonio Coimbra Mendonça was flying in formation when one of his colleagues experienced a bird strike to the leading edge of his aircraft’s right wing. It was a relatively minor incident — not nearly as dramatic as the U.S. Airways Flight 1549 landing on New York’s Hudson River following a bird strike in 2009 — but it got Mendonca wondering about ways to reduce wildlife collisions with aircraft. Continue reading