Drones For Good judge urges rethink over flying robots

Speaking ahead of next month’s entry deadline for the 2015 Drones For Good Awards, Patrick Meier, Director of Social Computing at the Qatar Computing and Research Institute, described the programme as ‘The World Cup of Drones’ and said it is going someway to address misconceptions of the industry, which is expected to deliver a US $8-10 billion global economic impact by 2025.

“We have to change how most people think about drones,” he said. “When they think about drones, they think largely about military and bad things happening but the technology can be used for both good and bad and here is a celebration really of technology for good, how flying robots can actually make a difference in a wide range of different situations, whether it’s precision agriculture or search and rescue, humanitarianism, the private sector, in terms of looking at buildings and architecture and so on,” he said.

Urging innovators to enter the awards before the October 31 deadline, Meier said the honours were exceptional and likely to spur copycats in the next few years. “It’s beautiful in that it’s not just theoretical and not just people talking about it but people actually showing how! It really is the World Cup of Drones.”

The Awards– which debuted last year and attracted over 800 entries from 57 countries on its first airing – fall into three categories: international, which carries a US $1 million prize purse; national and government entities. They are organised by the UAE Prime Minister’s Office which points to the anticipated 100,000 anticipated international job creation directly related to the drone industry.
The use of drones though remains a hot topic of debate in the UAE which currently lacks drone regulation.
In January, Dubai International was closed for 55 minutes when a Remotely Piloted Air System (drone) was flown in the approach to the airport. Traffic was diverted and flights delayed. Experts believe the cost to the industry ran into millions of dollars and within months, the Dubai Ruler passed a law regulating the use of remotely piloted air systems (RPAS) while in March Abu Dhabi authorities banned sales of recreational drones and their use without approved permits. Saif Al Aleeli, Coordinator General of Awards, attributed Abu Dhabi’s ban on the sale of drones to: “an obvious result of the careless use of drones by some individuals who were largely using them in projects related to entertainment.”

However the Emirates is expected to introduce unmanned aerial vehicle regulations early next year becoming one of the first countries to do so. Earlier this year Mohammad Faisal Al Dossari, Director, Aviation Safety Affairs, Air Navigation & Aerodrome, UAE GCAA, said the regulations could be introduced as early as January 2016 and would focus on safety, security, the environment and efficiency and would cover all systems based on weight and by operator types, including clubs and private users, to ensure airspace control.
Saif Al Aleeli is confident the GCAA regulations will strike a pragmatic equilibrium. “We have to seek a balance between the regulatory side and the innovation side. We see both sides as important. There is a need for this technology where its responsible use can improve peoples’ lives. Also we have a moral responsibility to regulate.”

Meanwhile RPAS, UAVs and drones are coming in for increasing attention in the Emirates. A UAV performance is on the cards for the Dubai Airshow’s flying display in November, while in March next year, Abu Dhabi will play host to the second Unmanned System Exhibition and conference. The same week attendees at the Global Aerospace Summit in Abu Dhabi will examine how far UAV technology will impact the wider aviation industry with Nick Webb, Managing Partner of Summit organiser Streamline Marketing Group (SMG), saying: “The session will discuss the integration of UAVs in civilian airspace, exploring the complex move towards true autonomy for unmanned systems and how the industry can adopt technologies as this evolution takes place.” Key topics up for debate include: How UAS technology will be utilised in commercial aviation; the likelihood of an autonomous commercial aircraft within 30 years; the capacity of UAVs to replace manned aircraft; how to deal with ATM of unmanned aircraft and which robust systems are needed to protect UAVs from cyber-attacks. Confirmed session panellists include: Senior Vice President and General Manager, Unmanned Systems, William Irby, Textron Systems and Carlo Logli, Chief Executive Officer, Piaggio Aerospace.

And there’s also plans to expand the Drones for Good Awards with an exhibition of entries. “We will plan an agenda of activity to showcase entries from the second edition, and the first, not just the winners,” explained Al Aleeli. “We believe this will create interest in the sector and demonstrate how it resonates with innovation. We want to stimulate innovation and address what comes after for the entrants because that’s where the real value lies.”

Al Aleeli said possible investors would be high on the exhibition invitee list. “Investors will see the business potential of entries and we will make sure we have active venture capitalists from the region at any showcase. They will be able to assess the opportunities and take them to the next level by developing or adapting them into their business models. Creating a platform where investment is stimulated is all part of the eco-system.”