Sky Hopper News

A number of people have asked the Sky Hopper team what we will do about security so that operators will not abuse our vehicle’s capabilities.  It’s a good question, but one to which we think we have some answers.  (We would not be over-cocky on this, we have to innovate here too.)

We see two security issues. The first is abuse through external agents trying to capture, control or otherwise interfere with the vehicle technically. The second, is abuse through mis-use of the vehicle, for example carrying a crate load of grenades and dropping them on a village.

The answer to both is to build in security from day one. In the same way that manned aircraft cockpit doors are now locked and secured and built to a standard, Sky Hoppers will have to have locked cargo, secured operations and be built to a standard that builds in risk management from the start of construction.

Without giving away too many secrets, our approach also involves two other layers of security. The first is within the design of our autonomous systems. While a Sky Hopper will not be sentient, it will be able to self-diagnose to such an extent that it will refuse to fly if it detects that it is being tasked to perform operations that are not conducive to human safety.  Artificial intelligence and advanced algorithms that use a full suite of detect and avoid sensing solutions both externally and internally within the vehicle will make this possible.

The second layer involves an encrypted overlayer in communications that requires a Sky Hopper to perform in a way expected of its operators and, probably, the operations administration community.  Think of this like a referee in a football match. For as long as the rules of the game are being followed, any amount of diverse play is allowed, but if the rules are being broken, a foul is called and the game stopped.

We foresee every Sky Hopper having a default and secure aero-park to which it will return when its administrating agency demands it, taking control out of the hands of its usual operator.  This is no different from any intruder aircraft being asked to follow an interdiction jet fighter to a dispersal airport.  The question then arises as to who the interdiction administrators will be. Well, we propose Scotland should be the headquarters of this policing mechanism.  Prestwick’s Oceanic air traffic control already looks after trans-Atlantic flights.  At root, we are honest and capable, and few in the world would expect a professional Jock to go out of control and support death and mayhem.  We’d nut ya … ya bass.

Please support our project with a donation.

There’s an interesting report in the drone press about a company in Oxford who are offering not only to survey a forest but also help replant it from the air using drones.  See http://www.dronethusiast.com/drones-can-save-entire-forest-sky/.

Now this is interesting for us, because within our group of associates we have a soil and mining surveys specialist and an environmental sciences group. Both have provided us with examples for the use of autonomous systems to do more than simple surveying.  The Oxford group back this up.

The reality of surveys is that they are more than just monitoring. Surveying coasts, forests, soils and tundra, along with wildlife usually needs serial time series data, and it also often needs equipment drop offs or even interventions as in the above which bring change to the surveyed territory.  For example, if you are monitoring a flood plain, it;s good to know the extent of the flood, but if you can deliver equipment to monitor the change in flood conditions that adds real value. In addition, if the flood is continuing because water pumps have failed, deliver new parts to get those going again can save lives and property.

The VTOL capability of Sky Hopper, carrying masses a lot greater than a bag of seeds, opens up a swathe of new opportunities for environmental and infrastructure management.  This is why we focus so much on the commercial futures of “droning” rather than simply drone vehicles.

If when you read this you too can see these futures please consider helping us with a donation – it’s easy and we reward those with vision – please go now to http://bitly.com/skyhopper.

As the UAV industry develops the safe control of operators and their operations is coming rapidly to the fore.  All operators are going to be duty bound to have a fully audited and certified safety case that makes operational risk management processes crystal clear.

An important contribution to these developments is JARUS – the Joint Aviation Authorities on Unmanned Systems – which is developing specific operational procedures for UAV operators.

The Sky Hopper team is well aware and staying up to date with these developments. What is important for the UK is that we get involved in how this regulation develops; these procedures are, today,  based on working documents that are adjusting to events at a fast pace.

You can see the latest news on these matters at http://rps-info.com/blog/notification-of-sora-publication/.  As always the report is full of endless acronyms, but that’s quite normal for this sort of regulatory framework development.