SYRACUSE N.Y. — The UTM Convention 2016 and HiddenGenius.com have partnered to launch a technology competition that demonstrates drone sense and avoid technologies (SAA).
The enormous growth in the number of small UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) has highlighted the tremendous opportunities in this industry. This includes using drones beyond line of sight to monitor the safety of rail track, bridges, and power lines. It also includes package delivery and humanitarian missions.
NASA is leading the research and development of UTM (UAS Traffic Management), and many sense and avoid approaches are under development to address this technology hurdle, according to officials.
“Many companies and organizations are working on SAA, but there is real power in demonstrating it in an open competition and building public trust,” said Trevor McKeeman, CEO of HiddenGenius. “We won’t see widespread drone package delivery or flying commercially beyond line of sight without it.”
The competition will be held Nov. 9, 2016, in conjunction with UTM Convention 2016 at the Oncenter in Syracuse, N.Y. The $15,000 prize is seen as a small preliminary event. It will lead into a competition with a much larger prize for tackling the critical challenge of drones sensing and avoiding low flying aircraft.
HiddenGenius has announced this larger competition, is partnering with leading sponsors, and is exploring hosting venues.
Competitor registration for the UTM Convention 2016 SAA drone competition is open to anyone, but limited in number, officials note.