5.3 - Blog: UAS Use in Home Monitoring

The future applications of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) is just beginning to be glimpsed. They will complement existing technology and replace some current applications altogether. For example, home monitoring systems have been around for many years. They can include fixed video monitoring, motion sensors, audio alerts and remote monitoring. It is easy to see how sUAS will likely be included as a vital sensor, complimenting current systems and providing a mobile observation point, especially for hard to see property areas. A company called Sunflower Labs (Sunflower Labs, 2016) may be marketing precisely this application.

A popular current example of a fixed home monitoring system is the Ring Doorbell it alerts homeowners with audio and video feeds and sells for about 200$ (Ring, 2016). It is apparently effective, according to the thousands of reviews on Amazon.com (Amazon.com, 2016), but the video monitor is fixed to the doorbell and records from a single point of view. It is a clever idea and will augment other fixed cameras located around the home. Homeowners who have larger properties, or areas that are hidden from fixed video monitoring locations may want the ability to have a mobile video monitoring system. This is where a sUAS mounted camera would augment an existing system. Sunflower Labs has proposed adding this mobility using a sUAS mounted video camera to fixed based motion detectors. According to their website, the Sunflower Home Awareness System (Sunflower Labs, 2016) will use fixed motion sensors to identify unusual activity on the property, then automatically launch the sUAS mounted camera and send a picture of the area of interest directly to a smart phone.

Sunflower Labs is taking reservations for the system now and anticipates shipping to homeowners in 2017 (Sunflower Labs, 2016). It is a great idea and adds to existing home monitoring technology. I am confident UAVs will continue to proliferate and join other applications in the homeowner security business.

Amazon.com. (2016). Ring WI-Fi Enabled Video Doorbell - - Amazon.com. Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/Ring-Wi-Fi-Enabled-Video-Doorbell/dp/B00N2ZDXW2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1479150802&sr=8-2&keywords=ring+doorbellRing. (2016). Ring video doorbell for your smartphone |

Ring. Retrieved from https://ring.com/

Sunflower Labs. (2016, November 3). Sunflower labs modernizes home security with introduction of home awareness system. Retrieved from http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sunflower-labs-modernizes-home-security-with-introduction-of-home-awareness-system-300356706.html

2.3 - Blog: Unmanned Aerial Systems

Category: “Regulations and Commercial sUAS”

Prior to June of this year, businesses wishing to use their small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (sUAS) for commercial purposes, were governed the same way hobby flyers were administered, under section 336 of Public Law 112-9 (Federal Aviation Administration, 2016). This section prohibited commercial use of the unmanned aircraft (UA), and required the businesses to submit and receive a waiver prior to any commercial activity. For example, a videographer in the real estate business wishing to take aerial pictures of their property listings using an off the shelf quad rotor UAV, were violating the law unless a waiver was granted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). These waivers were issued under Section 333 of Public Law (Federal Aviation Administration, 2015). It could be a cumbersome process and the FAA heard from users that a more streamlined process was required.

Federal Regulation Part 107

After much public comment, the FAA issued Federal Regulation Part 107. This regulation governs the integration and operation of small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) in the National Airspace System (NAS) and was published this year (Federal Aviation Administration, 2016). Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (sUAV), as defined in this regulation, are UAVs up to 55lbs maximum takeoff weight. These can now be used for commercial operations according to the new rule published in June (U.S. Government Publishing Office, 2016). The new law describes operating limitations and remote pilot in command (rPIC) responsibilities.

Part 107 limitations

There are limits to the new regulation, for example, maneuvering beyond line of sight (BLOS), night operations or UAVs that exceed the 55lb weight limit are not permitted. A Part 107 waiver is still necessary under these circumstances (Federal Aviation Administration, 2016). Individuals and businesses can apply for these waivers and the FAA has already approved over 100 operators (Federal Aviation Administration, 2016) who wish to exceed the limitations in regulation. An important restriction of Part 107 is the specific prohibition of the BLOS package delivery business model. The language says “No waiver of this provision will be issued to allow the carriage of property of another by aircraft for compensation or hire” (Federal Aviation Administration, 2016). Looking ahead, regulations governing sUAS commercial activity will need to evolve just as the technology and UAV capability increases.

 

Fahlstrom, P. G., & Gleason, T. J. (2012). Introduction to UAV Systems. Hoboken, United Kingdom: Wiley.

Federal Aviation Administration. (2015, January 29). UAS Section 333 FAQs (latest version 01/29/2015). Retrieved from https://oeaaa.faa.gov/oeaaa/external/uas/content/UASSection333FAQs.jsp

Federal Aviation Administration. (2016, June 21). Summary of small unmanned aircraft rule. Retrieved from http://www.faa.gov/uas/media/Part_107_Summary.pdf

Federal Aviation Administration. (2016, August 29). Waivers to certain small UAS operating rules. Retrieved from https://www.faa.gov/uas/beyond_the_basics/#waiver

 

1.5 - Blog: UAS Strengths and Weaknesses

Observation is one of the many missions the military has employed with various Unmanned Aerospace Vehicles (UAV). One of these is the Lockheed Martin Desert Hawk III. This UAV gives operators such as the British Army (Ripley, 2016) a backpack portable UAV with up to two hours observation capability with a two pound payload capacity (Lockheed Martin Corporation, 2015).

The Desert Hawk III is a fixed wing, waterproof, propeller driven UAV that weighs approximately 8 pounds (Lockheed Martin Corporation, 2015). It is very robust, quick to deploy and has been in military use, including combat operations, since 2005 (Lockheed Martin Corporation, 2015). It has a very quiet acoustic signature and can provide warfighters a day/night observation platform that can be assembled and launched within 10 minutes (Barrie, 2015). Emitting low noise is a clear military advantage when you do not want the target of observation to be aware of the monitoring. Since this UAV is a fixed wing platform, hovering is not an option, even though it can fly as slowly as 25 kts (Lockheed Martin Corporation, 2015). If the operator wishes to observe over a fixed point, they can circle the target. Its navigation function is also programmable and can be loaded with a pre-planned Global Positioning System (GPS) route of flight.

Civilian use of the Desert Hawk III could provide search and rescue or law enforcement, the same observation capabilities the British Military employs. It has a “360-degree color electro-optic and infrared Full Motion Video (FMV) integrated camera systems” (Lockheed Martin Corporation, 2015), and is hand launched. The manufacturer has also developed a “plug and play” capability to quickly change out the sensor payload for this UAV (Lockheed Martin Corporation, 2015). The infrared sensor would aid civilian operators detect and monitor individuals in low light environments, just as it would for the military. The low acoustic signature could be used by civilian operators anytime they would like the UAV to remain undetected, such as observation of noise sensitive wildlife.

A competing platform to the Desert Hawk III might be one of the many multi-rotor UAVs in the marketplace, such as DJI Phantom 4 configured with an Exo1 skeleton (Burns, 2016). This is a standard DJI Phantom 4, but with an added undercarriage that can be configurable to carry a payload that is retrievable from the UAV. It’s easy to envision the Phantom carrying a small lifesaving payload to a stranded or trapped survivor. The Desert Hawk III is hand launched and has much more loiter capability than the Phantom, up to two hours versus 28 minutes for the Phantom 4 (DJI, 2016). This extra observation time is beneficial for detection and monitoring, but a fixed wing UAV would most likely not be able to deliver a small package precisely to a stranded person, a clear advantage for a UAV that can hover.

If I looked ahead and tried to see the development path small observation platforms will take, I would expect range, loiter time and payload improvements to continue. Military applications will probably drive these improvements because of the greater resources nation states can bring to the equation. The civilian operators will surely find uses for the improved UAVs.

Barrie, A. (2015, September 21). DSEI: Desert Hawk drone soars in London | Fox News. Retrieved from http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2015/09/21/dsei-desert-hawk-drone-soars-in-london.html

Burns, M. (2016, October 12). Turn a DJI Phantom 4 into a search & rescue drone with the EXO 1 exoskeleton | TechCrunch. Retrieved from https://techcrunch.com/2016/10/12/turn-a-dji-phantom-4-into-a-search-rescue-drone-with-the-exo-1-exoskeleton/

DJI. (2016). Phantom 4 - DJI’s smartest flying camera ever. Retrieved from http://www.dji.com/phantom-4

Lockheed Martin Corporation. (2015). Desert Hawk enhancing warfighter capabilities. Retrieved from http://www.lockheedmartin.com/content/dam/lockheed/data/ms2/documents/Desert_Hawk_Brochure.pdf

 Ripley, T. (2016, June 20). UK transfers Watchkeeper UAVs to helicopter command | IHS Jane's 360. Retrieved from http://www.janes.com/article/61615/uk-transfers-watchkeeper-uavs-to-helicopter-command

9.4 - Blog: Case Analysis Effectiveness

The issue I wanted to understand was the reason behind the rising number of manned aircraft encounters with unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) as reported by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) (FAA, 2015a; “Mather,” 2015). Because it was an issue in the media, it seemed like a good topic for the Case Analysis. A review of current regulations and guidelines for UAS was an important first step to understand the rules governing operations and much information was available on the FAA’s website (FAA, 2015b). After that, I reviewed media reports of UAS encounters with manned aircraft to learn the scope of the issue. The next step, peer review, provided valuable input and helped me clarify my writing. The feedback from the professor was clear and kept me on track with the analysis and any defense if necessary. The results from my Case Analysis led me to two recommendations; first, more local law enforcement involvement and awareness of UAS flying in their patrol area, and secondly, additional marking requirements for all UAS. More law enforcement involvement should increase UAS familiarity and awareness among police, which should help them identify suspicious or unauthorized flying. The requirement to further mark the UAS would help forensic investigators identify a UAS in the event of a collision with a manned aircraft.

I’m glad I understand the Case Analysis tool a little better after this class, but I don’t think I’ll use it specifically in my work. The challenges in my current position as an instructor pilot do not translate well to in-depth studies or analysis. In the past, I could have used this process during safety school in the Air Force. We would study prior accidents and their causes, but a longer look at underlying issues could have benefited from this approach. We were in close groups during the school, so collaboration would have been easy in that environment. The tool will be useful in the future with additional classes at ERAU Worldwide!

Federal Aviation Administration. (2015a). FAA news. Retrieved from www.faa.gov/news/updates/?newsId=83445

Federal Aviation Administration. (2015b). Small UAS Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). Retrieved http://www.faa.gov/uas/nprm/

 

People Finder UAS

Greg Laxton

ASCI 530 – Unmanned Aerospace Systems

7.4 - Research: Request for Proposal - RFP

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide

24 September 2015

 

People Finder UAS

The mission I’ve selected for this assignment is an unmanned aerospace system (UAS) capable of search and rescue after a large area, natural disaster. The UAS is named the “People Finder” and will accompany rescue agencies when they need to locate individuals or groups, and mark the location. The UAS will be launched from a small case carried by search and rescue personnel. It will have the capability to survey in a grid pattern, detect human life, and operate under austere conditions and in inclement weather.

 

Derived requirements

1.      Air vehicle element

1.1.   Shall be capable of hover flight

1.2.   Shall be capable of sustained flight time in excess of 30 minutes

1.3.   Shall be capable of attaining a minimum of 1,500 feet above ground level (AGL)

1.4.   Shall be capable of operating in steady winds up to 25 nautical miles per hour (MPH)

1.5.   Shall be capable of sustained flight in excess of 30 nautical MPH

1.6.   Shall be capable of visual line of sight (VLOS) flight to distance of 3 kilometers

1.7.   Shall provide capacity to fly preprogrammed search patterns

1.7.1.1.            Shall be capable of storing 12 search patterns in onboard memory

1.7.1.2.            Shall be capable of flying to GPS waypoints

1.7.1.2.1.                  Shall be capable of storing 24 GPS waypoints in onboard memory

1.8.   Shall provide minimum of 5000 milliampere an hour (mAh) to sensor payload

1.9.   Shall be capable of sustained exposure to moderate rainfall for minimum of 30 minutes

1.10.                    Shall have exterior strobe light visible from 4 kilometers at night

 

2.      Payload

2.1.   Shall be capable of infrared (IR) video capture

2.2.   Shall be capable of video capture

2.3.   Shall provide ability to transmit streaming video to a (LOS) range of 5 kilometers

2.4.   Entire payload shall not consume more than 2000 mAh

 

3.      Cost

3.1.   Shall be less than $25,000 (equipment cost only)

3.2.   Shall require less than 8 hours of quarterly training per operator (classroom and hands-on training combined)

 

Test Requirements

 

1.      Air vehicle element

1.1.   Test air vehicle for hover capability

1.2.   Test air vehicle for sustained speed

1.3.   Test vehicle for maximum height

1.4.   Test vehicle for flight endurance

1.5.   Test vehicle for manual control maximum range

1.6.   Test vehicle acceptance of 12 programmed routes

1.6.1.      Test vehicle ability to fly programmed routes

1.7.   Test vehicle acceptance of 24 GPS waypoints

1.7.1.      Test vehicle ability to fly sequential GPS waypoint routes

1.8.   Test vehicle ability to sustain flight in moderate rain

1.9.   Test ability to see (unaided) vehicle strobe light at distance of 4 kilometers

2.      Payload

2.1.   Test IR senor ability to capture video

2.2.   Test payload ability to capture video

2.3.   Test payload ability to transmit video to control module

2.4.   Test payload ability to transmit IR video to control module

3.      Cost

3.1.   Test ability to train operator within 8 hours (hands-on and classroom instruction)

 

The development approach used for the People Finder is the waterfall method (Department of Health and Human Services, 2008). The waterfall method is preferred for this project because the short, 12 month timeline, from concept design to development and certification (Terwilliger, Burgess, & Hernandez, 2013). The waterfall method is also preferred because of the focus on budget concerns (Terwilliger, Burgess, & Hernandez, 2013). The Nevada UAS test site is the selected location for all flight test and certification activity (Federal Aviation Administration, 2015). Slots are tentatively scheduled for September-November 2016.

The derived requirements for the People Finder flow from the mission parameters. A large area natural disaster will have minimal services and may lack reliable electricity. The UAS must be able to operate in this environment to support search and rescue. It must be portable, robust and actually be able to find people.

 

Although I didn’t include “transportability” as one of the three major base categories for this assignment, the air vehicle must be portable and weigh less than 25 kilos in its carrying case. The ability to operate in windy or rainy conditions is a must. A natural disaster from a typhoon or tornado may have high winds and rain in the search area. The 30 MPH sustained design criteria speed should allow the UAS to maintain at least 5 MPH against a 25 MPH maximum operating limit wind. Finally, the ability to locate people in need of assistance in the disaster area is paramount. To accomplish this, the design criteria reflects a need to capture IR and daylight video; transmitting it back to the operator.

References

Department of health and Human Services. (2008, March). Selecting a development approach. Retrieved from https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/CMS-Information-Technology/XLC/Downloads/SelectingDevelopmentApproach.pdf

Federal Aviation Administration. (2015, August). Unmanned aircraft systems test sites. Retrieved from http://www.faa.gov/uas/legislative_programs/test_sites/

Terwilliger, B., Burgess, S., & Hernandez, D. (2013, September 25). System development and test & evaluation (T&E) [PowerPoint].
Document posted in Embry-riddle Aeronautical University ASCI 530 online classroom, archived at: https://erau.instructure.com/courses/18917/pages/7-dot-1-module-topic-reading?module_item_id=560777

Whitford, D. (2006). Cross-curricular initiatives in NSCI170. Document posted in University of Maryland University College NSCI 170 6981 online classroom, archived at: http://campus.umuc.edu

Perimeter Security

Greg Laxton

ASCI 530 – Unmanned Aerospace Systems

Research: UAS Mission

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide

19 September 2015

      A specific mission suited to UAS the perimeter security around very high value installations, such as nuclear facilities. The mission would involve visual and infrared (IR) surveillance beyond line of sight (LOS). This would augment stationary cameras and give security an overhead view of possible threats. A UAS could fly at sufficient altitude to give facility security personnel a clear day and night view of activity within a specified radius of the high value installation.

 

     Mission requirements would influence the design and include IR and visual video feed, all weather capability and sufficient endurance. Several existing UAS would meet the design requirements for this role. Three examples of platforms capable of this mission are the Insitu ScanEagle ("Commercial unmanned solutions," n.d.), the AeroVironment Puma ("Puma," n.d.) and the Aeryon SkyRanger ("Aeryon SkyRanger," n.d.). These three examples have a range of capabilities and each could complete the hypothetical missions, but there are numerous other options on the market for aerial surveillance platforms.

 

     The ScanEagle is a proven, long endurance, persistent observation platform. It could offer the perimeter security more than 24 hours of continuous IR and video surveillance to a ground control station (GCS) ("Commercial unmanned solutions," n.d.). Its launch and recovery system requires a dedicated support vehicle, but the UAS does not need a runway for operations. It is the highest cost of the three options at several million dollars for the system ("USAF Factsheet," 2007). The second option is the AeroVironment Puma. It is a much smaller, hand launched, electric powered UAS with a conventional airplane configuration. It has a maximum endurance of 3.5 hours ("Puma," n.d.), according to company specifications. For this application, it would require several platforms to provide the continuous observation of the larger ScanEagle. The third proposed UAS is the Aeryon SkyRanger. This is a self-launched, electric powered quad-copter capable of approximately 50 minutes of endurance ("Aeryon SkyRanger," n.d.). All three vehicles have video and IR capability and can observe potential threats outside of the high value facility.

 

     The benefits of using a UAS for a perimeter protection role, is the observation point provided by an airborne platform. The view from above and the capability to focus the UAS on suspect areas, increases security offered from fixed observation posts. Adding a real time video and IR function, should allow security personnel to see thermal objects in very low light and transmit the images to an observer. The ease of launch and recovery, and the endurance of each proposed UAS would be determined by the end user and the budget available.

 

     The challenges of this design are the system costs and operator training. Set up costs could be significant for the organization, especially with the sophisticated ScanEagle, and all the platforms require some level of operator training.

 

     Ethical and legal challenges could be problematic; especially if the high value installation uses the UA to observe activity far from the facility. The neighboring homeowners, if in the United States (US), have a fourth amendment right to privacy (“Find”, 2012). Simply observing adjacent private property with conventional camera technology will probably not be illegal, but higher technology not available to the general public, like thermal imaging, will probably run afoul of the fourth amendment. In California vs. Ciraolo, the court held that “The Fourth Amendment was not violated by the naked-eye aerial observation of respondent's backyard” ("California v. Ciraolo," 1986). This ruling concerned law enforcements’ observation of backyard marijuana growing from an airplane. It may not exactly apply to security observation from an unmanned aircraft because the operator is not law enforcement, but the homeowner’s privacy concerns are still valid.

 

     Another legal challenge to this idea may be the loss of airspace above the installation. If the more sophisticated platforms, like the ScanEagle, are used in this role, the airspace would have to be closed to other users. This could easily generate complaints to the FAA if UAS are increasingly used in this role, especially if larger and larger areas of local airspace are cordoned off for “security” concerns.

 

 

 

References

Aeryon SkyRanger. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://aeryon.com/wpp/wp-content/files/brochures/Aeryon-SkyRanger-Brochure.pdf

California v. Ciraolo. (1986, May 19). Retrieved from https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/476/207/case.html

Commercial unmanned solutions. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.insitu.com/missions/commercial

FAA. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.faa.gov/uas/public_operations/

Finn, R. L., & Wright, D. (2012). Unmanned aircraft systems: Surveillance, ethics and privacy in civil applications. Computer Law & Security Review, 28(2), 184-194.

Puma. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.avinc.com/downloads/DS_Puma_Online_10112013.pdf

Raven. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.avinc.com/downloads/Raven_Gimbal.pdf

USAF Factsheet. (2007, November 1). Retrieved from http://www.af.mil/AboutUs/FactSheets/Display/tabid/224/Article/104532/scan-eagle.aspx

Gregory D Laxton

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Worldwide Campus

ASCI 530

Assignment4.3

UAS Operations in the NAS

Equipping UAS with transponders and partitioning airspace would help separate manned and unmanned vehicles operating in the National Airspace System (NAS). Air traffic control (ATC) uses a secondary surveillance system to interrogate transponder equipped aircraft, which then replies with an automatic response. This response is a discreet code, and altitude or position information if so equipped (Rodgers, 1998). Transponders allow ATC to monitor aircraft and help maintain separation among users. Transponders are small enough to be used on unmanned platforms. For example, Sagetech manufactures a Mode S, ADS-B out, GPS equipped transponder for UAS that is 4”x1.8”x1” and weighs just over 5 oz. ("Sagetech Unmanned Transponder," n.d.). Mandating transponder equipped UAS who wish to operate in the NAS is a logical step to de-conflict the participants.

             Airspace separation would provide a safety barrier between manned and unmanned air vehicles. UAS package delivery business models could utilize low level corridors, much like a low level military instrument route (IR) depicted on aviation charts.  Pilots understand there may be heavy traffic along that route. A similar UAS corridor would help separate manned and unmanned craft. Additional airspace partition might include restricting UAS operations to below 500’ above ground level (AGL), and prohibit flying within 5 nautical miles of a towered airport. This is included in current UAS regulations ("Small UAS Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)," n.d.).

Some manned aircraft operate below 500’ AGL under FAA visual flight rules (VFR). For these planes, there must be help for the pilot to identify the unmanned aircraft, either electronically and/or visually. Electronically could be via a panel mounted or handheld device that alerts pilots to UAS presence in their flight path. Visually acquiring the unmanned vehicles is just as critical to safe operations. UAS should be equipped with visibility requirements, such as strobes and high reflectivity surfaces, to aid low altitude aircraft see and avoid the unmanned vehicles.

 The FAA defines “small” UAS as under 55 pounds ("Small UAS Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)," n.d.). Small UAS operators would likely encompass the majority of hobbyist and commercial delivery or video services. Much like manned aircraft, larger UAS would require fully equipped transponders, lighting, and continuous operational control. Commercial aircraft are equipped with a traffic alerting and collision avoidance systems (TCAS) that can help the pilot respond to impending midair collisions  ("Introduction to TCAS," 2011). The plot follows TCAS guidance and maneuvers the aircraft to avoid conflict with other TCAS equipped aircraft. This Real time operational control would be necessary for UAS to respond to collision alerts in the same manner and prevent mishaps.

References

Introduction to TCAS. (2011, February 28). Retrieved from

           http://www.bing.com/search?q=TCAS&qs=n&form=QBLH&pq=tcas&sc=0-

           0&sp=-1&sk=&cvid=b61431c755b247648616402363c39f87

Rodgers, T. (1998, September 6). Transponder Basics - AVweb Features Article.

          Retrieved from http://www.avweb.com/news/avionics/183231-

          1.html?redirected=1

Sagetech Unmanned Transponder. (n.d.). Retrieved from

            http://www.sagetechcorp.com/unmanned-solutions/#.VeZHVbfbKP

Small UAS Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). (n.d.). Retrieved from

          http://www.faa.gov/uas/nprm/