DRONES

Boeing’s First Test Flight of Autonomous Passenger Air Vehicle In Virginia

Realized in Manassas, Virginia, USA on 22 Jan 2019

28 January 2019 From Paul Münzner Filed Under: 2019, Aviation, Featured

The American airplane manufacturer Boeing announced the successful completed first flight of its autonomous passenger air vehicle (PAV) prototype. This first test flight, realized in Manassas, Virginia, USA, demonstrates the company’s urban air mobility efforts. With the support of Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences, Boeing NeXt, responsible for urban air mobility, designs and develops the electric aircraft which is able to autonomously take off and land (eVTOL) vertical. Further tests will be conducted in the next time in order to improve safety and reliability.

BREAKING: It’s another first for us. Along with @AuroraFlightSci we’ve successfully tested our passenger air vehicle. We continue our progress towards a safe and sustainable urban mobility ecosystem. #TheFutureIsBuiltHere pic.twitter.com/hwuw4d5jmz
— The Boeing Company (@Boeing) 23 January 2019

“In one year, we have progressed from a conceptual design to a flying prototype,” said Boeing Chief Technology Officer Greg Hyslop. “Boeing’s expertise and innovation have been critical in developing aviation as the world’s safest and most efficient form of transportation, and we will continue to lead with a safe, innovative and responsible approach to new mobility solutions.”

This flight project is still at the beginning. During the first test flight on 22 Jan 2019, the vehicle’s autonomous functions and ground control systems were tested during takeoff, hover and landing. The most challenging flight phase of the high-speed VTOL aircraft, the transition between vertical and forward-flight, has not been tested yet. This challenging task is planned for future flight tests.

“This is what revolution looks like, and it’s because of autonomy,” said John Langford, president and chief executive officer of Aurora Flight Sciences. “Certifiable autonomy is going to make quiet, clean and safe urban air mobility possible.”

Driven by an electric propulsion system, this oversized drone is planned to completely fly autonomously. It is able to fly about 80 kilometers (50 miles).

From building air vehicles to airspace integration, we will usher in a future of safe, low-stress mobility in cities and regions around the world.

Steve Nordlund, vice president and general manager of Boeing NeXt

Indeed, Boeing is not the first presenting a manned drone. Two years ago, EHang 184 impressed the world with a marketing-effective test flight in Dubai (UAE).

Manned Drone EHang 184 Soon Operating Above Dubai’s Skyline

Allegedly already tested by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority

14 February 2017 From Paul Münzner Filed Under: Aviation, Featured

The manned drone, EHang 184, will go up in the air in Dubai this summer. As the leader of Dubai’s Roads & Transportation Agency, Mattar al-Tayer, publicly announced, the flying taxi will be introduced in the summer of this year. It seems EHang‘s first test flight around the Burj al-Arab skyscraper hotel in Dubai persuaded the relevant decision-makers. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) continuously strive to be a world’s frontrunner when it comes to technologically sophisticated lighthouse projects – and the next one is probably placed in the air with a EHang 184 fleet.

Designed by a Chinese company, the Autonomous Aerial Vehicle (AAV) is fully powered by electricity – offering the opportunity to charge and fly with 100 percent green power. Actually, the conditions for photovoltaic are brilliant in this region.

Forget traffic jams! #Dubai aims to launch this #EHang flying-taxi by July
For more videos click here: https://t.co/0JzIUUalHK pic.twitter.com/3su7iSJGAH
— ARY News (@ARYNEWSOFFICIAL) 14. Februar 2017

Passengers with a weight up to 100 kg can enjoy the power of eight motors with a total maximum output of 152 kW. With a possible top speed of 160 kph, it is advisable to throttle EHang’s velocity – maybe down to 100 kph as the authorities say. Passengers can be transported from A to B for the maximum of a half-hour flight and a range of up to 50 kilometers (31 miles). Naturally, it would be interesting to know in which extent the at full blast running and definitely required air-conditioning system will reduce the operating range.

Precise information regarding the beginning of operations in July are not yet known. Allegedly, the flying electric vehicle has been already tested with 4G mobile internet by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority. The view over the desert city of Dubai at a maximum peak altitude of 3.5 km is surely a great experience. But maybe a drone highway will follow soon in order organize and structure the drone traffic?

For some time now, it is necessary to register hobby drones in the United Arab Emirates. This regulation is an absolute necessity in order to ensure safe drone traffic above Dubai’s skyline in the near future.

Drone Highway Designed for Shenzhen

06 September 2016 From Paul Münzner Filed Under: Aviation, Featured

The idea of manned drones is not a novelty. But imagine a city with a growing number of manned air vehicles above your head. How can we organize a perfect traffic for drones? Maybe the first drone highway, designed by Tetra Architects & Planners and Avoid Obvious Architects, shows the way ahead? Traditional highways are outdated and not efficient state the architects.

G107 Bao'an by Tetra Architects & Partners and Avoid Obvious in China with drone highway - eco urban drones — Landing approach with drone (Tetra Architects & Partners and Avoid Obvious)

Invited to redesign the 30 kilometers long highway G107 with its four lanes plus its surrounding area in Bao’an, Shenzhen, the designers presented their vision for the future of the 21st century. This sustainable and technology oriented approach is a bold step for Shenzhen instead of a boring rehabilitation concept.

G107 Bao'an by Tetra Architects & Partners and Avoid Obvious in China with drone highway station - eco urban drones — Drone highway with drones port (Tetra Architects & Partners and Avoid Obvious)

Among other things, drones and self-driving vehicles are an essential component for Shenzhen’s new urban development. Instead of expanding the existing 12-lane highway, a smaller, more fluid thoroughfare with multiple layers shall be part of an organic smart city in the heart of the Pearl River Delta.

Areal view G107 Bao'an by Tetra Architects & Partners and Avoid Obvious in China with drone highway - eco urban drones — (Tetra Architects & Partners and Avoid Obvious)

The envisaged highway will have two 4-lanes with sections at grade, above grade and below grade instead of 12 lanes at grade. The drone highway with its drones port is the most impressive and, indeed, most dared part of the released concept. But maybe not that unrealistic. A manned drone, such as EHang 184, is already existing.

Underground Connection G107 Bao'an by Tetra Architects & Partners and Avoid Obvious in China with drone highway - eco urban drones — (Tetra Architects & Partners and Avoid Obvious)

Transportation Hub G107 Bao'an by Tetra Architects & Partners and Avoid Obvious in China with drone highway - eco urban drones — (Tetra Architects & Partners and Avoid Obvious)

Furthermore, the architects state:
We borrowed design principles from nature. The new G107 will weave vertically and horizontally throughout its 30km length and create spaces for greenery and public amenities. Elevated green platforms will also weave through buildings on both sides of G107 to provide pedestrian access to transit. Multimodal transit hub will be employed at all intersection to make all parts of the city reachable within 15mins.

G107 Bao'an by Tetra Architects & Partners and Avoid Obvious in China with drone highway by night - eco urban drones — (Tetra Architects & Partners and Avoid Obvious)

G107 Bao'an by Tetra Architects & Partners and Avoid Obvious in China with drone highway - areal view - eco urban drones — (Tetra Architects & Partners and Avoid Obvious)

Five Benefits of Drones in The Realms of Urban Planning

Drones are suited for mapping road, highway, and railway infrastructures - They can do the job faster, cheaper and safer

11 August 2016 From Paul Münzner Filed Under: Aviation, Featured

Civilian drones are experiencing a real boom. But what are the benefits of drones in the field of urban planning and development? In particular, what are the reasons to choose drones for mapping and surveying? “The Truth About Drones in Mapping and Surveying”, a recently released white paper commissioned by BZ Media and written and produced by Skylogic Research, points out five appealing surveying and mapping applications.

Traditionally, data are collected by ground-based survey tools. But owing to low maintenance expenses, rapid deployment times and different types of installable cameras, drones can do the job faster, cheaper and safer compared with collecting data with satellites, manned aircraft, or road crews. Drones are suited for mapping road, highway, and railway infrastructures.

Five benefits of drones regarding urban planning

1. Automated Mapping

With the support of control points like known coordinates or placed markers, the drone is able to fly autonomously a calculated fly path at a given altitude. Depending on the equipment, the drone can take common high-resolution color and infrared pictures. According to the published paper, it is recommended that each captured picture overlaps the previous image 80 percent to the front and 60 percent to the side. The data can be sent to the pilot during the flight or transmitted after landing.

2. Cadastral surveying

As an essential component of the legal creation of properties, licensed land surveyors can make use of drones to define property boundaries for purposes like renting, buying or selling buildings or land. A further benefit is the identification of boundaries and land features with drone-generated pictures. These information are the basis for the preparation of 2D like shown below. This way of mapping boundaries and property assets can have an essential impact on the real estate and appraisal industry owing to the low costs of data collection.

Benefits of Drones - Surveying and Mapping — Example of a map in the cadaster of Baden-Württemberg in Germany (Schorle CC BY-SA 3.0)

3. Corridor surveying

Drones are well-suited for capturing infrastructure facilities. For instance, drones are a basic working tool for the Mexican mapping and surveying company SKYLAB. They are mapping and capturing all kinds of infrastructure for the government, urban planners, etc. Photographs can be geometrically corrected afterward. They often contain inaccuracies as a result of topographic reliefs, lens distortions, and camera tilts.

4. Volumetric calculations

A further benefit of drones is the volume measurement of, for example, spoil heaps, stockpiles, or material extraction pits. After mapping the site with a drone, it is possible to generate a digital surface model (DSM). A ground-based surveying would be more dangerous and time-consuming. It seems quite outdated if a ground-based employee measures the stockpile elevation every 5 or 10 feet. According to VanZanten, owner of the mapping company SkyMedia Northwest, covering a 30-acre site with a drone takes around 30 minutes but a whole day for a ground-based surveyor.

5. LiDAR mapping

It is possible to create a virtual high-resolution map of the surrounding area with LIDAR. It creates a precise digital representation of objects, buildings, and the ground more detailed than common pictures. LiDAR is a surveying technology that measures distances by emitting beams of light in all directions from a laser source. It collects the reflected light with a sensor. By measuring the required time for a round trip of the laser light, distances can be calculated. A powerful computer creates a three-dimensional map in real time. According to the heavy LiDAR equipment, large drones are needed for aerial photographs.

Convince yourself of the benefits of drones and take a look at the award-winning urban landscape photography from Andy Yeung. In the end, it would not be surprising if more and more GIS professionals and scientists take advantages of drones.

Urban Drones – DJI Opened Drone Arena in South Korea

DJI recently provides a safe and enjoyable environment for newbies and aerial enthusiasts

02 August 2016 From Paul Münzner Filed Under: Aviation, Featured

Deutsch

Drones can be a useful means to assist and support municipal protagonists in the urban environment. They allow experience things from a different perspective while keeping costs low. They do not get stuck in traffic and can easily be equipped with a high-resolution camera. For instance, one of the largest urban development projects in Europe, the Aspern Vienna Urban Lakeside project in Austria, has been surveyed with drones.

Indoor drone arena with an area of 1,395 m²

Drone Arena - DJI - Korea — Drone Arena (DJI)

However, it is not as easy as it looks like when it comes to steering a drone. One false move and the whole thing could crash into many pieces. In the worst-case scenario, the drone hurts a human being. It is recommended to learn how to fly a drone. Maybe in the DJI Drone Arena in Korea? DJI recently provides a safe and enjoyable environment for newbies and aerial enthusiasts.

Fly all year round despite weather conditions outside

“DJI is committed to making aerial technology more accessible and easier to learn for anyone who wants to use it, and the DJI Arena is a great example,” said Moon Tae-hyun, DJI Korea’s Country Manager. “We hope to provide a safe and fun environment for people to experience the technology first hand, whether they are skilled enthusiasts or someone who is just curious to learn. Best of all, the indoor venue will provide a space for people to fly all year round despite weather conditions outside.”

Situated in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, 49 kilometers south of Seoul, the indoor drone arena with an area of 1,395 m² is abundantly equipped with many required items for the pilot. Safety nets for the first tries, an adjustable LED-lit circuit for advanced pilots, and an LCD TV for a more immersive experience via first-person view from their drone. Furthermore, charging docks and a workstation for people to do minor repairs are provided in the adjacent maintenance room.

The DJI Drone Arena welcomes individuals and booked groups. Additionally, corporate event rentals are possible. For more experienced drone pilots and UAV clubs, the drone arena can also offer the stage for more advanced flight maneuvers and drone racing.

Information about the arena’s availability and reservation will be available after mid-August. DJI is one of the world’s leading maker of unmanned aerial vehicles.

Images from DJI