FAA releases airspace blueprint for Urban Air Mobility

FAA releases airspace blueprint for Urban Air Mobility

May 8, 2023 | Advanced Air Mobility, Industry News, Regulatory

By Scott Simmie

 

If you’re involved in the world of drones or traditional aviation, odds are you’ve heard of air taxis, cargo drones and the coming world of Advanced Air Mobility, or AAM.

But what does that mean? And how will it differ from our current skies?

To get started, it’s worth looking at a definition of AAM. We like this one from BAE Systems:

“Advanced Air Mobility is an air transport system concept that integrates new, transformational aircraft designs and flight technologies into existing and modified airspace operations. The objective of AAM is to move people and cargo between places more effectively, especially in currently underserved local, regional, urban, and rural environments.”

And these transformational aircraft designs? Well, they include air taxis and heavy-lift drones capable of efficiently moving people, goods and critical supplies from major urban centres to nearby regions. Many of these destinations – certainly initially – are likely to be close to major urban centres but not have traditional airports. Often, those underserved areas have never had enough traditional air traffic demand to support the required infrastructure. Plus, it doesn’t really make sense to fly a plane over a very short distance.

The coming generation of new aircraft, for the most part, will not require runways and will be more environmentally friendly than ground transport. Most of the aircraft under development are electric and capable of vertical takeoff and landing – often transitioning to more efficient fixed-wing flight for the journey. And that means minimal infrastructure will be required. Think helicopter landing pads.

Sustainable electric or hybrid-powered flight, along with the promise of autonomous missions that can efficiently ferry goods through the sky while reducing road congestion, are among the key benefits of AAM.

Below: Volkswagen is just one of many companies developing new types of aircraft for the coming world of Advanced Air Mobility. Some firms are actively testing.

Urban Air Mobility

AAM and UAM

 

The drone and aviation world loves its acronyms. And one that goes hand-in-hand with AAM is UAM – Urban Air Mobility.

UAM refers to the use of Advanced Air Mobility technologies in a strictly urban setting. Picture a major city where you can hail an air taxi to a landing pad, also known as a vertiport, with a phone app. Or where goods are routinely shuttled by drone or other new aircraft across urban skies. That’s what Urban Air Mobility refers to. Think of it as a subset of AAM.

But while UAM offers unique efficiencies and a reduction in ground traffic, it also comes with greater risk than flying goods to regional areas. That’s because these aircraft will be flying over property and people for the entire duration of their missions.

They’ll also be flying at lower altitudes than traditional crewed aircraft, and – eventually – in greater numbers. So regulators are interested in helping to shape the coming UAM (and AAM) eras to ensure a safe system that seamlessly meshes these new aircraft with existing airspace.

 

FAA

 

In early May, the Federal Aviation Administration – the US regulator – released an updated blueprint of how it envisions AAM will unfold. The Concept of Operation (ConOps) document outlines what procedural changes might help ensure a slow, safe and smooth transition into the coming era.

“Transportation is constantly evolving,” it states. “Each step forward yields new opportunities that fundamentally change the relationship that humankind has with distance and travel. While it may not significantly reduce surface traffic volume, UAM will provide an alternative mode of transportation that should reduce traffic congestion during peak times.”

And the driving force behind all of this? Technology.

“Major aircraft innovations, mainly with the advancement of Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) and development of Electric VTOLs (eVTOLs), may allow for these operations to be utilized more frequently and in more locations than are currently performed by conventional aircraft,” says the regulator.

We’ll dive a little deeper in a moment. But the FAA says – in addition to certifying aircraft and pilots – that the blueprint is a “key step” in efforts to move safely toward this next phase of aviation. The blueprint should be of interest to everyone in the industry – particularly those who have plans for moving people and cargo by this next generation of aircraft. The FAA describes the blueprint as a “frame of reference” for itself, NASA, and the industry.

Below: Might Vancouver’s skies one day include aircraft like the one pictured below? Odds are, yes.

 

THE BLUEPRINT

 

So how will the US get from here…to there?

What guidelines or steps are needed to ensure a safe transition from now to then? The key, says the FAA, is to adopt a “crawl-walk-run approach.” In other words, start slowly – very slowly – and integrate these new aircraft in a highly methodical way while building on incremental successes.

“The envisioned evolution for UAM operations includes includes an initial, low-tempo set of operations that leverage the current regulatory frameworks and rules (e.g., Visual Flight Rules [VFR], Instrument Flight Rules [IFR]) as a platform for increasing operational tempo, greater aircraft performance, and higher levels of autonomy,” says the FAA.

That “low-tempo” means you won’t be hailing an autonomous air taxi anytime soon. In fact, when it comes to moving people and goods, fully autonomous aircraft are in the last stage of the FAA’s Concept of Operations.

Here’s a look at the three main phases the FAA has identified, taken directly from the blueprint:

  • Initial UAM operations are conducted using new aircraft that have been certified to fly within the current regulatory and operational environment.
  • A higher frequency (i.e., tempo) of UAM operations in the future is supported through regulatory evolution and UAM Corridors that leverage collaborative technologies and techniques.
  • New operational rules and infrastructure facilitate highly automated cooperative flow management in defined Cooperative Areas (CAs), enabling remotely piloted and autonomous aircraft to safely operate at increased operational tempos.

Below: An EHang EH216 carries out a passenger-carrying, autonomous flight in Oita Prefecture, Japan. The company has already logged 30,000 safe flights and is in the certification process with the Civial Aviation Administration of China. Image via EHang. 

EHang 216

AIR TAXIS

 

The FAA document focuses on air taxis – eVTOLs capable of carrying either people or cargo. And, in line with its “crawl-walk-run” approach, envisions a phased integration of these vehicles into US airspace.

All aircraft would be need to be certified. And initially, the Pilot-in-Command would need to be onboard and manually flying the aircraft using Visual Flight Rules (VFR) and Instrument Flight Rules (IFR). Pilots would communicate with Air Traffic Services, which would be responsible for ensuring adequate separation with traditional aircraft.

The ConOps document also envisions corridors – three-dimensional freeways in the sky that would be set aside for air taxi traffic. These corridors would at first be one-way only, though that would likely change in future.

In the early phases, the FAA believes existing helipads or other current infrastructure would be adequate. But it encourages planners and municipalities to use the best available data and forecasts when determining where to build vertiports.

“State and local governments are being encouraged to actively plan for UAM infrastructure to ensure transportation equity, market choice, and accommodation of demand for their communities,” says the document.

“The vertiports and vertistops should be sited to ensure proper room for growth based on FAA evaluated forecasts and be properly linked to surface transportation (when possible), especially if the facility primarily supports cargo operations. Local governments should also have zoning protections in place to protect airspace in and around vertiports and vertistops.”

As demand – and technology – advance, the FAA foresees traffic management becoming more automated. Data-sharing and detect-and-avoid technology would likely enable the eventual rollout of fully autonomous flights. In that scenario, these machines would operate under what the FAA calls “Automated Flight Rules” – or AFRs.

It’s all part of an evolution that would see the gradual implementation of automation, with people playing less active roles over time. Initially, the FAA says, there would always be a Human-Within-the-Loop (HWTL) – meaning a pilot. That would evolve to a person having supervisory control of automation, known as a Human-on-the-Loop (HOTL).

In a fully mature system, people would simply be notified by automation if action is required. This is referred to as Human-Over-The-Loop (HOVTL), defined by the FAA as follows:

 

  • Human is informed, or engaged, by the automation (i.e., systems) to take action
  • Human passively monitors the systems and is informed by automation if, and what, action is required
  • Human is engaged by the automation either for exceptions that are not reconcilable or as part of rule set escalation

“UAM operations may evolve from a PIC onboard the UAM aircraft to RPICs/remote operators via the advent of additional aircraft automation technologies,” states the blueprint.

The following FAA graphic indicates the predicted evolution of the UAM operational environment:

FAA UAM evolution

SLOW AND STEADY

 

There’s much more to the FAA document, and we encourage those interested to explore it here. But the key point is a slow and measured integration of these new transformational aircraft with an emphasis on safety and human oversight within existing regulations. As technology and data-sharing improve, this will evolve to a more automated/autonomous system with humans involved only if they are flagged to intervene. New regulations will likely evolve as the technology continues to develop.

The FAA released a brief video in conjunction with its blueprint, which hits some of the highlights discussed in this post:

INDRO’S TAKE

 

Like many, we see the great potential in the coming Advanced Air Mobility/Urban Air Mobility era. Certified aircraft safely moving people and goods will be faster, more efficient and more sustainable than current ground travel. It could also be a boon to people living in communities currently not served by traditional aircraft.

“We see particular utility for remote and cut-off communities in need of critical goods,” says InDro CEO Philip Reece.

“We always use the crawl-walk-run model when deploying our own new technologies, and believe this incremental approach is the best way to ensure safety and public acceptance. We anticipate Canadian regulators, working with industry and the Canadian Advanced Air Mobility Consortium, will be taking a similar approach.”

The new FAA blueprint, though it’s a ConOps document and not carved in stone, does leave us feeling that plans are starting to take shape. We look forward to the slow, steady and successful integration of UAM/AAM in the US, Canada and elsewhere.

If you’d like to do some further reading on AAM – and what’s happening on the Canadian scene – you’ll find that here.

Public perception of drones mixed depending on use-cases

Public perception of drones mixed depending on use-cases

Apr 24, 2023 | Drones for good, Education, Industry News, Scott Simmie

By Scott Simmie

 

What does the public think about drones?

That’s a very good question. And the answer has implications for the industry at large.

Is the public ready to embrace drones becoming a more ubiquitous part of everyday life? Are people ready for drones to be flying overhead in urban settings – whether they’re gathering data, delivering critical supplies, or simply dropping off a bagel and latte for the sake of convenience?

As the industry moves ahead to more routine Beyond Visual Line of Sight Flights utilising pre-programmed and autonomous technologies, the answer – or answers – could have a significant impact on the speed of adoption.

Do people want drones buzzing in their neighbourhoods? WING certainly had some pushback when it began trials of convenience deliveries in Australia. And what about concerns over privacy?

There are plenty of questions. And some intriguing answers.

Below: InDro delivers prescriptions to remote Gulf Island communities in a trial using drones for critical deliveries of medications

Public Perception of Drones

CANADIAN RESEARCH

 

Before we dive into the nuts and bolts, some context: We’ll be referring to two scientific papers just published by Canadian-led research teams based out or Carleton University in Ottawa. One of these papers reviews existing research and draws conclusions, while the other involves original data on public perceptions gathered in Canada. Though we’ll dip into both, we’ll focus primarily on the paper called “Public perception of remotely piloted aircraft systems in Canada” – which appears in the May 2023 issue of Technology In society.

That study was authored by Dr. Nick Tepylo, Leilah Debelle, and Jeremy Laliberté. Dr. Tepylo is both a pilot and an aircraft systems engineer who holds a PhD; Professor Jeremy Laliberté leads a 22-person Carleton research group that focusses on the advanced use of drones and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). Leilah Debelle is a research assistant (Co-op) in the Department of Psychology.

Together, this group carried out the first original research on this topic in Canada since 2014. Back then, there was considerable opposition to drones. As the paper’s abstract points out:

“The last major survey performed in Canada was done in 2014 and found the public was rather opposed to the use of drones and preferred traditionally piloted aircraft in all 38 applications polled. Much has changed over the past eight years as the findings presented herein show the public is supportive of the technology in most applications… Applications of drones that were perceived to further the public interest such as search and rescue, firefighting, and climate research were also viewed more positively. Most drone user groups were viewed favorably except for journalists and corporations.”

Below: A Draganfly drone designed for medical deliveries

 

Canada Drones

WHAT DO CANADIANS THINK?

 

Well, in large part, it depends on what use-cases are involved.

The respondents in the survey (there were 1,022), showed a clear preference for use-cases such as Search and Rescue, disaster response and scientific research. At the bottom of the list? Drone delivery.

We spoke with Jeremy Laliberté about the results; he agreed that people surveyed were more inclined to support what could be termed “positive” use-case scenarios.

“In general, the public is accepting of these technologies, but it varies strongly,” says Laliberté.

“If you look at the Canadian context, who is using the RPAS influences heavily the level of acceptance. So for example, public safety applications, Search and Rescue, things that are for the public good…have very high levels of acceptance. And we found in our literature review, that’s also the case in other countries.”

Intuitively, that makes sense. But what are the applications where the public is less likely to embrace drone use?

“Where the acceptance falls off, interestingly enough, is around delivery – delivery of just regular goods and services…packages, parcels, things like that. As well as journalism – using drones to monitor the public in any way or for news gathering – those get lower levels of acceptance,” he says.

You can see the varying levels of acceptance, pending use-cases, in the graphic below from the research paper. About 87 per cent of respondents strongly or somewhat support use-cases like Search and Rescue, firefighting and disaster response. Only 1.6 per cent of respondents oppose the use of drones in these scenarios.

“At the other end of the spectrum, package delivery had the lowest level of support with 44.9% in favor, 25.7% opposed, and 29.4% neither supporting nor opposing this mission type,” states the paper.

“Newsgathering and surveillance missions received just shy of 60 per cent support, while all other missions received at least 75% support. Additionally, only three missions (newsgathering, surveillance, and package delivery) received more than 10% opposition.”

 

Canada Drones

CONCERNS OVER MISUSE

 

The research also asked about the potential misuse or drones. Three different scenarios were presented to respondents: The use of drones for smuggling, flights over public spaces and flights over residential properties.

“Participants were most concerned about the potential misuse of RPAS by smugglers with 34.1% expressing a high level of concern and an additional 44.2% indicating a moderate level of concern,” states the report.

Reported cases of smuggling usually involve criminals dropping contraband into prison facilities. So while there is concern about such activities, these use-cases are generally rare and don’t directly impact members of the public or legitimate drone service providers. Arguably more relevant to the industry is concerns about flights over public spaces and homes, with the latter something that could become routine if and when urban drone deliveries take place.

Canada Drones

PRIVACY

 

Respondents were given the opportunity to get a little more specific about their concerns, with the option of entering their thoughts in a text box. Of the 1022 people surveyed, 611 (nearly 60 per cent) took the opportunity to offer additional information. And it’s clear: People are concerned about privacy.

“Responses relating to privacy concerns were the most common with 58.3% of responses highlighting some sort of privacy concern. Privacy was the most common word used, followed by variations of the words spy and surveillance,” states the report.

“Other words such as filming, video, pictures, etc. were entered and included under the privacy category. Government users were the most mentioned user of concern, followed by law enforcement, and hobbyists. Other issues raised related to the risk of collisions or drones falling out of the sky, hacking and cybersecurity, misuse by criminals, and the potential for weaponizing drones to target civilians.”

And there’s a lesson here, says Laliberté, for service providers. The public wants to know what these devices are doing when in public spaces or over residences, and what data is being collected.

“Things like package delivery…those are the ones (use-cases) where there will definitely need to be clear and transparent sharing of information: What are you doing? Who’s operating the aircraft? What kind of data is being collected? How’s the data being protected?” he says.

“I think the operators will have to be proactive about that sort of thing and really sort of get out there and explain their operations and be clear and transparent, and explain what they’re doing, how they’re doing it and how they’ve ensured that it’s safe.”

Laliberté suggests it could also be useful for drone operators in such use-cases to clearly mark their drones with company names and/or colors so that the devices can be identified from the ground. That way they’re not seen as an anonymous device with an unknown operator – which could contribute to concern/suspicion.

Below: First Responders operate a drone while trying to locate a missing person

Canada Drones

NOT JUST CANADA

 

It’s not just Canadians who have concerns about privacy. The paper cited three other research papers – two from the United States and one from Switzerland – that showed similar concerns.

“Similar to other democratic countries, the Canadians surveyed in this study expressed privacy concerns regarding the use of RPAS. Most of these concerns were related to surveillance by individuals, news organizations, or the government,” states the paper.

“The major concern with government users and law enforcement is surveillance, while with corporate entities, data collection for marketing is the largest concern, whereas with hobbyists, people are concerned about potential spying and recording of one’s actions. Future policy should be written to address each of these unique scenarios to improve the social acceptance of drones.”

The research also found there are differences in public acceptance based on perceived use of drones. If the drones can be obviously seen as a tool, their deployment is likely to be seen more favorably when compared with other forms of sensor-based data acquisition.

“The Dutch team of Bart Engberts and Edo Gillissen make the designation between the use of drones for sensory applications and their use as a tool,” explains Dr. Tepylo.

“Applications falling under the tool category such as using drones for firefighting or disaster monitoring typically have higher levels of support; however, the public is more weary when drones are used for sensory applications. These could include crime scene surveillance and even using drones to issue speeding tickets. People are used to a certain level of privacy and when drones are added to the mix, even without knowing how the drones are being used, they feel that their privacy is being taken from them.”

 

THE GOOD NEWS

 

It’s worth noting that the Carleton research indicates a shift in public opinion since the last major Canadian survey on the topic in 2014. People are more supportive of drones across all use-cases, with very strong support for First Responder use, disaster response and scientific research.

Also worth noting is that younger people and those with a background in RPAS tend to be more supportive than older Canadians and those who are less familiar with the technology. It also appears that words matter: The study used the word “drone” in half of its surveys and “Unmanned Aerial Vehicle” in the other half. Those surveyed were significantly more likely to support use-cases when the word “drone” was used rather than “Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.”

In fact, users were asked to identify their feelings on spotting a “drone” vs. an “Unmanned Aerial Vehicle” in the sky. People were more excited at the prospect of seeing something identified as a drone than an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. Women expressed less enthusiasm than men regardless of the word used, and far greater concern than men at seeing an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.

And why is that? The research revealed that more people are familiar with the term “drone” and could easily identify a quadcopter and associate it with the word. There was more confusion around “Unmanned Aerial Vehicle” – with respondents more likely to associate that term with a military device such as a Global Hawk.

Public Perception of Drones

AND THAT OTHER STUDY?

 

At the outset, we mentioned that there was a second paper which reviewed existing literature around public perceptions. Entitled “Public perception of advanced aviation technologies: A review and roadmap to acceptance,” the paper was published in April of 2023. In addition to Dr. Nick Tepylo and Professor Jeremy Laliberté (who authored the Canadian study), they were joined by Dr. Anna Straubinger from the Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research. In addition to drones, the review paper covers public perceptions of Urban Air Mobility and such technologies as air taxis (where Anna Straubinger has extensive expertise).

Because this is a long-ish post already, we’ll briefly hit some of the takeaways. The following highlights are taken directly from the review paper:

  • Interest in public perception of drones has been increasing since 2015
  • Awareness of drones is between 93 and 97% in North American and European countries
  • Support for drones increases with the level of awareness among the population
  • Support for air taxis has steadily increased and sits around 40–60%
  • Improving public perception is the key to widespread adoption of the technology

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

 

Interestingly, the data shows that public perception can be influenced by where you live. In Switzerland, for example, support for package deliveries was 18 per cent. In Singapore, meanwhile, support was in the low 80s. High rates of public acceptance, says Professor Laliberté, will likely lead to earlier adoption in those countries – including technology such as air taxis.

“Especially with Urban Air Mobility (UAM) some of the initial trials were being done and proposed in countries where definitely the level of acceptance is higher,” he says. And as for Singapore and package deliveries?

“Singapore is relatively small, high density, and fairly urban. So it actually makes sense to try these (use-cases) out in some of these areas.”

Even a single drone service provider, doing work that’s perceived as good, can influence overall acceptance rates – which ultimately impact speed of adoption.

“Despite the lack of research data, Africa is a very promising location for the adoption of drone technology due to the work of Zipline,” says Dr. Tepylo.

“The company operates two medical supply distribution centres in Rwanda which can provide coverage for most of the country. When they see a drone in the sky, many Rwandans think of the potential life-saving mission that vehicle is completing so reactions are very positive. If the Zipline model is able to be replicated in other parts of Africa and rural areas around the world, it has the potential to accelerate the adoption of drones globally.”

Below: Graphic showing public acceptance of various use-cases by country. Locations with higher rates of public acceptance could well adopt these technologies at scale sooner than those with lower acceptance rates

Canada Drones

INDRO’S TAKE

 

We’re pleased to see these new papers – and particularly pleased to see researchers from Carleton University taking a lead in this field. These findings are tremendously useful to operators – and offer some useful takeaways when it comes to being transparent about operations due to the level of concerns around privacy. It’s also clear that public perceptions can play a role in influencing regulators when it comes to the pace of change.

At InDro, we’ve long emphasised what we would term ‘positive’ use-case scenarios. These include specialized products and training for First Responders, trials of prescription medication and COVID test supplies via drone – even the delivery of Automated External Defibrillators. It’s nice to see that these use-cases strongly align with high levels of public acceptance/support.

“It may well be inevitable that packages are delivered in urban settings down the road,” says InDro Robotics CEO Philip Reece. “But that’s still several years away. We see greater importance in delivering critical supplies like medications to cut-off and isolated communities and in developing specialised drones for First Responders and scientific data acquisition. We also believe these are the kinds of use-cases that – at least for the moment – are more likely to be viewed as both useful and safer when it comes to Transport Canada and BVLOS permissions.”

We recommend taking a deeper dive into this excellent research. You’ll find the paper on Canadian perceptions here, and the review paper on broader global data here.

The case for micro-credentials in the RPAS world

The case for micro-credentials in the RPAS world

Apr 18, 2023 | Area X.O, Education, InDro News, Scott Simmie

By Scott Simmie

 

The world of drones, as you likely know, changes rapidly.

In less than a decade, we’ve gone from the first DJI Phantom (which required an optional GoPro if you wanted images) – to highly sophisticated machines capable of BVLOS flights over 4G and 5G networks. Drones today have sophisticated obstacle avoidance, multiple sensors, and can be programmed to carry out missions autonomously. They routinely create digital twins, carry out volumetric calculations, and use specialised software for anomaly and change detection.

There are even devices designed for highly specific use-case scenarios, such as the innovative Voliro – built for non-destructive testing. Drones like this require highly specific training to operate.

In other words, drones are doing a lot more than capturing RGB images these days. Newer operations often involve complex planning, operations and data analysis. And that can mean pilot training above and beyond what’s currently required for a Transport Canada Advanced RPAS Certificate.

And so we pose the question: Has the time come for micro-credentials in the world of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS)?

Below: A drone operated by Aerometrix. Its specialised sensor sniffs the air for methane and other gases. It requires specialised piloting and software skills.

Aerometrix

The status quo

 

At the moment, there are two nationally-recognised certifications for drone pilots in Canada. They are the Basic and Advanced RPAS Certificates, issued by Transport Canada.

“Right now the only government certification that’s offered in the drone space is for certification – and there are about 7,000 other pilots out there with that same certificate,” says Kate Klassen, a traditional aircraft pilot and instructor, as well as InDro’s Chief Flight Instructor.

In other words, there’s not much out there to differentiate a pilot’s skills; an RPAS Certificate, though useful, only tells us so much.

“It doesn’t cover the more specialized use-cases and skill sets that are needed to be hired for those really complex jobs. Until there are other recognised drone-specific knowledge certifications that you could point back to to beef up your resume, it will be challenging for those doing the hiring – and those wanting to be hired – to know what they’re getting and what’s needed.”

As a result, some pilots seeking more advanced skills (and jobs), can find themselves in what Klassen calls a “Catch-22.” How can you land jobs where you might learn some of those critical new skills if the employer won’t hire you because you don’t currently have them?

“The solution there,” says Klassen, “is additional training and credentials.”

 

The case for micro-credentials

 

The kind of training and credentials referred to above can be taught with brief but highly focussed courses – leading to “micro-credentials.” These badges of approval would be recognised by others in the industry.

And in fact, this is organically taking place already. At the British Columbia Institute for Technology, RPAS Operations Head Dr. Eric Saczuk has created and instructed two different micro-credential courses. Right now, he’s teaching “Drone Applications for an Environmental Risk Assessment.” Knowledge includes how to conduct a site survey and plan a mission, along with how to process colour, multi-spectral, and thermal drone images into data sets.

“Micro-credentials are focused, relatively short courses designed to give students access to specific, job-ready skills related to a particular industry,” says Dr. Saczuk, who has a PhD in Remote Sensing. He also sees a growing need for these courses as use-cases, technology and software become ever more specialised.

Obtaining a micro-credential (MC), says Dr. Saczuk, is beneficial both to drone operators and those doing the hiring for complex jobs.

“Having a micro-credential on your resume has the advantage of indicating to your potential employer that you are serious about continuing to upgrade and update your skills, learn new techniques, and invest in your professional development,” he says.

“It shows that you’re actively staying on top of the latest advances in your field and not just resting on your previous credentials. Speaking of which, one of the best advantages of MCs is that they are designed to ladder to other credentials such as Certificates, Diplomas and Degrees.”

Below: Dr. Eric Saczuk, who is also the Flight Operations Lead at InDro Robotics, carries out a complex drone operation for a client in Saudi Arabia. Specialised jobs require specialised skills.

 

 

Wayfinder Drone

EARNING MICRO-CREDENTIALS CAN BE FAST

 

Here’s the thing. Many drone operators who would like to up their skills are already working and it would be difficult – if not impossible – to attend a full-time or time-consuming course. In the case of BCIT, the course is designed specifically for those kind of people. The bulk of the instruction is online, with three 90-minute sessions during the work week and in-person skills instruction on Saturdays. One Micro-credential badge is earned every week for specific skills; the entire course is completed in four weeks.

“Generally, students LOVE the micro credential course!” says Dr. Saczuk.

“It doesn’t take up much of their busy day – remember, these students are usually working full- or part-time or have many other things on the go, so they don’t want you to waste their time – and we get right into the thick of it.”

Having already created two full courses, Dr. Saczuk is already looking ahead to developing more.

“I can envision developing future courses delving into high-precision photogrammetry using real-time kinematic positioning and ground control points,” he says.

“Another one could be tailored to First-Responders, disaster monitoring and/or search-and-rescue. We could put one together focusing solely on the use of thermal imagery to building envelope inspection or how to use multi-spectral imagery to map invasive species…as you can tell, there’s no limit to where this technology can be useful!”

 

NOT JUST DRONES

 

 

Drones aren’t the only arena where MCs would be useful. A similar technological evolution has been taking place in the world of Uncrewed Ground Vehicles (UGVs), or ground robots. Remote teleoperations, thermal sensing, digital twins and more are now routine tasks for UGVs. In fact, construction is underway for a high-end training and testing facility at Area X.O. It’s designed to current NIST standards for evaluation and training and will be operated by InDro Robotics. (You can read more about the forthcoming facility in this post.)

Below: A CGI video of the new drone and robot advanced testing and training facility. Construction is underway, with a planned opening date of June, 2023

 

 

WHAT’S NEXT?

 

Well, hopefully more micro-credential courses – and a growing number of higher education facilities offering them. But how to ensure that these MC courses produce pilots (and robot operators) with more or less equal skills?

Dr. Saczuk says currently, it’s up to the creator of the course to build the curriculum. He believes this system is working well, and that core skills will be similar from institution to institution.

“I have seen other courses taught by other institutions and organization about the same topic – say thermal image analysis) and they cover very much the same topics I do in that badge,” he says.

“I feel like if the authors and instructors are fully knowledgeable in the subject, the chances of the courses being standardized is pretty high without any external framework. Perhaps this is not the best approach, but it’s just what I’ve observed from my experience.”

InDro’s Kate Klassen, one of Canada’s most experienced online drone trainers and the creator of the online drone training portal FLYY, believes there’s room for some form of standardisation. This would ensure that those earning MC badges all learn a uniform skill set.

“I see it as a set of standards, much like how the pilot certification standards are set out in TP 15263 from Transport Canada, that professionals and academics in that industry niche establish,” she says.

“There could be flexibility in what those standards require. Some might be able to be taught online or in a classroom where others will need to be an in-person skill demonstration or working with a dataset to produce specific results. At the end, graduates would receive a traceable, validated and recognized credential they can use to set themselves apart.”

 

Below: Those operating robots, like drones, could benefit from specialised training

 

InDro Robotics

InDro’s TAKE

 

InDro Robotics was one of the earliest Canadian companies to enter the RPAS space. In addition to our Research and Development, we’ve long been involved with training. Some of that training has been tailored for First Responders and other specialized drone operations. We take training – both internally and externally – *very* seriously.

And we believe the case for more widespread micro-credentials, along with standardisation, is the way forward.

“Drones are much more than flying cameras these days,” says InDro Robotics CEO Philip Reece. “And ground robots have become equally sophisticated. Micro-credentials can ensure that operators are not only competent, but able to fully exploit the capabilities of these devices.

“With the new facility at Area X.O coming online soon, InDro will be exploring the possibility of offering micro-credentials as part of our specialised training.”

Oh. And if you’re looking to obtain your Transport Canada Basic or Advanced RPAS Certificate, look no farther than Kate Klassen’s excellent FLYY.

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InDro builds, delivers custom robot to global client

InDro builds, delivers custom robot to global client

Apr 10, 2023 | Case Studies, InDro News, InDro Solutions, Scott Simmie, UGV

By Scott Simmie

 

We’ve built a new robot we’d like to tell you about.

It’s for a highly specialised use-case scenario for a global client. (And when we say global client, it’s a household name.)

This isn’t the first project where we’ve been tapped by a heavy-hitting company to design and build custom robots. We have ongoing contracts with others, where unfortunately NDAs prohibit us from disclosing pretty much anything. (We can tell you that one of the ground robots we’re building for one of those clients is pretty big.)

In this case, the client has agreed to let us tell you a fair bit about the product, providing we don’t reveal their name. We think this is a really intriguing robot, so we’re going to share some details – including images of the final product.

Here it is. And, by the way, it’s as tall as the average person. The sensor poking out on the right near the top of the cylindrical portion is positioned at eye-level.

Custom Robot

NOT A PIZZA OVEN

 

With that stretching, stovepipe-like neck, it might look like a pizza oven on wheels. But it’s not. It’s designed that way so that sensors can be roughly at the head height of human beings. The box at the bottom could be thought of as a computer on steroids.

That’s because the client wanted this robot for a very specific purpose: To be able to navigate complex crowds of people.

“The client wants to use Vision SLAM (Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping) to essentially detect humans and pathways through chaotic environments,” says Arron Griffiths, InDro’s Engineering Manager. Arron works out of our Area X.O location, where the robot was fabricated.

“Think malls, shopping centres, and stuff like that where humans are mingling to navigate around. And there’s no really defined path, the robot must organically move around people. Yes, you’d have an overall predetermined path with a desired destination, but once the chaos of humans comes in the robot would safely meander its way through crowds.”

 

LOTS OF TECHNOLOGY

 

That’s not a simple task. The client is going to supply its own autonomy software, but InDro had to work closely with them on the robot’s design and capabilities.

We mentioned earlier that this robot is SLAM-capable. That means it can map its surroundings in real time and make its own decisions – while it’s moving – about where in the ever-changing environment it makes sense to go to next. Two ZED depth cameras provide a detailed look at those surroundings (one close to the ground, the other at human eye level). So it’s constantly scanning, mapping, and making decisions about where to move next in real-time.

This is a data-dense task that requires a *lot* of onboard computing power.

“It’s basically a really powerful desktop computer on wheels,” says InDro Account Executive Luke Corbeth. “It’s outfitted with serious computational power, including the same graphic cards that people use to mine bitcoin.”

And that posed another challenge for our engineering team. The client wanted the robot to be able to operate for several hours at a time. But that advanced computing capability really puts a drain on power. 

“Once you stick these high-end computers into a battery powered robotic system, your run time drops like a stone,” explains Griffiths. “It’s a bit of a beast on power. That’s why we had to put a second battery into the unit. This is an excercise in finding a balance point, and producing a robot that will do a high-end deployment with all of this high end technology.”

Custom Robot Canada

CLIENT-CENTRED PROCESS

 

This wasn’t the first custom-robot that client has requested. The international company has a longer-term research project focussed on enabling a robot to navigate when surrounded by unpredictable human beings. It has developed, and will continue to tweak, its own autonomy software to carry out this task in conjunction with this robot.

InDro worked closely with the client on the design – both the technical requirements in terms of processors, sensors, graphic cards, run time – as well as the physical appearance. Because the client had some very tight timelines, InDro designed and built this robot in a very short period of time: Seven weeks from outset until the product was shipped.

“That’s extremely fast,” says Griffiths. “That’s the fastest custom robot I’ve seen in my working profession. You’ve got to think design cycles, manufacturing, outsourcing, testing. From this being nothing, to being shipped out in less than two months is incredible.”

 

SOLUTION-FOCUSED

 

But there’s a difference between carrying out an expedited task – and doing a rush job. The focus always had to remain on ensuring that the capabilities, design, build and testing of this machine would meet or exceed the client’s rigorous standards. And that meant even the tiniest details counted.

For example, we’d discovered with a previous robot using the same locomotion platform that there could be an issue on rough surfaces. Specifically, if you were turning a tight corner or accelerating while turning, the wheels could shudder and jump. This was especially an issue on asphalt and concrete.

InDro’s engineering team knew that with this robot any such shudders would be amplified due to the height of the machine; a minor shudder at the base would translate into significant wobbling at the robot’s top. That wasn’t something we wanted happening.

And so we created a solution. We covered the individual wheels with a 3D-printed wrap. This provides a barrier between the sticky rubber and ground, allowing the robot to slightly slide during such manoeuvres and avoiding those troubling vibrations.

 

Below: Detail of the wheels, with their new coating

Custom Robot

CLIENT REACTION

 

When we pack up and ship a custom build, the client always gets in touch after they’ve received the product. That’s the moment of truth – and the feedback we eagerly await.

Not long after the robot arrived, an email from the client landed. It included the following:

“The robot is fantastic,” they wrote. “The craftsmanship is superb; the power on the base is enabling; the intricate way in which the computer fits in the base housing is incredible; the compute box + mast feels ‘just right’ (there’s no template for social robot design, but I feel like we got very close).

“All these things make me really confident that, with the right algorithms (my responsibility) we can safely and efficiently navigate through crowds. It’s a really special robot that I can’t wait to put in the field.  Your team deserves a raise!”

This robot, though it can’t cook pizzas, is one of the most powerful Uncrewed Ground Vehicles InDro has built, at least in terms of raw onboard computational power. Engineering lead Griffiths believes its capabilities could make a variation of this machine suitable for other clients, as well.

“I think it’s a very good platform for clients who want very high computing power in a small form factor  that actually has some range, some longevity to it,” he says.

Below: Even when they’re under the gun, our engineering team takes it all in stride

Robotics Engineers

INDRO’S TAKE

 

We’re often working on projects like this. In fact, this isn’t the first major global client to tap InDro for custom builds. As our tagline states: “Invent. Enhance. Deploy.” That’s what we do.

“This was an expedited design, build and test of a completely new and computationally powerful robot,” says InDro Robotics CEO Philip Reece. “We know that InDro’s reputation rides on every product we ship and every service we provide. So we’re delighted to hear the client is as pleased with this robot as we are – and look forward to building more for them.”

Interested in what a powerhouse machine like this might do for you? Feel free to explore the possibilities by setting up a conversation with Account Executive Luke Corbeth.

 

CBC HIGHLIGHTS YOW DRONE DETECTION SYSTEM

CBC HIGHLIGHTS YOW DRONE DETECTION SYSTEM

Apr 3, 2023 | Case Studies, Drone Detection, Drone News, InDro News, YOW

By Scott Simmie

 

If you follow InDro Robotics, you’ll likely be aware that we were a co-founder and core technology partner of the YOW Drone Detection Pilot Project.

The system has been operating since the fall of 2020, and detects drone intrusions not only at the Ottawa International Airport, but as far as 40 kilometres away in the National Capital Region. Data from the project helps to inform airport protocols and is shared on a regular basis with Transport Canada and law enforcement.

Back during the “Freedom Convoy” protests in downtown Ottawa, the system got onto the mainstream radar after we published this story, which outlined the high number of unauthorised drone flights taking place in downtown Ottawa. The Ottawa Citizen covered that story here and it was also a cover story for WINGS Magazine.

Now, the system is back in the news for a different reason: The recent visit of US President Joe Biden to Ottawa.

President Biden

AIR FORCE ONE

 

Prior to the actual visit, advance teams from the Secret Service and Air Force One wanted to check out security and logistics at the Ottawa International Airport. And one of the first questions? Whether YOW had a drone detection system.

The answer, as you know, is Yes. We interviewed Michael Baudette, YOW’s VP of Security, Emergency Management and Customer Transportation. The resulting post garnered a lot of attention, including a lengthy interview by CBC Ottawa.

To view the segment on the Drone Detection Pilot project, check out the video below.

INDRO’S TAKE

The YOW Drone Detection Pilot Project has been in operation since November of 2020, and has created a wealth of data. It has helped the Ottawa International Airport develop protocols for incursions, and has led to even catching one operator flying a large drone very close to the flight path of jets. NAV Canada is a partner on this project, and Transport Canada receives regular reports.

“This system works well, but it also operates behind-the-scenes in relative obscurity,” says InDro CEO Philip Reece. “It’s great to see this coverage, which gives the general public a better understanding of the value of these systems. Michael Beaudette has been a tremendous backer of this system since the outset, so we were also pleased to see him front and centre.”

InDro is a core technology partner in the YOW Drone Detection Pilot Project. The system has proven itself, and we believe it’s an excellent model for other airports and sensitive facilities. If that interests you and you’d like to learn more, feel free to hit us up  here.