UAV

senseFly eBee X with MicaSense RedEdge-MX,

SenseFly and MicaSense, producer of drone sensors for agriculture, have announced a new dual solution – the senseFly eBee X with MicaSense RedEdge-MX.

The RedEdge-MX is a rugged, built-tolast professional multispectral sensor. Capturing red, green, blue, near-infrared, and red-edge spectral bands, data from this sensor can be used to generate true color composites, basic crop health indexes, and advanced analytical tools like flower identification and weed detection. This, in combination with its durable design, makes RedEdge-MX a multispectral powerhouse. www.bdb.co.uk

Unifly launches e-Identification and tracking for drones

Unifly launched an e-Identification and tracking solution for drones. The device works in a completely independent fashion, with its own power source and sensors for position, altitude, temperature, pressure, speed and direction. As soon as the pilot attaches it to a drone, it is ready for use. Airborne equipment needs to be lightweight, robust, and able to withstand widely varying climatological conditions ranging from cold and heavy rainfall to blistering sunshine. This is why Unifly has developed a drone tracking and e-Identification product: the Unifly BLIP (broadcast location & identity platform). BLIP is tailored to the specific needs of UTM service providers and local authorities.”

Bramor mSX – (Re)defining agricultural drone sensing

After months of integration testing and optimization, the new BRAMOR mSX long endurance beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) enabled fixed wing unmanned aircraft system, equipped with the state of the art Micasense ALTUM sensor is now available to advanced users worldwide. The 3hr endurance system is revolutionizing the acquisition of data in the combined radiometric multispectral, visible and thermal remote sensing space for precision agriculture, advanced research remote sensing and surveying, filling the gap between satellite data acquisition and short endurance platforms that can cover very small areas. www.suasnews.com

Black Swift Technologies developing active UAS navigation

Black Swift Technologies (BST) has completed the first phase of a NASAfunded project to demonstrate the effectiveness of fusing a host of onboard sensors to develop a terrain-following fixed-wing unmanned aircraft system (UAS), in this case, it will be demonstrated using the Black Swift S2™ UAS.

BST’s understanding and integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning can help serve as a catalyst for accelerating UAS growth and adoption, industry-wide. Through autonomous, active navigation around obstacles and over rugged terrain by a fixed-wing UAS, BST is demonstrating how technology can help make UAS operation simpler and safer, for both operators and the public.

Blue Bear launches 5G enabled BVLOS flight test facilities

Blue Bear has announced the launch of its 5G enabled beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flight test facilities in Bedfordshire by the Mayor of Bedford, UK.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports has allocated over £200million to develop 5G test beds. This has allowed Blue Bear to establish the first 5G enabled air corridor for drone testing in the UK at the National BVLOS Experimental Centre (NBEC). TAGSDRONES & UAVS http://bbsr.co.uk

DJI introduces DJI Terra

DJI has introduced DJI Terra, a new software tool that transforms drone data into digital 3D models and maps for easy analysis and decision making. It enables businesses and organizations using DJI drone technology to capture, visualize and analyze aerial images for a wide variety of applications across the public safety, construction, infrastructure, agriculture and film industries. www.dji.com

IMGING becomes first drone platform with on-site roof measurements

Loveland Innovations, maker of advanced data gathering and AI analysis solutions, added enhancements to its inspection platform, IMGING®. These enhancements include drone-based onsite measurements, AI and deep learningpowered damage detection for commercial roofs, and other powerful updates.

Thanks to a unique real-time measurement process built into the IMGING app, field adjusters and roofing estimators can now view and share dynamic measurements on an Apple® iOS tablet while they’re still on-site with customers. Loveland can provide measurements shortly after a drone flight is completed for most residential roofs. www.lovelandinnovations.com

CCS and Fortress UAV partner to provide MERC-UASC Solution

Comprehensive Communication Services (CCS), a company created after Hurricane Katrina with the sole focus of providing mobile communication platforms for First Responders during disasters, and Fortress UAV, a leading provider of drone managed services including repair, preventative maintenance and support for clients, with a focus on public safety, have partnered to provide a fully comprehensive Mobile Emergency Response Center – Unmanned Aerial System Carrier (MERC-UASC) solution. This solution from CCS and Fortress UAV is extremely adaptable and can be applied to numerous use-cases including but not limited to: communications for emergency response, event monitoring and inspections, and enterprise drone solutions. www.comprehensivecom.net.

Waterproof drones

The Aeromapper Talon Amphibious is a fixed-wing UAV system that can be used for inspection and mapping with proven amphibious characteristics. It delivers high-resolution georeferenced imagery as well as the video feed from up to 30 km from the operator. After completing its mission the UAV later returns and safely lands on the water, well serving maritime Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations. By design, the UAV can stay indefinitely afloat on the water, and even sustain full immersion without any damage or water intrusion, even in salt water. www.aeromao.com

Cost-effective drone tracking solution

AirMap, global airspace management platform for drones, and Honeywell announced the development of a costeffective drone tracking solution to provide airspace safety authorities with situational awareness of manned and unmanned aircraft operations within an airspace system.

Together, the companies will develop a cost-effective hardware device to allow for UAS, or drones, to maintain consistent communication with a UAS Traffic Management (UTM) system. UTM is a digital air traffic management system made up of technologies and services designed to maintain safe integration and separation of drones and other aircraft and objects in low-altitude airspace via the exchange of mission-critical data and telemetry information. www.airmap.com

ESA BIC start-up tests at BCN Drone Center in Namibia

A drone startup from The Netherlands which is a part of the ESA BIC network and their Norwegian engineering partners Maritime Robotics. Eyeplane proposes an innovative fixed-wing drone service by which they will be able to monitor large areas of land from the sky and warn customers in case of irregularities. They are planning to work in Namibia for wildlife preservation. The Dutch startup booked one of the exclusive offers for ESA BIC startups sponsored by Catalan Government. https://unionaerospace.ca

$3M Volume UAV contract signed

Survey of India awards India’s first survey grade hybrid UAV Trinity+ order to India’s oldest surveying instrument company API-Roter Group partnered with Quantum-Systems GmbH Germany.

In order to find the best system in the market for this application, a call for tenders was launched in 2018 to compete different systems against each other. The catalogue of requirements comprised numerous disciplines, some of which were specified by the state and others by the customer. In a tightly scrutinized demonstration of the drones of 11 participating companies, Trinity+’s outshone the competition in performance, data quality and compliance to the regulations. Quantum-Systems GmbH and its Indian partner Ansari Precision Instruments are proud to have won the tender in the aggressive competition. www.quantum-systems.com

Drones to carry out India’s biggest Land Survey

The Maharashtra State Government is going to conduct the biggest ever land survey in modern India and the drones will be used to carry out the task. The State Government took this decision as they aim to offer ownership rights to nearly 15 million rural households an official said.

S.Chockalingam, director of land records in Maharashtra said that a more than a dozen of drones installed with high-resolution cameras will survey the residential areas of 40,000 villages in the state from 1st June.

He further informed that it will take three years’ time for the completion of this survey. The director also informed that the villagers have no property ownership on the land they live even though they are paying the property tax on time. The villagers don’t have property titles, because there has been no survey. He further said that the State has completed the procedure to digitize nearly 270 million land records and the Government will have a better vision of idle land we have after carrying out the survey of villages. www.realtymonks.com