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Industry News

The trial is being described by the CAA as Public safety agencies will be able to access the
helping to inform future policy development nationwide drone network by simply requesting
and regulations that will allow drones to operate a drone flight, similar to Swisscom Broadcast’s
more easily and be integrated with other ride-sharing service.
airspace users.
Nokia and Swisscom are working closely with
Amazon aims to conduct its trials within seven regulatory bodies to ensure that all operators
miles of one of its fulfilment centres using its comply with regulatory frameworks, most
MK30 drone which can carry packages weighing notably with regard to spectrum and aviation
up to 4.8lbs. safety aspects.

Other participants in the trial include Airspection, The project is noted for its integration of drones
specialists in drone inspection of offshore wind with docking stations, a ground control station,
farms; the National Police Air Service, looking at a payload with video and thermal cameras,
the use of uncrewed aircraft in policing; NATS, related software and service components.
looking at inspection applications in the North
Sea; Project Lifeline, piloting medical deliveries
by drone; and Project SATE, looking at the co-
ADVANCES IN DRONE existence of drones and aircraft at Orkney
Airport.
DEPLOYMENT Nokia selected to deliver
Drones-as-a-Service in Switzerland

Swisscom Broadcast has selected Nokia to
supply a nationwide Drones-as-a-Service
network in Switzerland. Some 300 Nokia Drone-
in-a-Box units will be deployed enabling
emergency response, perimeter protection and
infrastructure inspection.
Wireless Technology to not have to retain sight of drones as they are This Nokia Drone Networks project follows Nokia’s
recharge Drones in Flight flown. Citymesh deployment in Belgium and will
The University of Texas at Dallas is Amazon intends that its Prime Air service will be support Switzerland’s public safety and Industry
pioneering wireless technology to transfer in a position to deliver small packages within 4.0 development. In particular, it utilises mission-
electromagnetic waves to and from long an hour of being ordered, possibly as early as critical industrial edge computing (MXIE) with the
distances, potentially allowing drones, or Christmas. support of 3GPP technologies for beyond visual
unmanned aerial vehicles, to recharge without line of sight autonomous operations.
The trials will gather key safety data, including
needing to recharge at power stations. Drones will be operated remotely gathering
how drones detect and avoid other aircraft,
This ‘power beaming’ is seen as being ‘a by monitoring the electronic signals that they relevant information within the first minutes
significant advance in wireless recharging’ which transmit so as to be visible to other airspace following an emergency, providing first Reference for each of the above: Tyler, N., ‘A Revolution in Drone
is currently limited to the transfer of power via users and air traffic control. responders with critical operational awareness. Deployment’, New Electronics, Vol.57, Issue 10, October 2024, p.18-20.
low frequency electromagnetic waves over very
short distances.
A major challenge of power beaming has been
trying to prevent electromagnetic waves from
scattering and to address this the research team
has devised a system of transmitters or smaller Visit our
antennas, known as phased-array antennas,
to effectively steer the electromagnetic waves website!
along a targeted path. Telemetry is then used
to track the movements of a UAV in real-time Why not head down to our
to ensure that the signal moves in the intended website and read more
direction.
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Packages by Drone in UK
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Amazon has been selected by the Civil Aviation
Authority to take part in a trial of beyond visual institutionofelectronics.ac.uk
line of sight drone flights in which operators do

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