Unmanned systems, in all manner of operating domain
(i.e. marine, ground, air and space) have realized significant technological
improvements in both the public and civil sectors. However, current Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) regulations appear to be the single most restrictive factor
to full on integration of UAS in the National Airspace System (NAS).
The greatest hurdle for unmanned aerial systems is showing
an equivalent level of safety to regulations that were written for manned
operations. Within Title 14 of the Code
of Federal Regulations (14 CFR), §91.113
Right-of-way-rules: Except water operations is just one of these rules. Written at a time when unmanned aircraft were
not a reality or even a possibility, this rules primary intent is that an
aircraft operating in the NAS relies on the ability of the person operating
that aircraft to see and avoid other aircraft or other potential hazards whether
airborne or fixed. With the remote pilot
in command (RPIC) removed from the operating platform of the aircraft, the RPIC
must rely on sensors not yet shown to meet the intent of the original rule. However, in an effort to develop an
acceptable level of safety to this rule, recent technological improvements have
been realized that may very well prove beneficial.
In his article, Tarabee
Showcases LED Distance Sensor for UAVS (2018), author M. Rees introduced a
new detect and avoid sensor developed specifically for UAS. Manufactured by Tarabee, these sensors rely
on light-emitting-diodes (LEDs) capable of measuring and returning distance
values in millimeters at high rates of speed (Tarabee, 2018) . M. Rees provided the following additional
information:
The
TeraRanger Evo is a lightweight LED distance sensor. Weighing just 9g (12g with
communication board), it has a unique modular design allowing multiple sensors
to be used on one platform, with simple plug and play functionality. Ideal for
use on UAVs, for high-speed collision avoidance and object detection, the new
TeraRanger Evo sensor has a 60m distance range with centimeter-level accuracy.
One can be sure, as micro technologies similar to these become instrumental
to RPIC situational awareness and present mitigations essential to addressing the
risks of unmanned operations in the NAS, full integration will be realized.
References
Rees, M. (2018, May 15). Tarabee Showcases LED
Distance Sensor for UAVs. Retrieved from UST-Unmanned Systems Technology:
http://www.unmannedsystemstechnology.com/2018/05/terabee-showcases-led-distance-sensor-for-uavs/
Tarabee. (2018). Distance Sensors. Retrieved
from Tarabee: https://www.terabee.com/distance-sensors/
