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Is urban drone delivery energy efficient?

Kirschstein

According to a new study conducted at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg by Dr Thomas Kirschstein, drones consume comparatively high amounts of energy in densely populated areas, and their range is strongly influenced by wind conditions. In rural areas, however, they may be able to compete with diesel-powered delivery vans. The study has been published in the journal “Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment”.

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Medical delivery drones help fighting the Coronavirus in China

coronavirus

Terra Drone group company Antwork has transported medical samples and quarantine materials between Xinchang County People’s Hospital, Xinchang County disease control center and Dashiju branch of Xinchang County People’s Hospital

On February 6, 2020, a medical delivery drone flew from the People’s Hospital of Xinchang County to the disease control center of Xinchang County, marking the launch of the first “urban air transportation channel” to help to fight the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), a global health emergency.

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European Space Agency launches call for proposal for Smart Supply Chain

supply

An opportunity for companies / organisations active in Unmanned Cargo Aircraft.

Supply chains can be complex and often involve the management of a vast range of activities. Automatizing operations, ensuring the safe and secure transport of goods, and adopting environmentally friendly processes are becoming increasingly important in supply chain management, while new technologies like delivery drones, autonomous ground robots, and connected machinery offer exciting new ways for supply chains to be optimised.

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EmbraerX and Elroy Air Sign Agreement to Collaborate on Unmanned Air Cargo

EmbraerX, Embraer’s disruptive business subsidiary, announces its expansion into the commercial air cargo market, via a collaboration agreement with Elroy Air, at CES 2020. This collaboration will allow the companies to accelerate the unmanned air cargo market worldwide, leveraging Embraer’s 50 years of industry experience with Elroy Air’s bold new developments in autonomous aircraft systems.

“In order to stay the course of creating solutions that benefit humanity at large, we believe the cargo market is prime for an autonomous aircraft,” said Antonio Campello, President & CEO, EmbraerX. “Booming eCommerce is forcing the cargo market to grow and seek new solutions, creating a distinct need for more flexibility. Our holistic approach to accelerating this market will include working with Elroy Air and its Chaparral system, capable of delivering cargo (250-500 lbs) over distances up to 300 miles, as well as our work in associated services and air traffic management solutions.”

“Elroy Air aims to open a new chapter for the logistics market with point-to-point autonomous aerial cargo systems” said Dave Merrill, CEO of Elroy Air. “Elroy Air’s Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) cargo delivery aircraft, the Chaparral, will operate without airports or charging stations, and is optimized for freight with automated cargo loading and unloading. Our collaboration with EmbraerX will accelerate our path to deployment in commercial freight markets.”

This collaboration is part of EmbraerX’s multi-project approach to further develop the air mobility ecosystem and create the conditions for people and goods to move from A to B in a seamless and affordable way. Beyond cargo, EmbraerX is engaged in several projects, including the development of an Urban Air Mobility focused eVTOL, a tailored Urban Air Traffic Management (UATM) system and a fleet-agnostic business platform, designated Beacon, to streamline services.

About EmbraerX
EmbraerX is a market accelerator committed to developing solutions that transform life’s experiences. This Embraer S.A. disruptive innovation subsidiary is based on Florida’s Space Coast in Melbourne, with outposts established in Silicon Valley and Boston. It’s integrated with the Company’s engineering team in Brazil and dedicated to collaborating with global innovation communities. With an inherent startup mentality, EmbraerX is part of the Uber Elevate Network, which is co-creating the future of on-demand urban air transportation. The EmbraerX team of innovators, creators, thought-leaders, and designers combines human-centered design thinking with business-building and engineering expertise to tackle some of the biggest mobility problems facing humanity today.

EmbraerX is engaged in several projects, including the development of an electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft concept, a tailored Urban Air Traffic Management (UATM) system and a fleet-agnostic business platform, designated Beacon, designed to connect and synchronize industry resources, the aftermarket supply chain, and aviation services professionals. For more information, visit EmbraerX.com

About Embraer
Embraer is a global company headquartered in Brazil with businesses in commercial and executive aviation, defense & security. The company designs, develops, manufactures and markets aircraft and systems, providing customer support and services. Since it was founded in 1969, Embraer has delivered more than 8,000 aircraft. About every 10 seconds an aircraft manufactured by Embraer takes off somewhere in the world, transporting over 145 million passengers a year. Embraer is the leading manufacturer of commercial jets up to 150 seats. The company maintains industrial units, offices, service and parts distribution centers, among other activities, across the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe.

About Elroy Air
Elroy Air is an autonomy and logistics platform company developing industry-advancing autonomous aircraft systems and software to deliver cargo rapidly and flexibly by air. Building on the powertrain and perception technology enabling the hybrid-electric/autonomous vehicle revolution, its vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) aerial logistics systems can operate outside of airport infrastructure and carry 250-500 lbs of cargo over 300 miles. Commercial cargo by air to expand delivery options, immediate aid and relief in disaster and firefighting situations, and rapid autonomous resupply for troops in the field.

Elroy Air was founded in 2016 by UAS, product development and software leaders. The company has secured funding from some of the top venture firms in the Silicon Valley and Los Angeles, and attracted a diverse and talented team with industry experience from Uber, Northrop Grumman, Scaled Composites, Skyryse, and Airbus as well as academic backgrounds that include Embry-Riddle, MIT, Georgia Tech and Stanford.

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Emerging technologies with great potential – opinions of speakers at UCA Conference

What emerging technologies do you see as having potential in the short and long run? We asked, speakers at Unmanned Cargo Aircraft Conference answered. Below you can see a selection of answers.

Ed De Reyes, Sabrewing Aircraft: The emergence of detect and avoid technologies, and the willingness of regulatory agencies to work cooperatively with manufacturers to make heavy-lift VTOL cargo carriers a reality. Read more

Basil Yap, North Carolina Department of Transportation – Division of Aviation: Our greatest need in the short term is a fully functional detect and avoid solution on unmanned aircraft to help address “see and avoid” which is a requirement to operation beyond visual line of sight in the United States. This has been a real struggle for the Federal Aviation Administration to understand how they will certify or vet this technology. “Remote ID” will be one step closer to building a robust Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM). In addition, we have often overlooked weather and the the impact it has on smaller UAS operations. The ability to model micro climates and incorporate the data into UTM systems will give pilots better decision making tools and ultimately enable more routine operations. Read more

Peter le Hew, Modern Technology Solutions, Inc: Autonomy through not just UAS is allowing for new approaches to how we use the air domain. Read more

Jeremy Tucker, AirBox Technology: Robotics, UAV’s and AI are on the cutting edge and will become ubiquitous. We are on the cusp of a cataclysmic change in the way we interface with the world around us in a physical sense. Read more

Aliaksei Stratsilatau, UAVOS: Investments in the development of a UAS for military purposes will grow. For example, counter-drone systems for remote identification and destruction of UAV, means of fighting UAV, loitering munition. The market needs unmanned platforms for autonomous delivery of goods of different weights, High Altitude Pseudo Satellite to relay data. Read more

Mahesh Nandyala, S3M Solutions LLC: UAS integrates with Deep learning and AI. Read more

Patrick Watson, Animal Dynamics: Technologies that ultimately de-centralise services and products such as: micro-grids, aerial transportation networks, e-payments, etc. Read more

David Merrill, Elroy Air: Short run: electric and hybrid-electric powertrain, perception tech getting better rapidly
Long run: Harmonized airspace integration for UAS of all sizes. Read more

Unmanned Cargo Aircraft Conference takes place on September 10-11, 2019, at Greenville Convention Center, Greenville, North Carolina, USA. For more information about the complete program, speaker profiles and registration, visit: https://unmannedcargoaircraftconference.com/program/

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UPS Flight Forward will operate unmanned drone delivery services across the USA

UPS has applied to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for Part 135 certification to operate commercial drone flights in the UPS® network under a subsidiary business called UPS Flight Forward, Inc.

The new subsidiary is a recently incorporated business that could receive Part 135 certification as early as this year, putting UPS on track to have one of the first fully-certified, revenue-generating drone operations in the United States. When approved, this certification lays the foundation for drone flights beyond an operator’s visual line of sight, and for flights occurring day or night. Such flights are highly restricted in the United States and approved only by exception.

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What unmanned/autonomous cargo aircraft/drone mean for the economy (VIDEO)

economy

Today, container ships transport over 90% of all goods in the world and more than $4 trillion worth annually, according to the World Shipping Council. But, it can take over a month for those goods to sail from Beijing to New York. By land, trucks move nearly 71% of all the freight tonnage in the U.S., according to the American Trucking Association. Problem is, there’s a shortage of truck drivers in the U.S. So, how do you speed up shipments while keeping personnel low?

What will this bring to our economy?

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