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GCN AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2016 • GCN.COM
THE
FUTURE
OF
DRONES
As the National Science Foundation announced funding for research into better unmanned aerial systems, industry experts had a lot to say about how the technology
should evolve By Matt Leonard
The White House announced a wide range of initiatives in the field of unmanned aerial sys- tems research in early August with the goal of figuring out how emerg- ing UAS technology will fit into the cur- rent communication and aerospace eco- system while acting as a vital player in the emerging Internet of Things.
Standing in the lobby of the Newseum on Aug. 2, Sanjiv Singh, a research pro- fessor at Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute, pointed out a drone in a netted cage a few feet away. Its six blades, red-and-black color scheme, blinking lights and size separated it in appearance from most consumer drones. But the truly important compo- nents sat in a silver cylinder on the bot-
VANCOUVER AQUARIUM / NOAA