Drone News of the Week, June 16: DRONELIFE Headlines, All in One Place to Read or Listen

Read or listen to all of the headlines in one place: excerpts from the DRONELIFE drone news of the week ending June 16, 2023.  Click on the titles below for the full story.

Continue reading below, or listen:

Don’t miss SkySafe on the Drone Radio Show with Randy Goers.  Grant Jordan, SkySafe CEO talks about the company’s counter drone and forensics services, and the role that drone forensics have in an integrated counter drone solution.

Drones for Yachts: Beluga Drones Take to the Water

EuroLink Systems has partnered with Drones for Yachts, an organization championing drone utilization for connecting marinas and ports with yachts. The organization offers guidance to yacht clubs and other groups to reinforce the compliance to FAA regulations, licensing, insurance considerations, race management application requirements, education and safety measures. The partnership will see Drones for Yachts utilize EuroLink’s Beluga family of mini-drones, which will be utilized for filming yachts and races, transporting goods and supplies to yachts at sea, and for essential applications such as intelligence gathering and weather monitoring.

A New Drone for Industrial, Ultrasonic Inspections: Skyguage Robotics

Industrial maintenance robotics specialist Skygauge Robotics has announced the full-scale commercial launch of its Skygauge Inspection Drone, a purpose-built drone for conducting physical work. Its first use case is industrial ultrasonic inspections, utilized by inspectors to determine the health of structures. Industries such as energy, refining, and shipping require routine ultrasound inspections to prevent their critical infrastructure from failing.

Can Drones Improve Healthcare? Carilion Clinic, DroneUp Partner on Research Project

Carilion Clinic has partnered with drone delivery leader DroneUp to explore potential drone applications to improve health care delivery in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The two companies are conducting a three-week proof-of-concept study to test the efficacy of delivering essential medical supplies using drone technology. The study will examine the use of drones in lowering delivery times and expenses while allowing caregivers more time with their patients.

Drone Industry Fragility: From the Floor of the Energy Drone and Robotics Summit

Despite rapid growth, new technology, and an evolving ecosystem, the drone industry is fragile, says Chris Raab. As the Energy Drone and Robotics Summit 2023kicked off this afternoon in Houston, TX,  the CTO of drone manufacturer ACSLdiscussed the need for a global strategy to combat drone industry fragility.

Part 108 and BVLOS Flight; When Will it Happen, and What Will it Look Like? From Law-Tech Connect, at the Energy Drones and Robotics Summit

At Law-Tech Connect, a panel of experts provided an insider view on when the drone industry might see a Part 108 rule on BVLOS flight – and what that rule may look like.   Flight beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) of the operator have the potential to dramatically expand commercial drone operations, improving the return on investment for customers and advancing the ecosystem by clarifying the technical requirements.  While former FAA Administrator Steve Dickson promised an NPRM on Part 108 and BVLOS flight by the end of 2022, the industry is still waiting for a formal announcement.

DRONEII: Drone Industry Investment and Growth, from the Floor of Energy Drones and Robotics Summit

As the Energy Drone and Robotics Summit 2023 began its second day in Houston,  Hendrik Bödeker of Drone Industry Insights (DRONEII) took the keynote stage to present Money & Markets: What’s Hot Today & Tomorrow for Robotics/Drones – Analysts Perspective. Europe-based DRONEII is the leading global drone industry research and consulting firm, providing deep research into market size, use cases, ecosystem players, and more.  In his keynote this morning,  Co-Founder and CFO Hendrik Bödecker discussed the market size and investment environment in the drone industry today – and what DRONEII’s research indicates is coming next.

Percepto Investment Grows with $67 Million Round

Today, autonomous inspection and monitoring leader Percepto announced a combined $67M Series C in equity and debt funding. The funding round was led by Koch Disruptive Technologies (KDT), with participation from new investor Zimmer Partners as well as existing investors U.S. Venture Partners, Delek US Holdings, Atento Capital, Spider Capital and Arkin Holdings. With the addition of the funding acquired from this new round, the total investment in the company now exceeds $120 million.

Sony Updates SDK, New Features for Remote Camera Operations and More

Sony has announced that the latest version of its Camera Remote Software Development Kit (SDK) allows users to control Sony’s cameras remotely from a computer, which includes changing the camera settings. This new release of Camera Remote SDK lets software developers design custom applications to satisfy business requirements, with the integration of Sony’s equipment for size-critical drone and speed camera systems, along with additional medical, education, government, and e-commerce applications.

Cybersecurity Without Sacrifice: From the Floor of the Energy Drone and Robotics Summit

At the Energy Drone and Robotics Summit in Houston this week, a panel of experts discussed one of the most hotly debated issues facing the drone industry today: ensuring the cybersecurity of drone data, without sacrificing performance or cost effectiveness.  The panel approached cybersecurity from three unique perspectives.  Andrew “AJ” Smith  has been in law enforcement since 2016, helping to build out the drone unit in the Waco Police Department; he is now working at the Waco Sheriffs Office’s Aviation Unit.

Flying Cars Take Off: Skydrive Announces Consumer Pre-Orders

Skydrive, a Tokyo-based developer of eVTOL systems and cargo drones, recently launched a pre-order consumer campaign for its latest design, the SD-05. Described as a “flying car”, the SD-05 is an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL)  two-seater (one pilot, one passenger) with electronic pilot-assist features and a maximum speed of 62 mph (100 km/h) designed for urban mobility. Commercial sales began last year of the iF Design Award-winning product, with up to 100 units sold to Vietnam-based sustainable investment firm, Pacific Group. A pilot’s license is required to operate the SD-05, but the company’s long-term timeline highlights future autonomous operation as a key technological development.

Sharper Shape Launches Powerline Inspection Software for Drone Service Providers

Powerline management solutions provider Sharper Shape has announced a contract with drone solutions leader Volatus Aerospace, officially launching Sharper Shape’s new drone service providers (DSP) management. DSP Management grants drone service providers a digital platform (CORE) for coordinating, managing, and delivering data collection projects all in one place. The service is also available to arborists and inspection companies that utilize unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for the inspection of utility transmission and distribution systems, like power lines. CORE is available both on a web browser and as an app, enabling real-time and remote use in the field.

FAA Reauthorization Clears the House of Representatives: Package Calls for More Progress on BVLOS Flight, Drone Integration

The U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed the FAA Reauthorization Package, Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act (H.R. 3935), by a vote of 63 – 0 today.  The Act calls for the FAA to commit to timelines for a BVLOS rulemaking, UTM, and drone integration.   The legislation would provide funding for the FAA for the next five years: the current authorization expires in September of 2023.  The package addresses all aspects of the FAA’s purview, and Title VI – Aerospace Innovation, Sections 601 – 687, addresses  Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Advanced Air Mobility.

Aeronautics Launches Orbiter 5 Tactical UAS: Medium Altitude, Long Endurance

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) leader Aeronautics Ltd. is launching the Orbiter 5 UAS, an innovative new platform enabling medium altitude, long endurance (MALE) mission capabilities in a tactical UAS. This affordable, high performance solution has an extended endurance time of over 25 hours with multi-mission capabilities, able to carry payload weight of over 25kg and two payloads simultaneously, and implementing advanced AI capabilities.

DroneSentry Integrates with Leonidas C-UAS System: DroneShield and Epirus Partner

DroneShield Ltd and Epirus, Inc have successfully integrated DroneShield’s multi-sensor DroneSentry system with Epirus’ Leonidas high-power microwave (HPM) counter-electronics/counter-UAS effector. Together, these two systems enable a fully integrated C-UAS system capable of tracking multiple threats and engaging with high-powered microwave countermeasures, granting critical defensive capabilities to military, government and other customers.

Keeping Drones Out of Prison Airspace: a DRONELIFE Exclusive from Drone Forensics Experts at SkySafe

The Prison System’s Next Opportunity: Drone Tracking and Protection Against Threats to Airspace Security.  Keeping drones out of prison airspace has become a critical challenge.  Here, experts at airspace security and drone forensics firm SkySafe discuss how stakeholders can protect correctional facilities.