Archive for the ‘Xponential’ Category
Tuesday, May 14th, 2024
During the 2024 GeoINT Symposium in Orlando, Airbus unveiled its ambitious initiative, the Pléiades Neo Next program, aiming to expand and enhance its high-resolution Earth observation satellite constellation.
The announcement sets the stage for the future of global satellite imagery services. Nicolas Jaunard, Head of Marketing Geospatial Products & Services at Airbus, provided detailed insights into the new program during an interview at the event. The Pléiades Neo Next initiative seeks to build on the success of Airbus’s current Pléiades Neo constellation, with a focus on significantly improved resolution, targeting a broad range of applications from defense and intelligence to commercial uses.
 An image captured by Pléiades Neo shows 30cm resolution over the Twickenham stadium and surrounding area in London. Pléiades Neo © Airbus DS 2024 Airbus plans to launch the first satellite of this next-generation constellation in the upcoming years, promising advancements that will outpace the existing capabilities. Jaunard pointed out the commitment to maintaining the best resolution available in the market, which currently stands at 30cm optical resolution. He noted that with Pléiades Neo Next, these specifications will be enhanced even further, though specifics about the new resolution levels were not revealed during the interview.
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Tags: Airbus, Pléiades, Satellite Images, Satellites
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Wednesday, May 8th, 2024
At the recent Xponential 2024 Conference, I had the opportunity to delve into the fascinating world of underwater robotics with two leading figures in the field: Neil Manning, CEO of Cellula Robotics, and Robert Judd, Chief Operating Officer of Metron. Both companies are at the forefront of technological advancements that could redefine how we explore and monitor the world’s waters.
Metron: Pioneers in Sensor Processing, Advanced Mathematics and Autonomous Systems
Metron, a seasoned player in the defense sector, celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Originating from the expertise of two mathematicians, the company has significantly expanded to over 200 employees. The primary focus of the Company today lies in analytics, autonomy, sensor processing, data fusion and target tracking. The multi-domain expertise was a significant differentiator in developing sophisticated mission planning and advanced software systems for defense applications.
Robert Judd elaborated on Metron’s evolution, highlighting their diverse applications of mathematics and computer science. “Our largest focus is on what we call advanced mathematics, utilizing it for mission planning and other systems, mostly software that we deliver to our defense customers,” Judd said. “This encapsulates a strategic blend of AI and machine learning capabilities, which Metron has developed over four decades, predating the current AI boom.”
 ANCC + Solus Long-Duration UUV – Credit: Metron Inc. (more…)
Tags: Cellula Robotics, Metron, UUV
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Thursday, May 2nd, 2024
In an exclusive interview with Rob Cammack, CEO of SmartDrone, a trailblazer in the drone manufacturing industry, insights were shared on the company’s journey, its innovative solutions, and the future of commercial drones in a changing global landscape.
 Discovery 3 Founded in February 2020, just before the world ground to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic, SmartDrone faced unprecedented challenges as a startup. “It was really a lot to work through for a startup when you were locked down and couldn’t really access your customers or get your engineering team together in a physical location,” Cammack explained. Yet, these challenges also birthed unexpected opportunities. Supply chain disruptions prompted the company to enhance in-house development, significantly strengthening its manufacturing resilience.
SmartDrone, based in Tyler, Texas, prides itself on its three main business divisions: manufacturing, services, and soon-to-launch data processing. Their flagship product, the Discovery 3 integrated LiDAR platform, was developed closely with land surveyors to ensure it meets their specific needs. “We interviewed over 50 land surveyors during development… it’s the easiest platform for a land surveyor. They can learn it in less than a day, be doing jobs that day, and create their own deliverables the next day,” Cammack noted.
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Tags: Drone, SmartDrone
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Thursday, April 25th, 2024
At the recent Xponential 2024 conference in San Diego, key industry and regulatory figures discussed the future of aviation, focusing on the integration of emerging technologies like drones and eVTOLs (electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing aircraft) into existing airspace systems. The conference emphasized the need for cohesive strategies and safety standards to realize this next era of aviation successfully.
Matt Land from Eve Air Mobility highlighted the strides his company is making in urban air mobility. Eve, a spin-off from the world’s third-largest aircraft manufacturer, is not only developing eVTOLs but also rolling out software solutions like Vector for urban air traffic management. With nearly 1,000 employees, Eve is slated to bring its eVTOLs into service by 2026, underscoring the importance of favorable legislation at all governmental levels to support initial operations and growth.
Legislative Hurdles and Opportunities in the Evolving Aviation Industry
As the aviation industry stands on the precipice of a significant transformation with the introduction of drones and eVTOLs, legislative support and regulatory clarity are crucial. However, the path to harmonizing existing laws with emerging technologies is fraught with challenges and opportunities. A closer look at the legislative landscape reveals the intricate dynamics at play.
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Tags: drones, FAA, Xponential
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