European UAV Show 2023: Insights from Bordeaux

Recently, I?had?the?privilege?of?attending?the?European UAV Show?[i] 2023 Bordeaux,?accompanied?by Anne-Marie Haute, the?esteemed?President?of the French Drone Manufacturer Association (ADIF):?

??As evident from the photo, industrial heavy drones are scaling up, ranging from 20kg to over 250kg MTOW. I'm eager to see this drone with a MTOW of over 250kg take flight.

Key?Takeaways?from?the Booth?Visits:?

• ?Agricultural Innovations:?Heavy drones?designed?for agricultural?spraying.?

?Here an Agro-drone-Spray system from ABOT [i]:

• Urban Solutions:?Drones for building?cleaning?and?firefighting, Cleaning Solution from KTV[i] :

• Firefighting drone from Reflet du Monde [i] :

• Industrial?Inspections:?The?rise?of?rovers?tailored?for?industrial?inspections with indoor drones

• Security?& Surveillance Enhancement:?Automated?drone docks (often?termed?"drone in a box") for surveillance and?security?purposes?using?mini-drones:

Technological?Advancements?in Drones:?

• ?Leading?Manufacturers:?DJI and Parrot?emerged?as the?most?prominent?manufacturers.?

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• Collision?Avoidance:?The?integration?of Time of Flight (ToF) cameras and?stereoscopic?cameras?with?LiDAR?for collision?avoidance?is?becoming?standard.?Some?drones?even?feature?up to five?LiDAR?+?stereoscopic-ToF?systems.?

• Rover Tech:?LiDAR?technology?is?becoming?increasingly?prevalent?in?rovers.?

• Regulatory?Platforms:?Clearance[i] and Drone-keeper[ii]?seem?to?be?dominating?the?market?for?regulatory?airport?flight platforms.

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Spotlight on Innovation:?A?particularly?intriguing?innovation?caught?my?eye: a Magnus?Effect?Add-on?rod?for any?multicopters. This innovation claims to?enhance?the lifting?effect?during?linear?drone flight,?potentially?extending?flight time by up to 30%.?I'm?eager?to?see?the data?supporting?this?claim from Chronics technology[iii].

Thales'?Presence:?Thales?showcased?an?integrated?BVLOS drone solution, an?eVTOL?airplane?equipped?with?an IR camera?connected?to a BVLOS control system.?

Flying?Test Morning at Bordeaux Airport:?This?was?a monumental?event.?

While?regular?commercial and?private?flights?operated?in the background, drones?flew?in a?designated?zone?north?of the?runways.

Key highlights?included:?

• Safety?Protocols:?All drones?were?equipped?with?ADS-B?transponders?connected?to the Clearance sky system,?ensuring?geo-fencing?and?providing?transponder?information to?nearby?aircraft.?
• Diverse Drones:?The drones?tested?ranged?from?800g to 30kg,?with?some?static?displays?showcasing?drones?exceeding?100kg MTOW.?
• Demonstrations:?We?witnessed?a?variety?of demos,?from?drone?cleaning?using?a K?rcher stick to high-precision?agro-spraying?with?terrain-following?capabilities. There?were?also?demonstrations?of?heavy?drone?swarms?for?search?and?rescue,?firefighter?drones,?precise?landing in?docking?stations, and a?special?showcase of the?Flyability?3?inside?a drone?fly?cage by Michelin?inflatable.?

Demo of the Aeotic drone Spray & Cleaning [i] for the industry:

The Flyability V3 with caged propellers and carbon cage for industrial inspection:

In essence, the?event?was?a highlight of the?operational?capabilities?of?industrial?drones, all?conducted?with?the?highest?safety?standards?at?Bordeaux?airport.?

For anyone involved in the industrial, robotics, and drones sectors, this event is a must-visit, particularly on the demo days when you have the opportunity to see these cutting-edge technologies in action.

See you in 2024 in Bordeaux!

Links:

[1] https://www.uavshow.com/en

[1] https://www.abot.fr/

[1] https://ktvworkingdrone.com/facadecleaning/

[1] https://refletdumonde.com/prestations/#etude

[1] https://clearance.aero/en/drone-flights-authorisations/

[1] https://www.innov-atm.com/

[1] https://www.chronics-technologies.com/eco-wings/

[1]https://www.drone-multitech.com/