The Future of UAS

     The future of UAS is a very broad topic with many opinions that no one will know for sure until it happens, but is it already?   We are still in the early stages of what’s to come in terms of future UAS applications and technologies similar to the early stages of the Jet age.  Making the transition from piston-powered engines to turbine engines was a huge leap comparable to replacing some current day manned operations with unmanned platforms.  In order to progress into the future we must begin by setting precedents now.  An unprecedented example of an unmanned platform application can be found in the October 2016 article “Airborne Surveyor” in Aviation Week and will be summarized below.

     Airborne surveying is nothing new.  Aerial information of a location or region is requested and the standard means is through manned flight.  Manned flight for surveying is costly and somewhat time consuming based on the equipment, aircraft, and software used.  A recent issue came about when the FAA reviewed obstacle clearance data for airports countrywide and determined that tree growth had penetrated the maximum 20:1 approach slope stretching out from the ends of many runways.  Due to the tree growth, some of these airports had to prohibit night operations based on location.  The current method for inspecting such approach slopes involves a state safety inspector using a clinometer and their unobstructed vision.  Obviously, this has many shortcomings in collecting such data and this has been where aerial mapping surveys have filled the gap.  The next problem becomes funding.  The mapping surveying can cost $8,000 - $10,000 per runway, involves a very difficult authorization process, and even after the survey is complete it can take weeks to compile the data into a usable form.

     The solution seemed simple enough but had never attempted before due to numerous regulations and safety issues.  The South Carolina Aeronautics Commissions simply proposed an unmanned aerial system.  The commission chose the SenseFly EBee RTK.  A flying wing with a pusher prop, 37 in. wingspan, 1.6 lb., snap together, hand launched UAV.  A high definition camera payload attached to the UAV that would allow for mapping and producing orthomosaics and 3D models with incredible accuracy.  The total cost of the UAS along with GIS software was $50,000 but the business case showed that the system would pay itself off in surveying just 5-6 airports.  The part that came next was submitting a request to the FAA to carry out the runway mapping with a UAS.  Initially the FAA nearly stopped breathing when they saw the request.  Never before had a drone been flown in the approach areas of public use airports.  However, the FAA and SC commission worked it out specifying clear operating rules.  A notice to airman was issued 48 hours in advance, line of sight control during daylight hours, pilot and observer, and maximum altitude of 700 feet.  Currently six airports have been completed with each survey only taking 30 minutes and producing over 200 overlapping photos all done in 3-4 flights.  The actual data can be processed overnight versus weeks with an accuracy of 4-6 inches.  The process turned out to be such a great success that eight other states have sent commissioners to South Carolina to learn more.  Last month the SC Aeronautics team attended the NASAO’s annual convention and received the “Most Innovative “award for 2016.

     I feel that examples like this exhibit the future of UAS here and now.  Certainly, technologies such as airframes, sensors, and control systems will advance and applications for new ways to use unmanned platforms will become more creative and robust.  However, none of that means anything if we don’t equally push the boundaries regarding rules and regulations holding back the full potential power of UAS now.  Showing what was thought to be impossible, possible, further solidifies the future of UAS.  

References

Garvey, W. (2016, October).  Airborne Surveyor: A tiny, winged tool to help keep airplanes out of trees, Aviation Week & Space Technology, Volume 178(Issue 20).  Pp. 14

Drone Videos, Photos, and Mapping

The link below is my most recent compilation of video taken while in Oregon, Washington, and Charleston, South Carolina.  The footage in Oregon was taken on Cannon Beach and near Mount Hood.  A few shots were near the Columbia River Gorge in Washington State while the remaining footage was taken in Charleston by Folly Beach and Isle of Palms.

Aerial Video in Oregon, Washington, and Charleston

The link below is various footage around the Charleston coastal area such as Sullivan's Island, Isle of Palms, and Mount Pleasant.  The footage includes aerial video of a beach house in wild dunes on the tip of IOP as well.

Charleston Aerial Video

The link below contains various aerial video from Southern California in the Huntington Beach (Surfers) area as well as Temecula.  Also some random footage around downtown Charleston and Mount Pleasant.

SoCal and CHS Aerial Video

The last video link below is a compilation of test flights flown locally as well as a few from Carolina Adventure world and Kayaking near Cat Island.

Test Flight Compilation


Below are some random Aerial Photos

Koji from above

DK and JG at the track

Columbia River Gorge

Cannon Beach

Roof Inspection

The links below are some images from a aerial mapping exercise.

Flight path displayed on Ipad

Software Processing

Field Model

Field Model Zoom

Article Review: UAS Use

     Monday August 29^th marked the first day that the FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot certification test was available.  The first day alone the FAA reported over 1,500 individuals taking the certification test.  The unmanned aircraft industry will continue to explode as UAV ground schools open and expand as more interest is steered towards commercial UAV applications.  There are numerous applications that are currently carried out by manned aircraft that will certainly be replaced quickly over time with unmanned technologies.

     An application that has gained more attention lately is power/transmission line inspections.   This task is inherently dangerous and historically executed using lineman, helicopters, trucks, and ground crews.  The advantages of using an unmanned aerial system over conventional methods are huge.  Safety is a major factor due to the dangerous nature of having a human either climbing or being flown over a location to inspect and take pictures to determine necessary repairs.  Cost of operation is another major advantage of the unmanned system.  The UAV is also able to arrive on location much more quickly then calling out a crew, truck, or scheduling time for a helicopter.  UAV’s allow for a less intrusive method of inspection along with increased detail.  Transformers and powerlines can be inspected by UAS in a safe, cost effective, and timely manner to help in avoiding potential problems.

     There are currently many companies with unique products for achieving the same goal.  The Swiss company SKIVE Aviation AG invented the first UAV that lands on powerlines.  Development of the system took two years in which many challenges had to be overcome.   The UAV flies to the location, lands on the powerlines, and then will drive along the wires for inspection.  The landing of the UAV on the powerlines is automated due to this portion of the flight being critical to avoid the propellers making contact with wires.  The images and data collected can be analyzed as needed.  The UAS also uses LIDAR to map the surrounding environment and determine if trees or brush are too close to wires being inspected.  The robot allows for covering a much greater distance than “on foot” inspections.

Powerline UAV Video

     The other company, Aeroscout, uses a small industrial unmanned helicopter that can be customized for the inspection of power transmission lines.  The Aeroscout  combines INS and GPS for precise navigation along with “heavy lift” payload capability allowing for multiple sensors packages.  Options include LIDAR, Infrared, hyperspectral cameras, aerial imagery, and photogrammetry.  The Aeroscout allows for a very robust versatile UAS for powerline inspection as well as other infrastructure.

Aeroscout UAV Video

     Enwin Utilities in Windsor, Ontario recently received operations certificates to fly drones for powerline inspection use however; they took a much more economical approach.  The use of DJI Phantom UAS's are being used for inspection.  The smaller quadcopters have shown to be ideal for Canada's transport guidelines and under the conditions of Enwin’s SFOC.  The company can now begin flying the small UAV’s for routine maintenance checks to help maintain safety and reliability of local distribution systems.

     Infrastructure inspections such as transmission lines are just one of the many applications replacing manned aircraft that offer increased benefits.

References

Aeroscout.  (2016).  Aeroscout – Unmanned Aircraft Technology.  Retrieved from http://www.aeroscout.ch/index.php/en/

CTV Windsor.  (2016).  Enwin to use drones to inspect power lines.  Retrieved from http://windsor.ctvnews.ca/enwin-to-use-drones-to-inspect-power-lines-1.3061891

GSN Magazine.  (2016).  More than 1,000 register for class to prep for FAA drone pilot certification in August.  Retrieved from 

http://gsnmagazine.com/article/47071/more_1000_register_class_prep_faa_drone_pilot_cert

UAS Vision.  (2015).  Aerial Robot Lands on Powerlines.  Retrieved from http://www.uasvision.com/2015/09/09/aerial-robot-lands-on-powerlines/

Applied Composites Research

The link below is a presentation outlining the Honda Jet and other aerospace composite design, fabrication and manufacturing applications. 

Honda Jet - Materials, Processes and other Industry Composite Fabrication Methods

UAS - Levels of Autonomy

     UAS integration into the National Airpsace system continues to be a long and daunting road with plenty of twists and turns.  A variety of technologies continue to be researched and developed but with no overall standard due to a multitude of technological alternatives as well as barriers.  The changing landscape saw some light at the end of the tunnel with the recent release of Part 107, which applies to small unmanned aircraft for commercial operation.  The sUAS market has begun to grow and is predicted to generate more than $82 billion for the US economy and create more than 100,000 jobs over the next 10 years.   Due to the lower cost of such platforms, ease of access, vast number of applications, and the new FAA regulations, the commercial sUAS industry  could potentially grow more rapidly than any other area.  However the integration of such platforms in the NAS still leaves a few gaps to be filled such as the challenges of autonomy.

     Levels of Autonomy and factors affecting it can vary based on the UAS platform and environment.  Even most UAS used in the military aren’t fully autonomous.  Defining the threshold at which operator intervention and system automation takes hold is still a challenge.  An effective human-automation interaction level must be defined along with trust and mode awareness.  UAS automation roles and responsibilities are still being defined.  An example of the differences in definitions can be shown below in figure 1.  Three different sources and their associated definitions for levels of autonomy shown below gives some insight into the issue. 

                                  Figure 1 - Levels of Autonomy 

     NextGen is a big proponent for utilizing autonomous methods for safely controlling UAS in the NAS.  However, at what level will automation help with self separation, sense and avoid, lost link, and other pilot/aircraft interaction automated assistance.  Research continues to be ongoing for testing automated systems such as NASA’s Ikhana Predator B to determine the level of autonomy that can help in avoiding other air traffic in the NAS.

     Ironically, per Part 107 and the use of small UAS which is considered less than 55 lbs. autonomy isn’t part of the picture.  Flying must be conducted within line of sight, during daylight hours, at a maximum altitude of 400 feet, operations in B, C, D and E airspace is allowed with ATC permission, but under normal circumstances must be 5 miles from the nearest airport.   In addition, FAA airworthiness certification is not required.  Even though autonomy does not play a direct role in this type of commercial integration, the types of UAS platforms under 55 lbs offer some of the latest technology including high levels of automation based on flight controller types.  Many current off the shelf UAS can take-off, land, and fly pre-programmed flights similar to how the military would carry out a UAS type mission, just at a higher altitude and longer range.  Some UAS even offer autonomy options with the ability to follow an object or person, as well as avoid obstacles based on size, distance, and lighting. 

     As the commercial sUAS industry begins to grow more rapidly types of automation used on such platforms will increase as they already have to help the pilot in command.  Automation technologies used on sUAS have the ability to grow more rapidly due to the vast number of applications they can be used on and consumer level pricing.  Along with R&D from NASA and the DOD, actual sUAS platforms being used per part 107 will also help shape and define the future levels of autonomy integrated within the NAS.  However, regulations governing such automation to insure safe flight may have a hard time keeping up with the fast paced technologies.  

  

  

References

Anderson, J.  (2010).  Challenges in Autonomy.  Retrieved from https://www.k-state.edu/ckus/conference/abstract_titles/AndersonChallenges.pdf

FAA.  (2016). FAA News.  Retrieved from https://www.faa.gov/UAS/media/Part_107_Summary.pdf

NASA.  (2013).  NASA – UAS Integration in the NAS.  Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/Jason_000/Downloads/NASA_SBIR_amp_STTR_Program_Homepage_-_UAS_Integration_in_the_NAS_-_2013-10-31.pdf

UAS Strengths and Weaknesses - Military Vs. Civil

Civil use of Unmanned Aerial Systems has been met with angst from many groups due to association of the technology with the department of defense and other government operations. Ironically, some of the most used civilian technologies today have come from the defense side such as GPS, Radar, Microwaves, Nylon, canned foods, advances in air travel, duct tape, computers, and now “drones”. Below shows a diagram of UAV mission types related to civil applications. To limit UAS platforms to military only operations would be narrow sited considering the advantages they offer to the industries and applications shown below.

 

                                                Figure 1 - Civil Applications

 

Military UAS missions almost always take advantage of some form of remote sensing. Examples of active and passive sensor types include LIDAR, photoscanning, thermal imagery, active microwave, stereovision, hyperspectral, and ultrasonic to name just a few. The greatest advantage in the advancement of sensor types for military use is the ability to detect energy and radiation outside visible light of the electromagnetic spectrum. Energy can be reflected, absorbed, or emitted. An example of this would be the Aces Hy Hyperspectral Sensor on the Predator drone used in Afghanistan. The sensor allows detection of electromagnetic radiation other than what's discernible by the human eye such as hidden roadside bombs or opium crops. The sensor basically detects the composition of an object based on its spectral fingerprint.

                                               Figure 2 - Hyperspectral Imaging

 
Another military remote sensing application would be the HALOE which is a LIDAR sensor used on the Firescout (unmanned helicopter). LIDAR allows for scanning of space to create a 3D map of ground terrain through the use of “time of flight”. HALOE or High Altitude Lidar Operations Experiment has already been flown in Afghanistan as well. This has allowed for more than a third of Afghanistan to be mapped with the ability to also detect “pirates” at sea when using the Firescout. The disadvantages of such sensors can be the cost, maintenance, and operating environment in which they can be used. The sensor packages must be ruggedized when entering certain harsh environments. Also some sensors require specific weather conditions to return optimal image data. Cost can be reduced as sensor technologies improve and quantities increase.

 

 

                                                            Figure 3 - LIDAR Image


The remote sensing applications above carry over directly to civil uses and one unique example of this is civil engineering. Civil Engineering deals with land surveying, structural health monitoring, and ground/structure mapping during the design and construction phase of a project. Photoscanning/LIDAR through the use of UAS allows for a company or firm to shows the condition of an existing project through 3D rendering versus standard aerial photos which are not as accurate, especially when trying to utilize photogrammetry techniques. Once a 3D model has been generated a 3D fly-through of the environment is possible giving the greatest perspective possible. In addition to capturing the actual structure the surrounding terrain would also be captured to help in planning for a project.


The cross over of remote sensing from military to civil applications should be no surprise and even though the cost of some sensors can be high, overall for civil applications this is a huge cost reduction compared to manned aircraft. However, sensor cost is slowly declining as well. In addition, manned aircraft are not capable of certain tasks that UAS platforms are, while doing it at a fraction of the cost. Mapping technologies will continue to grow for civil applications due to the growing demand in various industries and the cost savings over mapping with manned aircraft. Lessons learned from the military once again will play a major role in UAS remote sensing technology but as civil applications increase, they will also play a major role in the technologies direction and usage.



References

Campbell, J. B., & Wynne, R. H. (2011). Introduction to remote sensing, fifth edition (5th;5; ed.). US: Guilford Publications Inc. M.U.A.

Irilluminators. (2014). Hyperspectral Imaging with Infrared Light. Retrieved from https://irilluminators.wordpress.com/2014/01/24/hyperspectral-imaging-with-infrared-light/

Johnson, C. (2013). Civil Use of UAS, A Little More Light , Please. Retrieved from http://www.insidegnss.com/node/3491

NASA. (2004). Civil UAV Capability Assessment. Retrieved from https://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/pdf/111761main_UAV_Capabilities_Assessment.pdf

Perlman, A. (2015). Applications for UAV’s in Civil Engineering. Retrieved from http://uavcoach.com/applications-for-uavs-in-civil-engineering/

Wweinberger, S. (2012). 4 Done Sensors That Changed Warfare – and What Happens when they Come Home. Retrieved from http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/g1741/4-new-drone-sensors-that-changed-warfare-and-what-could-happen-when-they-come-home-9549377/?slide=1

Open Hole Compressive Strength of Polymer Matrix Composite Laminates

The link below outlines the steps I have summarized per ASTM for open hole compressive strength testing of polymer based composite laminates.


Open Hole Compressive Strength Testing