Solace Power Takes Aim At Wireless Mid-Flight Charging For Drones

A small startup operating out of Newfoundland in Canada is working on a big problem that could have tremendous impact on the future of the drone industry. In partnership with Boeing, Solace Power will expand the viability and efficacy of a system it developed for recharging unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) wirelessly, using energy transmitters that communicate across distances with receivers on drones to keep said gadgets in the air for longer periods of time without requiring the kind of landing and battery swap operation or physical contact charge that most currently require.

The startup has been operating mostly under the radar thus far (GET IT??) but this week itannounced investment from Industry Canada, an official government investing body that has providing funding assistance through Boeing to help develop the tech in order to serve Canada’s military procurement needs.

Solace uses ‘resonant capacitive coupling,’ which is derived from the original wireless power experiments run by Nicola Tesla over a hundred years ago. Using this type of wireless charging tech allows for flexibility when it comes to the size and shape of the receiver drawing power, as well as more freedom when it comes to aligning the transmitter and receiver for proper power transmission from point A to B.

The company already licenses its tech for use in various industries, with potential applications in powering electric vehicles, battery-powered equipment worn as part of a soldier’s kit, or fully contained slip rings, which are ring motors or dynamos used frequently in the construction of robots, helicopters, security cameras and more.

In the video above you can see a video of their drone charging pad in action, with the green LED letting you know when the robot is actually charging its battery. It works at a distance, as you can see, and without requiring special orientation (the drone just has to be above the panel). In terms of autonomous flight, this could mean less overall inactive time for fleets of commercial, agricultural or industrial drones, since they can incorporate brief runs over charging surfaces into their flight plans to keep them airborne. In some instances, it might even make sense to build charging elements directly into surfaces over which drones will be working regularly, like in warehouses or fixed factory sites.

Battery life remains one the primary, if not the single most influential, limiting factors when it comes to autonomous drone deployment and design. Solace Power’s solution, developed in tandem with Boeing, could provide an answer that avoids the need for meteoric advancements in the batteries themselves.

by Darrell Etherington 

Reactions to FAA Proposals

Long-awaited federal rules proposed for commercial drones should pave the way for thousands of U.S. businesses to fly the devices in industries like filmmaking, farming and construction, but drone proponents worried that limits in the regulations would stifle other possible uses like package delivery. 

Drone makers and users generally cheered the rules proposed by the Obama administration on Sunday, which would replace the Federal Aviation Administration’s current near-ban on commercial use of the devices. The industry had worried federal regulators would treat drones like manned aircraft, mandating expensive and time-consuming airframe certifications and full pilots licenses for drone operators.

Instead, the FAA set simple criteria for certifying operators and said they could maintain safety of the devices themselves.

But the proposed rules—which will undergo 60 days of public comment before the FAA finalizes them, likely late next year—also contain limits on drone operations. Those include bans on flights over people or beyond the sight of operators, and a requirement for prior approval from air-traffic control for flying in many urban areas. Proponents said such restrictions would preclude many commercial uses for the devices and set U.S. drone users behind their peers abroad.

The proposed rules “are more progressive than we expected,” said Michael Drobac, executive director of the Small UAV Coalition, a trade group that represents drone makers, including Amazon.com Inc. and Google Inc. “But once you spend some time looking at them, some of the things proposed would be devastating to the future of the industry.”

FAA officials said they sought to balance the need for flexibility for the emerging drone industry with the agency’s top priority, public safety. The rules would “provide probably the most flexible regime for unmanned aircraft 55 pounds or less that exists anywhere in the world,” FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said.

The rules would require operators to obtain an FAA certificate by passing a written exam in person every two years. The standards would limit flights to daytime, below 500 feet, less than 100 miles an hour, and within sight of the operator. The rules don’t affect recreational use of drones, which is already permitted as long as users obey safe-operating requirements.

The FAA requested comment on specific areas throughout its 195-page proposal, which was nearly four years behind schedule. Final regulations often differ from proposals. The FAA also said it was still mulling separate, less-demanding rules for unmanned aircraft weighing less than five pounds.

Until the rules are final, the FAA’s effective ban on commercial drones will remain in place. The FAA has approved just 26 companies to use drones under strict rules.

Separately on Sunday, the Obama administration set rules on how federal agencies can use drones in the U.S. The administration said the rules are designed to protect citizens’ privacy and civil liberties, including a mandate for federal agencies to release annual summaries of their drone operations.

For private and commercial drones, the White House ordered the Department of Commerce to convene a stakeholder group within 90 days to develop guidelines for “privacy, accountability and transparency issues” for such devices.

The FAA said it proposes banning flights over people and beyond eyeshot because of risks unique to unmanned aircraft: operators can suddenly lose control of the devices and no pilot is on board to see and avoid obstacles. Drone makers are working on technology to improve the wireless link between drones and operators and to enable the devices to sense and avoid obstacles automatically.

The proposed restrictions could limit many commercial drone applications, including filmmaking, delivering packages, news reporting, monitoring crops at large farms, and inspecting power lines and pipelines.

Amazon.com Inc. said the proposed rules wouldn’t allow Prime Air, its planned delivery-by-drone program, to operate in the U.S. “The FAA needs to begin and expeditiously complete the formal process to address the needs of our business, and ultimately our customers,” the company said.

The FAA said its proposed rules don’t cover delivery drones, and that any unmanned aircraft carrying an “external load” might require FAA certification. Companies would be allowed to test a drone carrying a package under the proposed rules, “but they could not carry it for payment; they could not carry it for someone else,” said Mark Bury, the FAA’s assistant chief counsel.

Limitations on the battery life of drones and their ability to carry payloads far distances mean systematic drone deliveries aren’t possible today, but companies are running delivery trials and say the technology will be ready in the next several years.

Ted Ellett, a former FAA chief counsel who represents companies that want to use drones, said the proposal “seems to be close to a home run” for many of his clients and their peers.

Drones for farming would likely thrive under the proposal, he said, but the FAA’s proposed limits still would allow the agency to block drone flights if they pass “over a single farmer on his tractor in the middle of a 100-acre field in Iowa.”

Mr. Ellett and other industry officials also worry that requiring operators to get approval from air-traffic control to fly drones near airports—and thus in many urban and suburban areas—would pose a big hurdle to certain operations.

Private manned aircraft frequently operate without flight plans around such areas, and they don’t need approval prior to takeoff.

The FAA said it aims to separate drone traffic from manned aircraft. The agency says it has received dozens of reports of drones flying too close to manned aircraft and airports in recent years.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D., N.Y.) said in an interview that the proposed rules are a positive step, but that limits on flights over people or beyond the view of the operator would stifle the industry.

The FAA “started out on the strict side, but they’ll have to loosen up,” he said. “Legislation is a possibility, but let’s see how the regulations evolve.”

Chris Anderson, chief executive of U.S. drone maker 3D Robotics Inc., played down the impact of the proposed limits that his peers criticized, saying that the rules would enable the vast majority of commercial drone flights that are technically possible today.

Not requiring full pilots licenses, aircraft certifications “and other things that would have been barriers to innovation is what encourages me the most,” he said. “The little, tiny things like no nighttime flying and not flying over people all strike me as things that can be discussed.”

He added that regulations would finally lend legitimacy to the drone industry and lead to rapid expansion. “All I wanted was a sandbox where we could innovate,” he said. “Now we’ve got that sandbox and I think you’ll see an explosion of creativity and energy and investment in this space going forward.”

Source: Wall Street Journal

FAA’s New Rules for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems

The Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration on Sunday proposed a framework of regulations that would allow routine use of certain small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in today’s aviation system, while maintaining flexibility to accommodate future technological innovations.

The FAA proposal offers safety rules for small UAS (under 55 pounds) conducting non-recreational operations. The rule would limit flights to daylight and visual-line-of-sight operations. It also addresses height restrictions, operator certification, optional use of a visual observer, aircraft registration and marking, and operational limits.

The proposed rule also includes extensive discussion of the possibility of an additional, more flexible framework for “micro” UAS under 4.4 pounds. The FAA is asking the public to comment on this possible classification to determine whether it should include this option as part of a final rule. The FAA is also asking for comment about how the agency can further leverage the UAS test site program and an upcoming UAS Center of Excellence to further spur innovation at “innovation zones.”

The public will be able to comment on the proposed regulation for 60 days from the date of publication in the Federal Register, which can be found at www.regulations.gov.  Separate from this proposal, the FAA intends to hold public meetings to discuss innovation and opportunities at the test sites and Center of Excellence.  These meetings will be announced in a future Federal Register notice.

“Technology is advancing at an unprecedented pace and this milestone allows federal regulations and the use of our national airspace to evolve to safely accommodate innovation,” said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.

The proposed rule would require an operator to maintain visual line of sight of a small UAS. The rule would allow, but not require, an operator to work with a visual observer who would maintain constant visual contact with the aircraft. The operator would still need to be able to see the UAS with unaided vision (except for glasses). The FAA is asking for comments on whether the rules should permit operations beyond line of sight, and if so, what the appropriate limits should be.

“We have tried to be flexible in writing these rules,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. “We want to maintain today’s outstanding level of aviation safety without placing an undue regulatory burden on an emerging industry.”

Under the proposed rule, the person actually flying a small UAS would be an “operator.” An operator would have to be at least 17 years old, pass an aeronautical knowledge test and obtain an FAA UAS operator certificate. To maintain certification, the operator would have to pass the FAA knowledge tests every 24 months. A small UAS operator would not need any further private pilot certifications (i.e., a private pilot license or medical rating).

The new rule also proposes operating limitations designed to minimize risks to other aircraft and people and property on the ground:

• A small UAS operator must always see and avoid manned aircraft. If there is a risk of collision, the UAS operator must be the first to maneuver away.
• The operator must discontinue the flight when continuing would pose a hazard to other aircraft, people or property.
• A small UAS operator must assess weather conditions, airspace restrictions and the location of people to lessen risks if he or she loses control of the UAS.
• A small UAS may not fly over people, except those directly involved with the flight.
• Flights should be limited to 500 feet altitude and no faster than 100 mph.
• Operators must stay out of airport flight paths and restricted airspace areas, and obey any FAA Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs).

The proposed rule maintains the existing prohibition against operating in a careless or reckless manner. It also would bar an operator from allowing any object to be dropped from the UAS.

Operators would be responsible for ensuring an aircraft is safe before flying, but the FAA is not proposing that small UAS comply with current agency airworthiness standards or aircraft certification. For example, an operator would have to perform a preflight inspection that includes checking the communications link between the control station and the UAS. Small UAS with FAA-certificated components also could be subject to agency airworthiness directives.

The new rules would not apply to model aircraft.  However, model aircraft operators must continue to satisfy all of the criteria specified in Sec. 336 of Public Law 112-95, including the stipulation that they be operated only for hobby or recreational purposes. Generally speaking, the new rules would not apply to government aircraft operations, because we expect that these government operations will typically continue to actively operate under the Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA) process unless the operator opts to comply with and fly under the new small UAS regulations.

In addition to this proposal, earlier today, the White House issued a Presidential Memorandum concerning transparency, accountability, and privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties protections for the Federal Government’s use of UAS in the national airspace system which directs the initiation of a multi-stakeholder engagement process to develop a framework for privacy, accountability, and transparency issues concerning commercial and private UAS use.

The current unmanned aircraft rules remain in place until the FAA implements a final new rule. The FAA encourages new operators to visit:
http://www.knowbeforeyoufly.org

Source: Press Release

Obama Calls for UAS Regulation After White House Crash

President Barack Obama has used the crash-landing of a drone at the White House Monday as an opportunity to emphasise the importance of regulating unmanned aircraft. 

In an interview with CNN, Obama said the remote-controlled quadcopter that caused a brief security scare on Monday was the kind “you buy in Radio Shack,” calling for a regulatory framework for drones that will “get the good and minimize the bad.”

“There are incredibly useful functions that these drones can play in terms of farmers who are managing crops and conservationists who want to take stock of wildlife,” Obama said. “But we don’t really have any kind of regulatory structure at all for it.”

Drones are currently restricted from most airspace, except at low heights and at designated testing sites. The capital has stricter regulations than most on flying unmanned aerial vehicles.

The Federal Aviation Administration is currently drafting regulations that will allow for wider use of the devices. However, the process has been fraught with delays.

Source: Time

GoPro CEO Talks Drones, Innovation and Future At CES

Nick Woodman, the CEO and founder of GoPro discussed drones, innovation and the role of law and regulation before a receptive crowd last night at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Woodman’s remarks took place at the Leaders in Technology dinner, hosted by the sponsor of CES, the Consumer Electronic Association.

Dressed in a t-shirt, Woodman asked an excited crowd if they would like to see GoPro manufacture a drone.  His question was received with enthusiastic cheers, but he then declined to speak about GoPro’s specific plans for drones, joking “It’s so much better to tease you guys.  I could string this along for five years.”  But shortly after showing a video filmed with a GoPro mounted to a drone, Woodman began to open up about how he feels about drones and why he believes they are a big part of the entertainment and media future. “GoPro is good for drones and drones are good for GoPro. Look at what people are doing in 2015, just think about what they will be doing in 5 years.” Woodman said.

Woodman, who is number 129 on The Forbes 400, brought the company he founded public in June and since then GoPro’s stock price has soared with his net worth estimated at $3 billion and the company expected to have revenues hit $1.2 billion this year.  The company began as a hardware company making small action sports cameras.  Woodman built the first camera prototype with his mom’s sewing machine and a drill.  The company released their first video camera, a 35-millimeter waterproof film version, in 2004 and went on to sell it everywhere from surf shops to home shopping network QVC.

But now Woodman sees GoPro as more than a hardware company, “We enable people to tell stories” he said.  He sees the company as making a transition from hardware to a big media company, citing the success of the GoPro Channel as part of the company’s future direction.  The GoPro Channel is already distributed through media platforms like the Xbox One and Xbox 360 entertainment systems, in-flight entertainment on Virgin America, and social channels including YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vimeo, Pinterest and GoPro.com/Channels.  At CES, GoPro announced a partnership with LG, which will feature the GoPro Channel on their smart TVs.

Woodman believes that in the near term we will see GoPro competing with the biggest media and entertainment companies. “Every person in the world has passions and interests and we enable them to self document those interests.” Woodman said, “So long as people want to tell stories about their passions, and so long as we provide them solutions to do that, we will be a successful company.”  Woodman also hinted at the company’s future plans to put a GoPro camera on every player in professional sports, enabling the viewer at home to choose their own second or third screen experience while watching the game on the main feed or channel.

That vision for the company complemented Woodman’s views on drones, which he described as a device that allows people to tell stories with as few obstacles as possible.  Consumer drones as an industry are predicted to surpass $102 million in revenues in 2015, a 49% increase over last year.  That growth comes despite a difficult and confusing regulatory environment in which the FAA has missed multiple deadlines for the promulgation of rules to govern drones.

Woodman drew the loudest cheers when discussing regulation and innovation.  He described how great people can come up with great ideas, so long as government does not get in the way.  Talking specifically about drones, Woodman said “There needs to be some regulation to keep it safe, but we need room to allow the industry to blossom. It’s easy to focus on how things can go wrong, but we need to make sure we allow things to go right. A drone with a GoPro is much safer than a helicopter with a crew and a large heavy camera.”