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Introduction Over the next two decades I believe that the unmanned technology that will have the biggest impact on society will be the Unmanned Aircraft System or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. UAVs today already play a big part in with the explosion of the personally owned UAV. But moving forward, I think the commercial side of the UAV market will have the greatest impact on society. Gross Domestic Impact McKinsey & Company, estimates that the commercial drone industry that was valued at an estimated $1 billion in 2017, will grow to over $46 billion by 2026. (McKinsey, 2017). Investments are quickly growing in the UAV industry for current UAV mission applications as well as newly discovered applications. Applications One new UAV application that is getting attention is the air-taxi application. Although still in early development, the air-taxi business in one that is promising. One hurdle for this application will be public acceptance. Applications f...
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Introduction   There are many critical issues to consider when developing strategies on how to implement an Unmanned System (US) for a new mission or operation. First, the mission type and mission requirements must be reviewed and then external factors that may limit unmanned system operation need to be reviewed. Four of those factors that are critical to the mission operation are privacy, ethics, safety and Lost Link or Loss of System Control. For this blog, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) drug interdiction on the high seas will be evaluated and discussed. Privacy  Privacy is always a hot button when discussing Unmanned System operations or “drone operations. The public is concerned about the scenario that puts a UAV hovering over their backyard while a family is enjoying their pool. This, of course, is the extreme case, but there are many concerns like this when talking about drones. Privacy in the case of drug interdiction, however, should not be a factor in my opini...
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5.4 - Research Blog 4: Unmanned Systems Space-Based Applications

Human-Based or Unmanned Space Exploration  This week in class we were tasked to research an article about spaceflight that discusses whether manned or unmanned space travel would be the best option moving forward and if spaceflight should still be attempted. The viewpoint I found was Defending Spaceflight, The Echoes of Apollo, by Robert Rovetto. In Spaceflight (Rovetto, 2016) immediately starts the article by defending the need for spaceflight. Rovetto supports that claim with the notion that human beings have the need and the desire to explore, and in this instance explore the worlds beyond. Rovetto continues by pointing out that manned and unmanned space exploration is not an “either-or” option (Rovetto, 2016). Both modes of space travel can exist together and should exist together because each method provides different results. The method of space travel should not be poised against each other. With that said, Rovetto does eventually lean on the side of manned space expl...
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4.4 - Research Blog 3: Unmanned Aerospace Systems

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Unmanned Aerospace Systems With the popularity and success of both the Air Force’s Predator B and the Army’s’ Gray Eagle, Remotely Powered Aircraft (RPA), it was just a matter of time before other agencies entered in to the industry. And the small budget United States Coast Guard was no acceptation. The U.S. Coast Guard is the leading law enforcement agency on the high seas and each year the organization conducts thousands of search and rescue and law enforcement missions. For over forty years the Coast Guard has utilized helicopters on the back of Coast Guard cutters to carry out those missions. Now, the Coast Guard has a new weapon in its arsenal, the Scan Eagle.   ScanEagle The ScanEagle manufactured by Insitu, a subsidiary of Boeing, is a highly capable and effective Medium-Range unmanned aircraft system (MR-UAS) that effectively meets the Cast Guard mission. One requirement the Coast Guard was looking for was the ability to have a sUAS be launched from a Coast Guard Cu...
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3.4 – Research Blog 2 – Unmanned Maritime Systems   Today, the Unmanned Systems world is largely based, or at least largely recognized, as the industry that includes “drones” that fly in the air like the MQ-9, manufactured by General Atomics (Military, n.d.), or drones from Amazon that can deliver our all-important packages to your home (Shaban, 2018). But now there is a large focus being put on Unmanned Maritime Systems (UMS) both for the military and in the civilian sector. The U.S. Navy is now ramping up operations to provide these type of UMV’s and has several projects that are being developed for the to the larges seagoing service in the world. According to Eckstein, 2017, key programs that he Navy ids working on include “Kingfish”, “Snakehead” and “ADARO” (Eckstein, 2017). Kingfish The Kingfish is an autonomous UMV will detect and classify buried mines and mines in high-clutter environments. On advantage of the Kingfish, that a majority of other UMV does not provide,...
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This week in class we discussed issues when operating drones in the public. Key topics included legal issues, ethical issues and technical issues addressed specifically for the following scenario: You have finished your degree and are now a consultant for Acme Airborne Analysis Group. Your company has been asked to assess the impacts of using a quadrotor UAS to support We Sell Anything real estate’s marketing campaign for local lakefront property (high definition imagery). What are the legal, ethical, and technical challenges that you will face in trying to make this happen? Can it happen? Why/why not?   Legal As per the FAA, the following is a list of items to take note of and abide by when flying a UAV. • Operators must be 16 yrs. or older • Fly at or below 400 feet and stay away from surrounding obstacles • Keep your UAS within sight • Never fly near other aircraft, especially near airports • Never fly over groups of people • Never fly over stadiums or sports events ...
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This week in class I was tasked to research different types of underwater unmanned maritime vehicles, and come up with a viable solution for dealing with the following scenario. The CS JUSSANK , has sunk in Lake Superior and is believed to be sitting at a depth of at least 2,500 feet underwater. The crew has been rescued, but there is cargo on board that needs to be recovered and is potentially dangerous if left unattended. Along with the copper cable being transported, there is radioactive material stored in small waterproof crates deep within the hull. The exact position of the wreck itself is unknown, but it lies within a 90-square mile quadrant. We must determine what type of UMV is to be used for the search and recovery operation. Location, Limits, and Timeframe    For this mission application, I chose to go with the Remotely Operated Vehicle ( ROV ) “SuBastian” by Schmidt Ocean Institute. The SuBastian can switch between ROV and AUV mode....
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