UAV

Applanix releases New POSPac LiDAR Quality Control Tools for UAVs

AApplanix has introducedLiDAR Quality Control (LiDAR QC) Tools for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)—a new software module supported by the latest release of Applanix’ industry-leading GNSSaided inertial post-processing software packages, POSPac Mobile Mapping Solution (MMS) and POSPac Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). LiDAR QC Tools for UAVs are specifically designed to achieve higher accuracy LiDAR point clouds from a UAV by performing two key functions: Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) boresight calibration and trajectory adjustment. www.applanix.com

Enhanced Cut-and-Fill Mapping in drone surveying package

Virtual Surveyor has added cut-andfill mapping capabilities to Version 7.0 of its popular drone surveying package. The new functionality enables users to quickly perform volume difference calculations and generate cut-and-fill maps from drone images captured on two or more different dates. The enhanced cut-and-fill functions are part of a new feature in Virtual Surveyor 7.0 called Terrain States. This allows the user to create separate Terrain States for surface models generated from UAV images captured over the same area on different dates. www.virtual-surveyor.com.

Yuneec and Leica Camera AG announce partnership

Yuneec and Leica Camera AG announced the beginning of a strategic partnership today. The first result of this collaboration was presented in the form of the Typhoon H3 with ION L1 Pro camera. It is a drone equipped with a high-end 1” sensor camera that was specially developed for sophisticated aerial photography and, thanks to Leica photo-engineering technology, also meets the highest standards of quality. Both the software and the hardware of the ION L1 Pro camera were developed in collaboration with Leica engineers, which means the device is characterized by its outstandingimage quality, intuitive operation that is typical of Leica, professional imageprocessing options and the iconic Leica industrial design. www.yuneec.com

First-of-its-Kind Trial with FedEx and Walgreens

Wing Aviation LLC, an Alphabet company, is collaborating with FedEx Express and Walgreens to launch a firstof- its-kind drone delivery service in Christiansburg, Virginia next month. The pilot program will demonstrate the many benefits of drone delivery to communities by exploring methods to enhance lastmile delivery service, improve access to health care products, and create a new avenue of growth for local businesses.

Drone delivery in the United States has historically been limited to smallscale demonstrations on designated test sites, or extremely short flights along pre-planned, fixed routes – all within the visual line of sight of the drone operator. Earlier this year, Wing became the first drone operator to be certified as an air carrier by the Federal Aviation Administration, allowing it to deliver commercial goods to recipients that may be miles away. Wing’s pilot program in Virginia will be conducted as part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Unmanned Aircraft System Integration Pilot Program (IPP). wing.com

MMC UAV launches Hydrone

MMC UAV recently launched its new hydrone Griflion H, with a recordbreaking 15-hour flight time. It is a hydrogen-powered vertical take-off and landing drone with an integrated design and MMC-developed hydrogen fuel battery with great stability.

The highlight of Griflion H is the extended flight time thanks to its high-efficiency metal bipolar plate hydrogen fuel cell with a maximum hydrogen storage capacity of 27L. Its flight time reached a recordbreaking 15 hours without payload and 10 hours with a 3kg payload while most drones in market merely have a maximum 2-hour flight time. In mapping practice, the mission is usually interrupted by multiple take-offs and landings in different spots and hence lower efficiency. The extended flight time of Griflion H greatly improves mission efficiency. Other features include convenient operation, high security, wide coverage, zero emissions and low noise. Coupled with different payloads, it provides solutions for global customers in areas like surveying and mapping, rescue, security & protection, border scouting and forest scouting.

FLIR announces industry’s first Multi-Gas Detector

FLIR Systems, Inc. has announced the FLIR MUVE™ C360, the industry’s first multi-gas detector specifically built for unmanned aerial systems (UAS).

It will transform how emergency response teams approach chemical, industrial, or environmental incidents by providing a new level of safety, dramatically reducing time to action, and delivering a more complete assessment in situations where every second counts. The C360 is currently compatible with the DJI Matrice 210 UAS platform.

It will allow operators to understand the flow of hazardous vapors both at the source and in the air. It bypasses difficult terrain and enables response teams to quickly draw a perimeter and map known hazards, while preset alarm thresholds help scene commanders or security operators make quick decisions. www.flir.com

General Dynamics Mission Systems introduces autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle

General Dynamics Mission Systems has recently released the new Bluefin-12 autonomous unmanned underwater. This new vehicle builds upon the proven Bluefin autonomy and uses shared Bluefin Robotics› core capabilities, increased mission modularity and embedded intelligence to complete users› long endurance, high-consequence and changing missions. The Bluefin-12 may be configured with an optional turnkey survey package delivering integrated survey capabilities including high-resolution sonar, environmental sensing, powerful onboard data processing and highly accurate navigation. www.generaldynamics.com

Cyient and QinetiQ Sign MoU to offer avionics products

Cyient had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UK-based defense technology firm, QinetiQ Target Systems (QTS), to offer avionics products for its unmanned target systems. Cyient will provide advanced manufacturing and electronics engineering solutions for QTS’ range of unmanned air, land, and sea target systems from its facilities in India. www.cyient.com.

Giant XAG defended 20-millionhectare farmlands with crop spraying drones

XAG announces that its Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) crop protection services have covered an accumulated farmland of 20 million hectares, amid a large-scale cotton defoliation operation in Xinjiang, China. Among the first to introduce fully autonomous drones to transform the way crops are grown, XAG has become one of the world’s largest agriculture drone manufacturers and service providers. Its crop spraying drones have operated in 38 countries including South Korea, Japan, Australia, Vietnam, Brazil, Mexico, Zambia, etc. www.xa.com

Aarav Unmanned Systems’ small drone gets DGCA certification

Aarav Unmanned Systems’ (AUS) flagship enterprise grade multicopter drone Insight has become the first small category drone to be certified by the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India.

The DGCA certification is for the ‘No- Permission No-Takeoff (NPNT)’ and manufacturing compliances laid down by the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) for drone operations in India.

At present three other Indian start-ups have been able to obtain certification under micro category. AUS is the first company to get the certification under small category. www. thehindubusinessline.com

FAA eases restrictions on drone operations over some federal facilities

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced that it is working with other federal agencies to minimize the impact of flight restrictions on drone operators flying near select federal facilities.

The FAA is working with the U.S. Department of Defense to establish intermittent restrictions on drone flights within the lateral boundaries of select federal facilities during specified times. Currently, drone operators are prohibited from flying at these locations at all times. The FAA is working to ensure that these restrictions are narrowly tailored and remain in effect only when necessary.

Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) will be issued in advance, indicating the sites where these intermittent restrictions will apply. Drone operators will be able to easily identify the status of the airspace at these locations using the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft System UAS Data Display System’s (UDDS) interactive map

European Aerial Survey Industry Association launched

Intergeo saw the official introduction of the European Association of Aerial Surveying Industries (EAASI). Aerial survey companies, equipment manufacturers, software developers and service providers from within the aerial surveying industry in Europe were invited to join the newly established association at a reception event held at Intergeo in Stuttgart, Germany.

Similar in concept to MAPPS (the national association of firms in the surveying, spatial data and geographic information systems fields) in the US, EAASI was incorporated in June, followed by the first Association Board meeting. www.EAASI.eu