American Robotics builds its customer base in the oil and gas sector with a new purchase order

Ondas Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: ONDS), a leading provider of private wireless data, drone and automated data solutions through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Ondas Networks Inc. and American Robotics, Inc. (“American Robotics” or “AR”), announced that American Robotics received a new purchase order from Chevron for its fully autonomous, FAA-approved, Scout Systems. This will be American Robotics’ second Fortune 100 customer in the oil and gas space.

“The oil and gas industry is primed to benefit from recent advancements in autonomous drone technology,” said Reese Mozer, CEO and co-founder of American Robotics. “Before our game-changing FAA approvals, asset managers that used drones to monitor their oil and gas fields needed to employ pilots and visual observers to fly the systems manually, and then manually convert the data into actionable insights. With Scout System, we are providing the oil and gas industry with a dramatically more efficient and effective way to manage, monitor, and inspect their assets. Analytics that were previously unattainable due to high costs of operation are now available through the Scout System, allowing users to make informed decisions in real-time that will drive their business forward.”

Working in and maintaining oil and gas infrastructure is time-consuming, labour-intensive, and can often put people in danger. Millions of acres of assets must be continually monitored to check for oil leaks, methane emissions, and damaged equipment. American Robotics’ fully-automated drone systems each conduct up to 20 autonomous missions per day without having a pilot or visual observer on the ground. The adoption of this technology in the space will allow for automated inspections, regular site monitoring, and enhanced safety for employees, all at a lower cost with increased accuracy.

The use of autonomous drones in the oil and gas industry is expected to continue and expand significantly in the coming years, as they are a crucial component when it comes to ensuring site safety and conducting regular facility inspections. Automating high-frequency inspections is critical for oil and gas companies to comply with global climate change mitigation commitments and regulations such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new Clean Air Act rule, intended to reduce methane emissions by 30 per cent by 2030. 

German drone delivery pioneer Wingcopter is partnering with  UAV LATAM, a Latin American holding with more than 10 years of experience in the unmanned aerial vehicle space (UAV) and a presence in 7 countries. Through this alliance, Wingcopter will work with UAV del Peru, a subsidiary of UAV LATAM, deploying the Wingcopter 198, Wingcopter’s new flagship Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), to carry out drone delivery operations for local clients. With the partnership, Wingcopter, UAV LATAM and UAV del Peru become leaders in the drone delivery space in Peru.

UAV LATAM, through UAV del Peru, plans to use Wingcopter’s cargo drones, for example, to provide access to medical products to hard-to-reach communities in the Peruvian Andes, and considers expanding the service to other countries of the region later. Since UAV LATAM’s pilots are already Wingcopter-trained, the company will be one of the first in Latin America to utilize delivery drone technology for commercial and humanitarian applications.

UAV del Peru is part of Peru Flying Labs, a member of the international Flying Labs Network that was initiated by  WeRobotics to strengthen local expertise in the use of drones, robotics, data and AI for positive social change and create new job opportunities in more than 30 countries around the world. Wingcopter had joined the Flying Labs Network in early 2021 as a Technology Partner. 

Juan Bergelund, CEO of UAV LATAM, comments: “Currently, several Latin American countries have partially deficient infrastructure, especially in the health sector, affecting billions of lives, a situation that has been aggravated by COVID-19. At UAV LATAM, we are convinced that with the deployment of Wingcopter drones in Latin America, we can actively support Wingcopter’s vision of creating efficient and sustainable drone delivery solutions that improve and save lives everywhere.”

Tom Plümmer, CEO of Wingcopter, adds: “By collaborating with UAV LATAM we leverage another great partnership to accelerate our expansion to Latin America. Our goal is to be present on all continents, through our network of Authorized Wingcopter Partners or through own drone-as-a-service operations, and we are on a good track to reach this goal soon. We can’t wait to announce more partnerships and own operations in other parts of the world to further increase our global reach and commercial traction.”

LMT, Latvia’s leading mobile operator and tech innovator, has become Europe’s first mobile operator to obtain certification to educate and examine pilots to receive licenses.

The country’s Civil Aviation Agency has certified LMT as a recognized organization to provide lessons and examinations, after which the applicant can receive a Remote Pilot Certificate of Competency in the A2 Open category of drone licenses, which includes personal and sports drones from 0.5-2kg in weight.

LMT is the first mobile operator to receive this mandate from a state regulatory agency in the EU. While several organizations have received this mandate, LMT is the first among mobile operators and the first licencing organization in Northern Europe.

As the future of drones is increasingly connected, drones and mobile operators will be increasingly intertwined. Bringing the function of drone licensing under the roof of mobile networks is a step towards ensuring drone connectivity, which, in turn, is a prerequisite for smart city development.

“We’ve long been believers that the future is mobile-only and that drones are part of that future. We’ve seen over and over again the benefit of connecting drones to the mobile network – not only for safety via ID and authorisation but also to facilitate smart city applications and remote drone use cases. That’s why it’s only a logical step for us a mobile operator and innovator to hold drone licencing functions, and serve as a one-stop-shop for everything that’s drone-related.” – Ingmārs Pūķis, Vice President and Member of the Board at LMT

LMT’s licencing process includes mandatory attendance of a 3-day program that is made up of theoretical and practical field experience. The program is required to follow local drone flight restrictions, as well as EU regulation nr 2019/947, which establishes the normal regulations for the use of UAS in European airspace.

Raising money for any new venture will always come with its share of challenges, but it's only that much harder when you're in an underserved space. Here's how to get around it.

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Raising money for any new venture will always come with its share of challenges, but it's only that much harder when you're in an underserved space. Here's how to get around it.

Raising money for any new venture will always come with its share of challenges, but it's only that much harder when you're in an underserved space. Here's how to get around it.

Raising money for any new venture will always come with its share of challenges, but it's only that much harder when you're in an underserved space. Here's how to get around it.

Raising money for any new venture will always come with its share of challenges, but it's only that much harder when you're in an underserved space. Here's how to get around it.

Raising money for any new venture will always come with its share of challenges, but it's only that much harder when you're in an underserved space. Here's how to get around it.

Raising money for any new venture will always come with its share of challenges, but it's only that much harder when you're in an underserved space. Here's how to get around it.

Raising money for any new venture will always come with its share of challenges, but it's only that much harder when you're in an underserved space. Here's how to get around it.

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This update is relevant for all drone operators who 1) registered their DJI drone in the U.S. and/or 2) have previously opted to store flight data in the U.S. with DJI—regardless of their current location. Earlier this year, DJI announced that it would no longer offer the option for consumer and enterprise drone operators in the United States (U.S.) to sync their flight records to DJI’s servers. Access to flight data will end in mid-October for users of the DJI Fly app and on November 7 for users of the DJI Pilot app. All stored flight log data will be deleted. DJI recommends that operators who have previously opted in to syncing their flight records with DJI, download and create a backup of their flight records as soon as possible.

RCbenchmark, a Canadian manufacturer serving the drone industry, recently announced that it has changed its name to Tyto Robotics. The name change is accompanied by several major changes as the company releases a new product line and enters the wind tunnel testing space.

Founded in 2014, the company originally offered small 5 kgf test stands for the RC (remote-controlled) community, hence the name ‘RCbenchmark’. Since launching the company, they have continuously added larger products to their catalogue, including test stands measuring up to 75 kgf of thrust with propellers up to 70” in diameter. This year they also added custom wind generators to their roster thanks to a partnership with Swiss company WindShape, which provide an open-air alternative to traditional wind tunnel testing.

”With this series of major additions, it was time for a rebranding”

“Our new company name reflects the profile of the customers we serve”, says founder and CEO Charles Blouin, ”the majority of our clients are commercial manufacturers and aerospace leaders such as Volocopter, Volansi, and Matternet.”

‘Tyto’ refers to the genus of owls known for their efficient, silent flight. The company’s tools help their clients achieve these enviable qualities, which is why they chose the bird as their namesake. ‘Robotics’ as a field integrates computer science and engineering, which are both areas of expertise for the company’s team.

Organizers of Commercial UAV Expo Europe have announced that the next edition of the event will take place with Amsterdam Drone Week (ADW) and EASA High-Level Conference at RAI Amsterdam 18-20 January 2022. Previously, the events were scheduled to take place together in December 2021, but the organizers have decided— in close consultation with partners Amsterdam Drone Week and EASA— to delay the event until early 2022 due to the impact of COVID-19 on travel and the event industry. This date will offer partners, speakers, visitors, and delegates more certainty to travel to Amsterdam and thus bring the worldwide UAM/UAS community together. Future editions will revert to the typical December time frame.

“The benefit of co-locating the three events is in bringing the whole drone ecosystem together in one place where professionals can learn, connect and drive the industry forward,” said Lee Corkhill, Group Event Director at Diversified Communications, organizer of Commercial UAV Expo Europe. “Commercial UAV Expo Europe is the leading international trade show and conference in Europe for the commercial drone market delivering sUAS manufacturers and end-users. Amsterdam Drone Week focuses on Urban Air Mobility and the role of cities. The EASA High-Level Conference focuses on the stakeholders involved in UTM and regulatory issues.” During ADW 2021, the EASA High-Level Conference will take place on 18 and 19 January and the Commercial UAV Expo Europe will be held on 19 and 20 January.

ADW will offer a hybrid option in January 2022, meaning content from, the ADW mainstage will be broadcasted daily, including matchmaking and the online speed networking sessions. In 2020, Amsterdam Drone Week organized a successful online event. “Although it was a great success given the circumstances, we prefer to see the fast-growing industry around drones and unmanned aircraft back in Amsterdam in person,” says Paul Riemens, CEO RAI Amsterdam. “Bringing people together is part of the DNA of RAI Amsterdam.”

“Innovative Air Mobility is an area of intense activity for EASA. We are steadily putting all the rules in place for these operations and working on certification for these entirely new types of aircraft,” said EASA Executive Director Patrick Ky. “The High-Level Conference at ADW is an important platform for discussions with a range of stakeholders on these developments.”

Fast-growing aerospace startup LaunchPoint Electric Propulsion Solutions, Inc. has released its latest hybrid-electric generator system, a patented design that harnesses the combined power of traditional fuel and electricity to expand the capabilities of drones.

The LaunchPoint HPS055 GenSet is a 5.5kW, highly efficient, high-specific power generator and hybrid electric power/engine control system that utilizes specialized electric machine and GenSet technology to enable extended-range flight. Drones installed with the 5.5kW GenSet can travel farther and carry more load than those fitted with other hybrid power system models, expanding the possibilities for these types of aircraft.

LaunchPoint’s latest creation builds upon other boundary-pushing technology the company has released in the past year, including a 40kW GenSet and Modeling Advanced Aircraft Propulsion (MAAP) software suite that can be used to explore a vehicle’s powertrain through multiple configuration scenarios for electric and hybrid-electric aircraft propulsion systems. The 5.5kW GenSet can be utilized in both military and commercial drones and is currently shipping to customers for applications ranging from global security to inspection and mapping to cargo delivery. Demand is expected to continue to grow as the market for electricity-powered aircraft takes off.

“We’re immensely proud of this groundbreaking system. Our master researchers and engineers have spent years optimizing and perfecting our hybrid-electric and electric flight systems, and this newest GenSet is a high point for us,” Chief Technology Officer Michael Ricci said. “We’re excited to get this out into the world and for LaunchPoint to continue fueling the growth of this burgeoning industry.”

In addition to its power and range, benefits of the 5.5kW hybrid power system include a battery management system (BMS), in-flight self-charging capability, and liquid-fuel-powered generator. Drone operators can switch between liquid fuel and electricity depending on power demands and have a dependable backup energy supply to complete a mission and land safely if an aircraft runs out of fuel or if the batteries discharge too fully.