US proposes remote ID requirement for drones

Yahoo – AFP, December 27, 2019

US regulators are seeking to require privately operated drones to have remote
identification, a kind of electronic license plate, to open up more commercial
opportunities and help law enforcement track illegal activities (AFP Photo/HO)

Washington (AFP) - US regulators on Thursday unveiled a proposal to require privately operated drones to use remote identification -- a kind of electronic license plate -- as part of efforts to ensure airspace safety.

The Federal Aviation Administration proposal for remote ID is now subject to a 60-day comment period before a final rule is adopted.

Officials said the new rule would help identify potential threats, and presumably enable security officials to act against them.

"Remote ID technologies will enhance safety and security by allowing the FAA, law enforcement, and federal security agencies to identify drones flying in their jurisdiction," said US Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, whose agency includes the FAA.

According to the text of the rule, the requirement would enable officials to remotely identify any drone in real time and "assist federal security partners in threat discrimination -- allowing them to identify an operator and make an informed decision regarding the need to take actions to mitigate a perceived security or safety risk."

The text noted that the FAA wanted to be able to act against activities such as smuggling of illegal drugs or hazardous substances, unlawful invasion of privacy or illegal surveillance.

According to the agency, drones are a fast-growing segment of the transportation sector, with nearly 1.5 million drones and 160,000 remote pilots registered with the agency. The requirement covers all private drones weighing at least 250 grams (0.55 pounds).

The move comes amid efforts by both large tech firms such as Google parent Alphabet and Amazon as well as startups to use drones for delivery of food, medical supplies and other items.

DJI, the Chinese firm which is a large manufacturer of drones, welcomed the action, saying it could enable drones to be used for complex operations, but added that it would review the details.

"DJI has long advocated for a remote identification system that would provide safety, security and accountability for authorities," said DJI vice president Brendan Schulman.

Singapore Airlines denies snooping with seatback cameras

Yahoo – AFP, 21 February 2019

Singapore Airlines says the cameras on its latest inflight entertainment systems
have been disabled

Singapore Airlines insisted Thursday that cameras on its planes' entertainment systems had been disabled after an outcry online from worried passengers who spotted the tiny lenses peering at them.

Travellers took to Twitter and other social media to raise the alarm over the cameras at the bottom of seatback screens on a number of the Singapore flag carrier's newer aircraft.

"Just found this interesting sensor looking at me from the seat back on board of Singapore Airlines. Any expert opinion of whether is a camera?" passenger Vitaly Kamluk tweeted.

His tweet was accompanied by photos of the monitor with the embedded camera.

Another passenger urged the airline in a tweet to "notify all your passengers and get their consent, particularly EU residents, that you are doing this, why, what are you doing with the data and how long you keep it".

The airline confirmed that some of its latest inflight entertainment systems did have fixed cameras -- but assured passengers that they had been disabled.

"These cameras have been intended by the manufacturers for future developments. These cameras have been permanently disabled on our aircraft and cannot be activated on board," the airline said in a statement.

"We have no plans to enable or develop any features using the cameras."

Legal eagles recruited to take down drones after successful police trial

DutchNews, September 12, 2016

Photo: politie.nl 

The Netherlands has become the first country to recruit police eagles to take out drones in mid-flight following a successful trial. 

Police began training the birds of prey in January, despite concerns from some animal welfare experts that the exercise could damage their claws. A spokesman told NRC there had been no injuries so far but protective gear could be introduced.

‘A common or garden drone has no impact on the claws of a bird of prey, but very large drones with powerful motors could cause lacerations,’ he said. ‘We are currently looking at protective measures such as a sort of clawed shoe for the birds’ feet.’ 

‘A lot of drones have perished [during the exercise],’ he added. 

The move is in response to concerns about the growing risk of drones being flown in unauthorised airspace, such as close to an airport, or interfering with other aircraft such as rescue helicopters. 

The birds which were trained in the trial are owned by a private company, but police will now recruit their own flying squad for active service.

‘Police have purchased four month-old American sea eagle chicks. From next summer they will go out hunting drones,’ the spokesman said.

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Eagles v drones: Dutch police to take on rogue aircraft with flying squad

#NEWSGRAPHIC Eagle vs drone: Dutch police reveal new elite flying squad @AFP https://t.co/g9ZaYt2xdm pic.twitter.com/b2l3vDnyhV

— AFP news agency (@AFP) September 13, 2016

Dutch flag carrier KLM to cut management by 25%, boost efficiency

DutchNews, October 1, 2015

Dutch airline KLM is poised to cut a quarter of its managerial jobs and support functions, broadcaster Nos says, after acquiring a copy of the reorganisation plan. 

The document states that KLM is too complex, too slow and too expensive. The company is too hierarchical, has too many managers and ‘has lost sight of its customers’. Slashing costs will involve ‘flipping all the switches’, Nos says. 

According to KLM, this means 25% of managers will lose their jobs and those who remain will have bigger departments to deal with. In addition, support, HR and communications departments, can be streamlined and made more efficient. 

The job cuts should lead to savings of €40m a year, Nos says. 

The plan was sent to the airline’s works council on July 8 and it has reacted positively, Nos says. 

The reorganisation has been on the cards for some time. A spokesman told the broadcaster that the changes would make KLM more future-proof but declined to say how many jobs will actually be lost.

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"The New Paradigm of Reality" Part I/II – Feb 12, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Egypt Uprising, Iran/Persia Uprising, Peace in Middle East without Israel actively involved, Muhammad, "Conceptual" Youth Revolution, "Conceptual" (without a manager hierarchy) managed Businesses, Internet, Social Media, News Media, Google, Bankers, ..... etc.) (> 28 Min)

Successful test of rocket engine parts made by 3D printer in China

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2015-04-25

A model of the world's first 3D printed rocket on display at an office in
central London, Oct. 10, 2014. (Photo/CFP)

Amid the increasing use of 3D printing techniques in the global industrial sector, Europe and the United States have begun using 3D printed engine parts in to test rocket and aircraft engines. China has followed suit in this regard.

According to China Aerospace Science & Industry Corporation, a research institute under the corporation recently recorded a successful engine test in which the engine included parts made using 3D printers, marking a breakthrough in China's ability to produce 3D printed rocket engine parts.

In order to address the complicated composition and high cost of engine igniters, the institute has experimented with adopting 3D printing techniques in the process of producing igniter enclosures, teaming up with local printing companies to create the first batches of the 3D printed enclosures.

The success came after a series of preparations, including extensive research into 3D printing, hundreds of samples and ignition tests, according to Chinese website Guancha Syndicate.

The institute will continue to expand the application of 3D printing techniques and use them in the production of various types of enclosures for igniters and other engine parts, in an effort to reduce costs in engine production.

Compared with traditional techniques, 3D printing techniques have the advantages of lower costs and better flexibility in molding and the techniques have caught the attention of the global aviation industry.

The use of 3D printing in the production of engine parts can meet the industry's need for speedy production, which means a significant step forward in China's engine design and production capabilities.

China plays a leading role in 3D printing techniques and has invented several different kinds of 3D printers. Such techniques have also been applied to the production of aviation materials.

For example, the use of high quality metal alloys can meet the needs of both the aviation and defense industries. So far, large-sized 3D printing equipment has been used in the defense industry, including in the production of China's indigenous J-15 and FC-31 fighters.

Airlines looking to bank on in-flight WiFi in China

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2015-02-21

A user connects to the internet with a tablet on a China Southern Airlines
aircraft, June 2014. (Photo/CNS)

China Eastern Airline's in-flight WiFi package for passengers flying from Shanghai to Beijing has spread through China's other major airlines, including Air China, China Southern Airlines and Hainan Airlines, reports online news portal Yicai.

China's civil airlines on average transport close to 400 million passengers a year, and together have clocked nearly one billion hours of flight time and 2.5 flight hours per person on average. The majority of China's passengers are now frequent flyers, and as such demand better services. Whichever airline can eliminate the problem of information isolation during flight stands to gain a host of these clients.

To offer in-flight WiFi services, airlines need to rewire their aircraft, which costs somewhere in the hundreds of thousands for just one plane, said Zhang Chi, deputy director of China Eastern Airlines transformation division.

According to market researcher In-Stat, in 2010, about 8% of international airlines had equipped WiFi services. In 2015, the service is expected to generate a total income of US$1.5 billion a year. It is no surprise that airlines are throwing their money at installing WiFi services, said one unnamed executive of China Southern Airlines.

As of 2014, more than 1,800 aircraft outside of China had installed WiFi services. Business models for the new service include charging passengers an access fee, charging advertisers or information providers, or sharing income.

Cooperating with e-commerce firms is another option to reel in bored passengers looking to blow some money on in-flight shopping, according to the report.

In the near-term, turning a profit will not be easy for domestic airlines because the service is still in the early stage of development in China and there are still policy restrictions as well as technological issues needing resolution, said several industry insiders.

China still forbids passengers to turn on their mobile phones in-flight, restricting electronics to personal computers when the aircraft is above 3,000 meters in altitude.

Nonetheless, China's in-flight WiFi service will be a gold mine, said experts.

China's internet industry is globally competitive, a fact that should help divert losses from lack of development. The country's civil aviation industry transported 350 million passengers in 2013 and traffic is rising more than 10% a year, according to a 2014 report by the Shanghai-based National Business Daily.

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Schiphol airport tests cameras which can pick out unusual behaviour

DutchNews.nl, Thursday 11 September 2014

An emergency room of the military

police at Schiphol (NOS/ANP)

The police at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport are to test out intelligent cameras which can pick up on unusual behaviour in travellers, the NRC reports on Thursday.

The cameras can not only identity obvious gestures such as wild arm movements or people who run through a departure lounge but more subtle behaviours such as ‘spending too long in the toilet, a group of people which divides up or someone who leaves a suitcase unattended,’ the NRC said.

This, the police hope, will allow them to trace criminals and prevent attacks.

The cameras are being installed by The Hague company Qubit Visual Intelligence using research carried out by the Dutch TNO institute.

US defence department

The NRC says TNO has been researching intelligent cameras for years on behalf of the US defence department. Neither company would comment on the reports.

Publically available information gives some insight into how the cameras work. ‘We know that pickpockets often hover at the back of the same queue at a ticket machine several times without ever buying a ticket,’ TNO has said in a paper.

TNO is also researching techniques to identify if people are nervous using heat sensitive cameras and radar – such as a raised heartbeat or cold nose. It is not clear if this technology will be used at Schiphol, a spokesman said.

The justice ministry would only state: ‘we are continually involved in improving monitoring and security together with Schiphol. We are trying to do this more intelligently so that staff can do their jobs better’.

A similar project is to start at another location in the Netherlands soon but the location is being kept secret, the NRC said.

Dutch firms trials robot hawks to chase off gulls and protect crops

DutchNews.nl, Thursday 28 August 2014

A remote controlled hawk in action. Photo: Clear Flight Solutions

A Dutch company is developing robot birds to protect crops and chase away other birds, the Volkskrant reports on Thursday.

Robot birds are not new but Clear Flight Solutions hopes to take its own product to market mid next year. Trials are currently underway on a rubbish tip in Twente where the remote controlled birds are being used to keep gulls at bay.

There are dozens of places where the robot hawks and falcons can be used, the Volkskrant says. For example, tens of thousands of geese which congregate around Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport could be chased away rather than gassed.

Gulls

The robot birds, with a wing span of up to one metre, could also be used to reduce the nuisance caused by gulls and pigeons in cities which become accustomed to other attempts to scare them off.

‘Birds are disturbed by kites or loud noises a couple of times but then they get used to it,’ company founder Nico Nijenhuis told the paper.

‘But birds are genetically programmed to be afraid of birds of prey. Our birds not only look like birds of prey but act like them. They chase other birds at 80 kph and make it very clear: I am the predator and you are the prey.’

Before the birds can be used in the field, a number of changes need to be made. For example, Dutch law bans the use of unmanned aircraft for commercial aims unless they have a permit.

Google buys drone manufacturer Titan Aerospace

Deutsche Welle, 15 April 2014

Google has purchased the company Titan Aerospace, a manufacturer of solar-powered drones. The Silicon Valley tech giant wants to harness drones to bring Internet access to people living in remote locations.

Google announced on Monday that it had acquired Titan Aerospace, placing it in competition with Facebook to expand global Internet access using drone technology.

Google did not say how much the acquisition cost.

Titan Aerospace, based in the US state of New Mexico, is developing solar-powered drones that can run for five years at an altitude of 19,812 meters (65,000 feet). The drones look like gliders and have a wingspan of 50 meters (164 feet). The technology is expected to be ready for commercial operations by 2015.

"It's still early days, but atmospheric satellites could help bring Internet access to millions of people and help solve other problems, including disaster relief and environmental damage like deforestation," a Google spokesman said in a press release.

Facebook was also reportedly interested in acquiring Titan, but opted instead to buy Ascenta, a British company that specializes in solar-powered drones. The acquisition cost $20 million (14 million euros).

Google is also developing Project Loon, which aims to transmit the Internet to remote locations via large, high-altitude balloons. Titan Aerospace will also work on Project Loon, according to Google.

slk/jm (AP, AFP, dpa)

Related Article:

Dutch scientists flap to the future with 'insect' drone

Google – AFP, Jan Hennop (AFP), 23 February 2014

A view of the DelFly Explorer, the world's lightest autonomous flapping drone,

 during a demonstration at the Delft Technical University, on January 29, 2014

(AFP/File, Charles Onians)

Delft — Dutch scientists have developed the world's smallest autonomous flapping drone, a dragonfly-like beast with 3-D vision that could revolutionise our experience of everything from pop concerts to farming.

"This is the DelFly Explorer, the world's smallest drone with flapping wings that's able to fly around by itself and avoid obstacles," its proud developer Guido de Croon of the Delft Technical University told AFP.

Weighing just 20 grammes (less than an ounce), around the same as four sheets of printer paper, the robot dragonfly could be used in situations where much heavier quadcopters with spinning blades would be hazardous, such as flying over the audience to film a concert or sport event.

A view of the DelFly Explorer, the world's

lightest autonomous flapping drone, next to a

 F-16 army plane during a demonstration at

the Delft Technical University, on January 29,

2014 (AFP, Charles Onians)

The Explorer looks like a large dragonfly or grasshopper as it flitters about the room, using two tiny low-resolution video cameras -- reproducing the 3-D vision of human eyes -- and an on-board computer to take in its surroundings and avoid crashing into things.

And like an insect, the drone which has a wingspan of 28 centimetres (11 inches), would feel at home flying around plants.

"It can for instance also be used to fly around and detect ripe fruit in greenhouses," De Croon said, with an eye on the Netherlands' vast indoor fruit-growing business.

"Or imagine, for the first time there could be an autonomous flying fairy in a theme park," he said.

- 'Real small insects' -

Unlike other drones that use rotor blades and can weigh hundreds of times as much, the Explorer has two wings on each side that flap rapidly to create lift.

"We got our inspiration from real small insects," De Croon said.

While smaller "flapping" drones exist, such as the RoboBee developed by students at Harvard University in the United States, they are tethered for power, control and processing, and thus far from autonomous.

The Explorer has its own small lithium polymer battery that allows it to fly for around nine minutes, while it "sees" with its onboard processor and a specially-developed algorithm to make instant decisions.

It has wireless analog video, gyroscopes and a barometer to calculate its height.

Different algorithms would allow it to perform different tasks, and because it is autonomous it could be sent into enclosed spaces such as concrete buildings or mine shafts, where radio control would be impossible, to search for casualties or hazards.

"The DelFly knows precisely where obstacles are located," said De Croon as the aircraft, built from composite materials including carbon fibre, fluttered towards a wall during a demonstration flight before veering elegantly away in search of another route.

Chief Developer Guido de Croon releases the DelFly Explorer, the world's lightest

 autonomous flapping drone, during a demonstration at the Delft Technical University,

on January 29, 2014 (AFP, Charles Onians)

The idea of building a flapping-winged drone began around nine years ago when a group of students at Delft Technical University's prestigious aerospace faculty first designed the DelFly I.

Over the next few years, research continued and the machine became smaller and smaller, said Sjoerd Tijmons, 28, who helped write the algorithm for the latest DelFly Explorer's "brain".

An earlier incarnation, the DelFly Micro with a wingspan of 10 centimetres, was in 2008 declared the "smallest camera equipped aircraft in the world" by the Guinness Book of Records.

But De Croon admits that humans are not quite able to produce swarms of autonomous robotic insects the size of bees or flies, mainly because of restrictions on battery life.

"Still there are some major challenges... and if I have to put a number on it, I think we are still a few decades away," he laughed.

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3D-printed components flown in British fighter jet

Google – AFP, 5 January 201

A designer looks at a 3D printer during an exhibition in London on April 23,

2013 (AFP/File, Adrian Dennis)

London — A Tornado fighter jet fitted with metal components created on a 3D printer undertook a successful test flight in Britain last month, defence company BAE Systems said Sunday.

The plane was equipped with a 3D-printed protective cover for the cockpit radio, a protective guard in the landing gear and support struts on the air intake door, the British firm said.

The announcement follows NASA's successful test of a 3D-printed rocket engine component in August last year, as aerospace companies seek cheaper and quicker ways to manufacture engineering parts.

"You are suddenly not fixed in terms of where you have to manufacture these things," said Mike Murray, Head of Airframe Integration at BAE Systems, announcing the successful test flight at the firm's airfield in Warton, northwest England.

"You can manufacture the products and whatever base you want, providing you can get a machine there, which means you can also start to support other platforms such as ships and aircraft carriers.

"And if it's feasible to get machines out on the front line, it also gives improved capability where we wouldn't traditionally have any manufacturing support."

BAE said some of the parts -- produced at a Royal Air Force base in eastern England -- cost less than £100 ($165, 120 euros) to manufacture, and had the potential to save hundreds of thousands of pounds every year, without giving details.

Delft develops 20 gramme flying robot which does not bump into walls

DutchNews.nl, Monday 16 December 2013

The DelFly Explorer (Nos/TU Delft)

Researchers at Delft University of Technology have developed a tiny flying robot which is self-steering and weights just 20 grammes.

The DelFly Explorer, which resembles a dragonfly, is battery-powered and carries two tiny cameras and a computer. This not only allows the robot to avoid objects but allows users to monitor what it ‘sees’.

The university says the robot is unique because it is so light and because it is not controlled by an external computer.

EU follows US in allowing portable electronics in-flight

Google – AFP, 13 November 2013

A woman watches a video on an iPhone as her plane lands at Denver International

 Airport in Denver, Colorado on October 23, 2012 (Getty Images/AFP/File, Justin

 Sullivan)

Frankfurt — The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said Wednesday it will allow passengers to use a range of mobile electronic devices in flight with very few restrictions.

Just two weeks after the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States said it would similarly relax its rules, EASA said that personal electronic devices such as tablets, smartphones, e-readers and mp3 players could be used in all phases of flight in the near future.

The devices must, however, be used only when the "flight mode" or "airplane mode" is switched on, it added in a statement. That mode disables cellular service, so passengers will still not be able to make phone calls.

Current EASA guidance allows the use of personal electronic devices on aircraft except during taxiing, take-off and landing.

EASA would issue the new guidance "by the end of November" and the changes would apply to aircraft operated by European airlines.

"This is a major step in the process of expanding the freedom to use personal electronic devices on-board aircraft without compromise in safety," said EASA executive director Patrick Ky.

EASA said that in the long term it is looking at new ways to certify the use of mobile phones on-board aircraft to make phone calls.

"EASA recognises the wide proliferation of personal electronic devices and the wish of the travelling public to use them everywhere," it said.

Related Article:

FAA to allow portable electronics use on flights