uAvionix Corporation, a developer of ADS-B transponders, and Draganfly Innovations Inc., a manufacturer of multi-rotor unmanned aircraft, have announced the successful integration of uAvionix’ Ping ADS-B receiver with Draganfly’s auto-pilot and Surveyor ground station.
Integrated on the vehicle itself, the system presents new ways to improve drone and aviation safety by providing the ability to detect full size aircraft and automatically avoid a potential collision.
This is the first step in integrating drones into the national airspace using the existing ADS-B infrastructure. The Ping network uses live aircraft traffic without relying on a connection to the internet or cellular networks.
“We are thrilled to be working with sUAS pioneer, Draganfly Innovations. Their continued passion to integrate new technologies that provide a robust user experience is unsurpassed. This step further demonstrates their commitment to lead the way towards a safer airspace,” said Adam Paugh, uAvionix’ Director of Business Development.
“Draganfly has been looking for a solution to ‘sense and avoid’ for some time,” Zenon Dragan, President of Draganfly commented. “The integration of Ping went very smoothly and our Surveyor ground station came alive with nearby traffic. We were surprised to see even non-cooperative traffic broadcast from our local ground station radar, which makes this system a comprehensive solution to sensing full scale traffic.”
This is the first of many steps that uAvionix and Draganfly plan to take jointly to improve drone and aviation safety.
