Amol Parikh is co-CEO of Doodle Labs. Doodle Labs designs and produces industrial-grade wireless networking solutions. The company focuses on mesh networking for robotic systems, providing high throughput, long-range Mesh Rider solutions for a variety of government/defense, private wireless and other applications. Doodle Labs has offices in the United States and Singapore, and has been named to Fast Company’s list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2024.
Doodle Labs is a leader in providing industrial-grade wireless networking solutions. Their radios are widely used in military situations, because of their anti-jamming capability providing drone operators with much improved signal strength and continuity. Doodle Labs’ breakthrough development of multi-band technology can benefit several commercial applications, as well.
In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Amol talks about Doodle Labs, its revolutionary mesh communication radios, and how multi-band technology can benefit military and commercial applications.
Chris Sanders is Senior Manager for Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team. The Crisis Response Team is a national, rapid deploy, professionally trained team who solve routine and complex communication challenges in all environments. This team of multi-disciplinary provide on-demand emergency assistance to government agencies, first responders, frontline workers and communities—to help maintain mission-critical communications.
Chris is the Verizon Frontline Senior Manager for Crisis Response for Georgia and Alabama, as well as the developer and leader of the crisis response UAS team. He draws upon his experience from ten years on active duty in the United States Army where he served as a tactical air traffic control operator and senior noncommissioned officer to provide a calm demeanor during times of crisis. His experience also includes several years of work in the UAS industry working on mapping, photogrammetry, LiDAR, and beyond visual line of sight operations. He holds a bachelor’s degree in unmanned systems and robotics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a Master’s degree in Geographical Information Systems and cartography from The University of Southern California.
Earlier this year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Verizon Frontline have signed a three-year Cooperative Research and Development Agreement to explore new strategies to rapidly deploy uncrewed aircraft systems to collect and distribute imagery of damage resulting from severe storms such as tornadoes or hurricanes.
As part of this partnership, the Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team will provide the uncrewed aircraft system platform, sensor, and personnel resources needed to rapidly respond and collect aerial imagery of storm-damaged areas of interest identified by NOAA.
The goal is to enhance the ability of NOAA’s National Weather Service offices to quickly conduct post-storm damage assessments, while also providing data for research conducted by the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory. This data will be used to help researchers better understand tornado behavior and impacts with a goal of improving warnings.
In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Chris talks about the Verizon Frontline Crises Response Team, the partnership with NOAA and how systematic data collection can aide local communities in redeveloping after a disaster.
How close are we to seeing autonomous air taxis?
Brian Yutko is CEO of Wisk Aero, an advanced air mobility company dedicated to delivering safe, everyday flight for everyone. Wisk’s self-flying, electric vertical takeoff and landing air taxi will make it possible for passengers to skip the traffic and get to their destination faster. Headquartered in the Mountain View, California, with locations around the world, Wisk is an independent company backed by The Boeing Company and Kitty Hawk Corporation. With over a decade of experience and over 1600 test flights, Wisk is shaping the future of daily commutes and urban travel, safely and sustainably.
Prior to joining Wisk, Brian served as Vice President and Chief Engineer for Sustainability and Future Mobility at Boeing, where he led a team that leveraged company’s technical expertise in sustainability technologies as well as emerging, advanced aerial mobility applications. He was the Chief Technologist for Boeing NeXt and sat on the Board of Directors for Wisk following its founding as a joint venture with Boeing.
Prior to his roles at Boeing, Brian was the Senior Vice President of Programs and Vice President of Research and Technology at Aurora Flight Sciences, an industry leader in aviation autonomy and rapid prototyping. Brian was a Research Engineer in the International Center for Air Transportation at MIT after earning a Ph.D. and Master of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT. He also earned a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Pennsylvania State University.
In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Brian talks about the progress that Wisk Aero is making to develop and deploy autonomous air taxis, including the results of a recent successful air taxi flight demonstration at the Long Beach Airport.
Is there an easier way to scale aerial data collection?
Janne Hietala is a technology enthusiast and CEO of Finland based, Kelluu. Kelluu designs, manufactures and operates intelligent airships for persistent aerial monitoring. Kelluu’s fleet of hydrogen powered vehicles, capable of staying airborne for 12-hours, is equipped with an array of spectral cameras, sensors, and scanners. These instruments can gather real-time data on a diverse range of subjects, including terrain, vegetation, and infrastructure.
Janne's journey in entrepreneurship is noteworthy, with achievements such as bootstrapping a software company to a remarkable 15 million EUR in revenue, managing a team of 250 professionals across seven countries, and ultimately exiting the venture in 2021. His achievements were recognized in 2012 when he was honored with the prestigious Young Entrepreneur of the Year award. Founded in 2018, under Janne’s leadership, Kelluu has swiftly established itself as a key player in the creation of digital twins, catering to various applications and industries.
In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Janne shares his insights on how Kelluu's innovative hydrogen-powered airships are poised to revolutionize the way we approach aerial data collection, offering scalability and efficiency across numerous sectors.
How will crewed and uncrewed aircraft systems fly in the same airspace?
Toni Drummond is President US for Titan Aviation Global, a worldwide aviation management, jet charter and sales company. Titan’s mission is to be the most trusted advisors for the best private travel experience, by providing a personalized, efficient, safe and convenient experience to all who fly with them.
Toni is a highly recognized private and emerging aviation specialist, with a unique background in business jet flight operations, aviation logistics & regulations as well as sales and business development. With an education in Business Management, she has held management positions within the world’s leading aviation companies until starting her first aviation consulting business in 2008.
Toni is an expert in sustainable and emerging aviation ecosystems using eVTOL and hybrid vehicles. She spends much of her time traveling and speaking around the world about sustainable flight departments and efforts leaning into collaborative future facing air mobility. She consults on emerging aviation projects in vertical infrastructure & electric charging, EVTOL & sustainable ecosystems as well as emerging UAS technologies.
Global Aerial Management Group, which is Drummond’s first women owned emerging technologies company, was the winner of the 2021 Women and Drones Team Innovation award. She was also named as one of the Top 100 Women to Watch in aviation & aerospace in 2021 & 2022. Toni is a member of the National Business Aviation Association’s Emerging Tech Committee and Co-Chair of National Air Transport Association’s Advanced Air Mobility Committee.
As efforts continue to integrate uncrewed aircraft into the national air space, there are questions as to whether uncrewed systems should be integrated with crewed systems in the same airspace. Currently there exists a gap between crewed and uncrewed aviation. That gap has cultivated a sense of mistrust across technologies and industries, but it’s one that extends to the general public as well.
This year’s Commercial UAV Expo will dedicate a full day to this gap through the UAV Expo’s Advance Airspace Summit. This Commercial UAV Expo Summit will discuss where the industry is today, how the technology will evolve over the next decade to bridge this gap, what regulatory changes will likely be necessary, and what challenges the industry will face related to passenger expectations and public acceptance. Toni Drummond will be one of the moderators for the UAV Expo Advance Airspace Summit.
In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Toni talks about Titan Aviation Global and advance airflight, the challenges and opportunities for integrating crewed and uncrewed systems into the same airspace and how Commercial UAV Expo Advance Airspace Summit will help elevate the discussion among industry professionals.
Are Hydrogen Drones Ready To Take Center Stage?
Ben Levenson is Co-founder and CEO of HevenDrones, a manufacturer of heavy-lift actionable drones capable of solving a range of commercial, infrastructural, humanitarian and military challenges. From autonomous last-mile delivery to defense missions, emergency response, and infrastructure repair the company’s fully-customizable drone solutions deliver cutting-edge performance, patented stability and superior lifting capability. Powered by an expert team with military, engineering, and scientific backgrounds, the company enjoys a strategic partnership with Plug Power and is a partner and supplier of the Israel Ministry of Defense.
In February, HevenDrones launched its first hydrogen-powered drone for commercial use, the H2D55. With 5-times greater energy efficiency than traditional lithium battery-powered drones, the H2D55 is capable of flying for 100 minutes with a payload capacity of 7 kilograms.
The launch of HevenDrones’ hydrogen product line addresses the challenge of flight endurance and payload capacity associated with lithium battery-powered drones as well as the long term environmental impact linked to lithium mining. Without the need to frequently replace batteries, hydrogen fuel cells will also lower long term ownership costs for organizations implementing drone technology at scale.
In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Ben talks about HevenDrones, the company’s innovative hydrogen drones and the promise and future hydrogen propulsion systems.
How does one go about building an integrated drone logistics company?
Eric Peck is Co-founder and CEO of Swoop Aero. Swoop Aero is an Australian drone-powered logistics com pany founded in 2017 to transform how the world moves, by making access to the skies seamless. Their mission is to provide the world’s leading technology platform for sustainable and scalable drone logistics. The company has extensive experience in this area. It has spearheaded disaster relief and medical supply delivery worldwide, delivering over one million items in over 18,000 flights so far, working with companies including UNICEF, the Gates Foundation, UPS and more. Swoop Aero’s platform is built for logistics at scale and integrates all modes of transport. It is the safe and responsive FAA Certification-ready solution that enables two-way deliveries across multiple destinations, organizations, and providers, using their industry-leading BVLOS expertise.
At Swoop Aero, Eric leads the overall business strategy and the relationships with the company’s global partners. A former Air Force Pilot, Eric led missions in the Middle East as a qualified C130J Hercules Captain. After almost a decade as a pilot, Eric completed an MBA and joined Deloitte to help leading organizations solve their most complex problems.
In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Eric talks about Swoop Aero’s drone powered logistics platform and how the company has become the world leader in drone delivery.
What are AgEagle’s plans to serve the Drone Industry?
Brandon Torres Declet is CEO of AgEagle, a leading provider of full-stack drone solutions for customers worldwide in the energy, construction, agriculture, and government verticals. The company designs and delivers best-in-class drones, sensors, and software that solve significant problems. Prior to being named Chief Executive Officer of AgEagle, Brandon co-founded and was CEO at Measure, an aerial intelligence company that builds software to automate drone operations workflows. In April 2021, Measure was acquired by AgEagle, and Brandon was named Chief Operating Officer of the Company and was elected to the Board of Directors.
In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Brandon talks about AgEagle, current customer needs and overall trends in the drone industry.
Can small UAS businesses thrive in this changing industry?
Today’s guest has proven they can. Matt Dunlevy is founder of SkySkopes, an unmanned aircraft systems flight operations company based in Grand Forks, North Dakota. SkySkopes is a professional service provider with a highly qualified operations and geospatial team. They operate a wide variety of advanced sensors and aircraft for transmission and distribution line inspections, oil and gas applications, and many other innovative use cases that focus on adding value.
Matt founded SkySkopes in 2014 and secured the first FAA permission to fly UAS for business in North Dakota. Since then, he has success sfully navigated the company’s growth through the changes and evolution of the drone industry. A lifelong aviation enthusiast, Matt has taught numerous UAS courses at the University of North Dakota such as UAS Business, UAS Engineering, and UAS Ethics.
Matt was also one of my guests on the first year of the Drone Radio Show podcast. At that time, the company was only about 1 year old and just starting to find its way in the energy sector.
In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Matt returns to talks about Sky Scopes, how the company has grown over the past 7 years and the lessons learned in creating a drone-based energy services company.
Can a drone help to speed up the flight check of landing systems at airports?
For that question, we head to Chelaybinsk, Russia to talk with Vitaly Munirov, CEO of Cursir, a Russian based company that produces innovative drone-based solutions for flight inspection of navigation and landing systems at airports. The company uses UAVs to calibrate, check and configure navigation aids at Russian airports resulting in huge cost savings to air traffic management organizations.
Cursir was founded in 2015 as a spin-off project of Russian landing and navigation systems manufacturer RTS Union. Vitaly has 14 years of experience in the aviation industry. Prior to leading Cursir, Vitaly spent several years as the chief of the research and development department.
In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Vitaly talks about Cursir, its innovative flight inspection system and how it will transform air management operations.
Joining Vitaly will be Lena Nimchenko and Aleksandr Shushkov, both part of the Cursir team.
Where Can American Drone Companies Go To innovate?
Preston Huntington is the Client Relations Manager at Xelevate Solutions, the mid-atlantic regions premier UAS Center of Excellence located in Leesburg, VA. With on-location labs, and varied operational areas, Xelevate offers innovators and operators a safe location to mature unmanned products, policies, and procedures in any industry.
Prior to Xelevate, Preston served as a Program Analyst at the United States Marshal’s Procurement HQ team working side-by-side with law enforcement contractors. His career has also seen him serve in various roles in the higher education industry eventually becoming the Director of Admissions at the Texas A&M Bush School of Government & Public Service in Washington D.C. Preston has a Masters in International Relations and a Bachelors in History from Norwich.
In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Preston introduces us to the Xelevate UAS Center of Excellence, and shares how the center can help strengthen American position and presence in the drone industry.
How can LIDAR provide value to organizations?
Lukas Fraser is a LiDAR Specialist at the Geospatial Group of NV5. NV5 is a provider of engineering and consulting services to public and private sector clients. With offices nationwide and abroad, NV5 helps clients plan, design, build, test, certify, and operate projects that improve the communities where we live and work.
At NV5, Lukas creates engineering-grade 3D mapping products from LiDAR imagery. He specializes in the collection and analysis of topographic and topo-bathymetric LiDAR data . He turns raw datasets into useful information such as AutoCAD drawings and surfaces, GIS databases, or online interactive web maps.
In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Lukas talks about the process to collect LiDAR and image data with UAVs, how that data is analyzed, and then how products are created that provide value to clients
Can Blockchain Play a Role in Securing Drone Data?
Jeff Thompson is CEO and founder of Red Cat and Henry Ines is Chief Operating Office at GoChain.
Red Cat is the leading provider of distributed data storage, analytics and services for the growing recreational and commercial drone industry. They’ve created the industry’s first black box flight recorder that pilots, regulators, and insurance companies can rely on for secure flight data.
GoChain is a leading provider of scalable, low-cost blockchain solutions. They have partnered with some of the largest data networks in the world, including AWS, IBM and Microsoft and serve clients ranging from innovative, high impact startupst to Fortune 200 companies.
Jeff and Henry have long history of success in their respective fields. Jeff is a serial tech entrepreneur, primarily in the telecom space, where he created and led companies from startup to successfully exits and IPOs. Henry has more than 20 years experience as a Venture Capitalist, global executive, advisor and as an entrepreneur.
Last year, Red Cat announced a partnership GoChain to integrate its blockchain black box and distributed storage system onto the GoChain platform, which will enable Red Cat to immediately and easily deliver its technology to customers with speed and scale.
In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Jeff and Henry talk about Red Cat and GoChain, how blockchain technology secures drone data, and how this technology could answer the critical question surrounding privacy and security of drone data.
What’s happening in the Drone Industry today?
Michael Blades is Vice President of Aerospace, Defense and Security Americas Region for Frost of Sullivan Frost and Sullivan provides a comprehensive range of research services and state-of-the-art analytical tools to enable decision-makers to use marketing information in more innovative and meaningful ways. Michael is an experienced military aviator with expertise in world-wide aerospace operations. He is an expert in researching and analyzing the military, civil, and commercial unmanned systems ecosystems as well as markets related to defense training and simulation programs and technologies.
In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Michael talks about some of the current trends in the drone industry. This is the second of two interviews with Michael on the drone industry. Today we cover drone delivery, urban air mobility, key trends to look for and a couple of surprises in the drone industry.
How will we maintain accountability for package delivery when BVLOS operations begin?
Steven Flynn is Founder and CEO of SkyTango, a global drone services company located in Dublin, Ireland. Steve is an Emmy Award winning Filmmaker, Director of Photography, Editor and a drone pilot since 2013. In 2019, he led Ireland’s first BVLOS Diabetes Drone delivery of Insulin to AN island community. He recently finished a 9-month stint at Wingcopter, working as a Senior Business Developer. He has also led teams to achieve new milestones in the Beyond Visual Line of Sight arena.
His experience with BVLOS drone delivery led to looking at how best to manage and track packages to ensure an accurate, smooth and safe delivery to the customer. According to Steven, improving accountability in the workflow is key to protecting and growing the commerce of the drone industry.
In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Steven talks about SkyTango, the drone delivery business and how maintaining accountability in the package delivery workflow is paramount to the long term profitability of BVLOS drone delivery.
How have power companies used drones during Covid-19?
For that question, we head to Nice, France to speak with Kevin O’Donovan, founder of the boutique technology consultant company, A Bit of This & That ... The company is focused on the intersection of technology and the Energy Industry, delivering innovative technology consultations, sales advisory, speaker & B2B Influencer services. Being a bit of a storyteller, Kevin has been evangelizing how new technologies can transform the way we do things throughout his career. Kevin has a proven track record of 'bridging the gap' between the capabilities a new technology can bring and the practicalities of bringing that technology to market. He has held senior leadership Technical Sales & Sales Management roles at Compaq, HP and most recently at Intel, where he was Intel’s Worldwide Sales Director for the Energy Industry.
In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Kevin talks about power companies have used drones during the Covid-19 pandemic to maintain operations and more importantly keep the lights for all of us.
How many tries does it take to bring down a rogue drone?
Sharone Aloni is vice-president of research and development of Smart Shooter, a world-class designer, developer, and manufacturer of innovative fire control systems. The company’s SMASH Fire Control system significantly increases the accuracy and lethality of small arms and provides end-users with a "One Shot – One Hit" capability across multiple mission areas. Thus, creating a significant advantage for the infantry soldier and ultimately revolutionizing the world of small arms and optics.
The SMASH Fire Control System was originally designed for use against ground units, but recently, the Dutch Army tested it in a live-fire counter-drone trial. The test took place in the Austrian High Mountains, as part of the Dutch Defense Department examination of different ways to combat small unmanned systems. Tested at a range of up to 200 meters, in harsh weather conditions, fog, and blowing snow, the SMASH Fire Control Systems proved to be highly effective in shooting down drones. It made no difference whether the drones were stationary in the air or moving.
In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Sharone introduces us to Smart Shooter, the SMASH Fire Control System and how its become one of the easiest and most reliable counter drone solutions for the military.
Are you ready for the Boston Drone Film Festival?
Jovan Tanasijevic and Jamie Wiener are with the Boston Drone Film Festival. Jovan is founder of the festival and director at Above Summit, a production studio specializing in drone cinematography. Jamie is the Festival Director.
The Boston Drone Film Festival celebrates the creative pursuit of international drone cinematographic and drone photographers from around the world. Serving as a platform for talented drone content creators, the Boston Drone Film Festival hopes to inspire a new generation to push the limits of what’s creatively possible with the technology.
In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Jovan and Jamie talk about the history of the Boston Drone Film Festival, this year’s schedule and how we can attend and participate in the virtual event.
What Are Terra Drone's Plans for Inspections & UTM?
Teppei Seki is Chief Operating Officer at Terra Drone, a leading commercial drone services company with headquarters in Japan and presence in more than 20 countries. Terra Drones provides innovative drone solutions like aerial surveys, infrastructure inspection, thermal mapping, UAV data processing for a wide variety of industries. Teppei joined Terra Drone in 2016, after 10 years with parent company, Terra Motors, Japan’s leading electric vehicle manufactures. Terra Drone’s world wide operations are huge, much more than I could cover in a single podcast. So in this edition of the Drone Radio Show, we focus on Terra Drone’s recently announced plan to provide automated inspection and air mobility solutions to INPEX, a leading energy company in Asia. We compare Asia and European markets and we touch on Terra Drone’s UTM solutions.
How difficult is it to stop a rogue drone?
Charles-Hubert Dufour is Commercial Director of CERBAIR, a French company that produces a complete anti-drone solution. The company’s advanced radiofrequency technology is the foundation of their anti-drone systems, giving users the power to successfully detect, characterize and neutralize drone intrusions in real time. Charles is trained as an engineer, and has more than 12 years in the wireless communications, defense and security industries. In 2019, Cerbair introduced its redesigned of their anti-drone solution, called Chimera. The kit is unique in that it allows for a single operator in the field to detect and neutralize nefarious Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. It’s also much more compact and 10% lighter than previous models.
I caught up with Charles, via phone, at the International Defense Exhibition and Conference in Abu Dhabi. IDEX is the only international defense exhibition and conference in the Middle East and North Africa region demonstrating the latest technology across land, sea and air sectors of defense.
In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Charles introduces to the Chimera anti-drone kit and shares insights into the drone-defense industry.
How can small U.S. drone manufactures compete on the world stage?
George Matus is CEO and founder of Teal Drones, a U.S. manufacturer of specialty drones for the commercial and military sector. Based in Salt Lake City, Teal is focused on pioneering new uses for drone systems beyond the “flying camera” applications so often seen in use today. The development of complex air control, data processing and mapping technologies housed in rugged, high-performance drones allows Teal to transform how the military, public safety organizations and commercial enterprises operate.
George started Teal Drones in 2014 when he was only a sophomore in high school. Today, Teal is making headlines with it’s signature product, the Golden Eagle drone, a secure, intelligent, rugged and high-performance drone system produced to exacting U.S. defense industry standards.
The company found a financial partner in Decathlon Capital earlier this year, a revenue-based financing firm, which provides a funding model that ties a company’s loan payments directly to the amount of revenue they make. The funding agreement comes as the innovative unmanned aerial systems company expands its product line and grows partnerships with the U.S. military and commercial enterprises for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and public safety applications."
In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, George introduces us to Teal Drones, the Golden Eagle Drone and shares how a young high school student is now competing globally in the drone industry.
What Do Dragonflies Have to do With Drones?
Researchers at the Imperial London College recently published a study that revealed that dragonflies use an inbuilt righting mechanism when they are thrown off balance. The findings add to current knowledge of how insects fly and keep stable in the air. They could also help to inspire new designs in small and micro-unmanned vehicles.
The article reminded me of an interview I did a few years ago with Alex Caccia, CEO of Animal Dynamics, a company based in Oxford, England that was working on a miniature drone modeled off a dragonfly. I did a little research and found that tiny micro drones, produced by Animal Dynamics and Flir, are finding their way into military and certain commercial applications. I dusted off the interview with Alex, made a few updates and what we have today is discussion of how dragonflies can influence drone design and how micro drones are becoming a reality.
Alex Caccia is a serial entrepreneur, with start-ups in hardware, software and sports equipment. And as I mentioned, he is also the CEO of Animal Dynamics, a spinout company from the Department of Zoology at Oxford University. The company designs super-efficient systems inspired by the deep study of evolutionary biomechanics and based on the movements of high-performance animals. The project that we’re discussing today is the Skeeter Drone, a micro drone with flapping wings based on a dragonfly.
What do you get when you cross the built environment with geospatial technologies?
For that question we head to Portland, Maine to speak with Jeremiah Karpowicz, Editorial Director and Lee Corkhill, Group Events Director for Diversified Communications. Diversified Communications is a leading international media company with a portfolio of face-to-face exhibitions and conferences, online communities, and digital and print publications. The company connects, educates, and strengthens business communities in over 14 industries including technology, food and beverage, healthcare, natural and organic, and business management.
In February 2022, Diversified Communications will present Geo Week, a new brand name of previously stand-alone events like AEC Next Technology Expo & Conference, International Lidar Mapping Forum, and SPAR 3D Expo & Conference. The move reflects the increased integration between the built environment, advanced airborne/terrestrial technologies, and commercial 3D technologies. UAV technology which continues to provide a tool to these segments is sure to featured during Geo Week, illustrating the growth of the technology in advancing the work by geospatial professionals.
In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Lee and Jeremiah talk about Geo Week, the geospatial industry and how drones are gaining increasing popularity in the geospatial segment.
Who’s ready to bet on the Drone Racing League?
In early January, the Drone Racing League (DRL) announced a deal with DraftKings to make the sports technology and entertainment company an Official Sports Betting Partner of DRL. With that deal, DRL drone races became the first aerial sporting event upon which fans can wager. Mobile sports betting on DRL drone races is now legal in Colorado, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Tennessee and West Virginia with regulatory approvals pending in additional states. This partnership promises to elevate the popularity of DRL’s drone racing to higher levels.
2020 DRL SIM Cup Champion Christian "Amari" Van Sloun is my guest today. Amari is 25 years old from Ames, Iowa. He joined the 2020 DRL Allianz World Championship season as a rookie and has continued to dominate all season.
He earned his spot in the league by winning DRL's largest ever open DRL SIM Tryouts, beating out thousands of pilot hopefuls and winning 10 out of 10 total heats in the Finals. He then went on to win DRL's first pro fantasy, virtual drone racing competition, the 2020 FanDuel DRL SIM Racing Cup, donating his prize earnings for Covid-19 relief efforts.
In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Amari talks about the Drone Racing League, the Draft Kings sports betting partnership and he provides insights into DRLs final two races of the 2020 DRL Allianz World Championship Season scheduled for January 26 and January 30.
Can clean energy power our drones?
Desmond Wheatley is CEO of BEAM Global, a CleanTech leader that produces innovative, sustainable technology for electric vehicle charging, outdoor media, and energy security. It does this without the construction, disruption, risks and costs of grid-tied solutions. Desmond joined BEAM as a consultant in 2010 when it was Envision Solar, and has served as the Company’s CEO since 2011 and as Chairman of the Board since 2016. He has two decades of senior international management experience in technology systems integration, energy management, communications and renewable energy. Desmond has founded, funded and operated four profitable start-up companies and was previously engaged in M&A activities.
In 2020, Beam announced the development of the UAV Arc, the first solar-powered, drone recharging network, which provides en route charging for unmanned aerial vehicles. The ability to recharge on a network of UAV ARC™ products deployed on rooftops, undeveloped regions or at sea should dramatically increase the potential range and utility of UAVs. Each UAV ARC™ unit generates and stores all its power from renewable sources so drones will receive clean renewable electricity with no cost-per-unit of energy. The units are completely independent from the power grid, allowing them to provide charging during grid outages and in remote locations.
In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Desmond talks about Beam Global, its patented CleanTech Solutions and how the UAV ARC is poised to support the drone delivery industry.