Drone Aviation Holding Corp. (DAC) has recently announced that it has signed an agreement to receive exclusive commercial software licenses for the Georgia Tech UAV Simulation Tool. GUST is an autopilot system created by Adaptive Flight Inc (AFI). Drone Aviation Holding Corp is well known for the manufacturing of extremely light tethered drones. Besides acquiring simulation tools, the company will also get flight control algorithms that have fault tolerant capabilities. DAC will also get AFI’s airframes and related hardware.
Dr. Eric Johnson, who is an Associate Professor of Avionics at Lockheed Martin and the co-founder of AFI, is looking forward to this development because it furthers the commercialization of this essential technology that will provide benefits to all consumers. The acquisition of these commercial rights will certainly play an integral role in how UAV technology pans out in the future.
AFI currently owns cutting-edge flight control technologies that are applicable to fixed-wing and vertical takeoff and landing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. The autonomous technology demonstrated its fantastic autopilot capability recently at a convention in Virginia. The drone was able to take off by its own and without any human intervention, was able to find a specified target in a search area. The drone eventually returned to the helipad from where it took off.
This type of experimentation and tests are highly promising because they show the potential usage of drones and how they can help perform critical missions that any other aircraft would find impossible to do. In addition, the commercialization of drones will make them easily accessible and more affordable for organizations and companies to use for their benefit. While the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has a variety of regulations put in place to prevent drones from being used freely, it seems as though it’s only a matter of time till we see UAVs used for the greater good.
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