uAvionix Corporation, a developer of unmanned ADS-B technology, and Dronecode, a nonprofit organization developing an open source platform for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), have announced a plan to collaborate on advanced development in ADS-B ‘sense and avoid’ functionality in ArduPilot-based drones.
uAvionix claims that its Ping ADS-B transponder is the smallest and lightest available for unmanned aircraft. Weighing 6 grams, it is able to detect all aircraft threats within a 30 statue mile radius in real time. The MAVlink based communication protocol found throughout the ArduPilot/APM autopilot line provides a plug-n-play integration of the uAvionix Ping transponder. The partnership will allow opportunities and new ways of combining the technical knowledge and inventive spirit of the two leaders in their respective fields.
“Being able to access the Dronecode application ecosystem will provide huge advancements in real-time sense and avoid behavior,” said Adam Paugh, uAvionix’ Director of Business Development. “This collaboration in open source ArduPilot-based development with standardized protocols, such as MAVLink, will accelerate deployable solutions for agile and reliable operation in the national airspace.”
The open source platform has been adopted by many organizations on the forefront of drone technology, including 3DRobotics, Parrot, Qualcomm, Intel, DroneDeploy, Yuneec, Airphrame, and others. With over 750,000 users and nearly 500 active developers it represents the largest community of UAV professionals and enthusiasts in the world today.
The alliance has identified project leads for three technical working groups to ensure development standardization and interoperability.
Andrew Tridgell – lead for ArduPlane
Randy MacKay – lead for ArduCopter
Craig Elder – technical manager for DroneCode
“The PING ADS-B receiver by uAvionix increases my flight safety by giving a sense and avoid capability that would allow me to avoid other full-scale aircraft,” said Airphrame’s Mechatronics Engineer Tom Pittenger. “That is a real concern that all drone companies should have so this is a must-have feature in the drone industry. It is an easy drop in feature to my ArduPilot based aircraft and ‘just works.'”
