UND tests new UAV technology

GRAND FORKS, (AP) — The University of North Dakota’s unmanned aircraft engineering team is conducting a series of flight tests at the North Dakota National Guard’s Camp Grafton facility near Devils Lake.

They include tests of a new technology that could help integrate drones into commercial airspace, where they are now restricted.

The “sense and avoid” system was developed by Machine Visionaries. Florent Martel, the chief executive and an electrical engineering graduate student, said this is the first in-air test.

All commercial aircraft must carry transponders that broadcast their identity and location. One component of the “sense and avoid” system senses the presence of a transponder on another plane. Another component then automatically steers the drone away from a collision course.

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Information from: Grand Forks Herald, http://www.grandforksherald.com

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