UAS VISION
an independent online news service for the Unmanned Aircraft Systems world
A Manduca sexta moth with the sensor on its back
There are many places in this world that are hard for researchers to study, mainly because it’s too dangerous for people to get there. University of Washington researchers have created one potential solution: A 98 milligram sensor system — about one tenth the weight of a jellybean, or less than one hundredth of an ounce — that can ride aboard a small drone or an insect, such as a moth, until it gets to its destination. Continue reading
A team of aerospace engineering students from Oklahoma State University has designed and built a turbo-electric drone engine as part of a program sponsored by the U.S. Army. Continue reading
SlothBot is a slow-moving and energy-efficient robot that can linger in the trees to monitor animals, plants, and the environment below, built by robotics engineers at the Georgia Institute of Technology to take advantage of the low-energy lifestyle of real sloths, SlothBot demonstrates how being slow can be ideal for certain applications. Continue reading
In conjunction with the Department of Defence, University of South Australia material scientists have developed a range of lightweight panels that can change colour on demand, allowing drones to match their appearance to the background colours of the sky. Continue reading
In an effort to safely and humanely rescue marine mammals, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has partnered with marine biologists and a Verizon drone-management platform to monitor animals in distress using unmanned aircraft systems. Continue reading
A new research and development lab built by Honeywell is demonstrating the company’s technological capabilities in both hardware and software for the unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and urban air mobility (UAM) markets. The lab, which resembles a conceptual UAM vehicle flight deck with real hardware, is the first of its kind to demonstrate actual fly-by-wire controls and vehicle avionics integrated in a lab setting. Continue reading
Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) researchers have successfully invented an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or a drone made of natural fibres, pineapple leaves, that has electrical resistance. Continue reading
U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao announced that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is awarding $7.5 million in research, education, and training grants to universities that comprise the agency’s Air Transportation Center of Excellence (COE) for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), also known as the Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence (ASSURE). Continue reading