Altavian and the Sinclair National UAS Training and Certification Center team up to 3D print and distribute PPE masks, coronavirus resources from Drone Girl, US government anti-drone guidelines, a 360-degree onboard detect-and-avoid system, and an omnidirectional drone.

UAV NewsSinclair, Altavian partner to use 3-D technology to print masks

Drone manufacturer Altavian teamed up with doctors from local hospitals and improved on a 3D-printed PPE mask design from the Billings Clinic. It uses recycled materials commonly found in hospitals, is reusable, and was has N95-99 filter material. The 3D printing equipment at the Sinclair College National UAS Training and Certification Center lab is being used to produce mask shells. Altavian set up the non-profit “American Mask Rally” to accept donations and to distribute the PPE masks to frontline medical professionals. The site has a Paypal donate link.

Coronavirus Resources

The Drone Girl set up a webpage with drone-related Coronavirus resources, including something to do at home involving drones, resources for small business owners, at-home drone lesson plans for parents and teachers, the status of all the major 2020 drone conferences, and how drones are being used during the pandemic.

US Attorney General issues guidelines for government anti-drone measures

US Attorney General William Barr issued guidelines for how federal agencies can monitor and take out drones:

• Justice Department agencies such as the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Bureau of Prisons may intercept drone communications
• They can maintain records of those communications for up to 180 days.
• Agencies may seek approval for the use of counter-drone technologies and request designation of facilities or assets for protection.
• Agencies must work with the FAA to conduct risk-based assessments to examine the impact of operations on the national airspace.
• Policies should be sensitive to the legitimate use of unmanned aircraft by parties, including the press.

Iris Automation Announces Casia 360, the First Onboard Detect-and-Avoid System for Drones with 360-Degree Capability

The Casia 360 is a computer vision detect-and-avoid (DAA) system with a 360-degree radial field of view. Iris Automation says this will enable commercial BVLOS operations for UAS. Casia is a combination of both hardware and software, and detects other aircraft in all directions. Casia 360 is available for commercial sales preorder, although the initial limited launch of the 360 system has sold out and this system is currently on back-order.

Researchers show off mind-blowing omnidirectional drone

An experimental omnidirectional drone has been built by engineers from ETH Zurich. This drone can hover or fly in any direction, in any orientation.

Video: Design and optimal control of a tiltrotor micro aerial vehicle for efficient omnidirectional flight