Posts by Dave Clarke

microchip on fingertip

eVTOL, UAS, and Now, Another UAM Acronym: LiDAR

When the UAM revolution takes off, there will be no shortage of acronyms. There’s already eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles), UAS (unmanned aerial systems), UAM (urban air mobility). Now add one more: LiDAR. A 50-year-old technology, light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology, is expected to play a key role in the development of…

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Urban Air Mobility Is Coming

We know (Trust us, please, we know!), urban air mobility (UAM) is coming. But what’s coming, and when, and where? A lot of numbers are published, but they’re always somewhat scattershot, a projection here, a guesstimate there. So, we thought putting them all in one place – this place – might make it easier to…

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police drone

How Will Law Enforcement Use UAS?

Unmanned aerial systems (UAS), more commonly known as drones, have a real future in law enforcement. More accurately, they already have a real presence and an active role in policing the skies above U.S. territory. The Chicago, Illinois-area Daily Herald newspaper reported in 2017 that nearly 350 law enforcement agencies in 43 U.S. states were…

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Israeli VTOL Developer Urban Aeronautics Makes Its First Sale

Urban Aeronautics, a Yavne, Israel-based developer of VTOLs (the company will use hydrogen to power its vehicles instead of electric battery-power), announced its first sale of four of its CityHawk aircraft to Hatzolah Air, a Kew Gardens, Queens, New York-based emergency medical service (EMS) provider. Hatzolah (which means “rescue” in Hebrew) ordered four air ambulance…

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downtown Los Angeles

U.S.A., Japan Gearing Up for Urban Air Mobility

Angelenos have long had a love affair with their cars (take a gander at the 405 Freeway or Highway 101 any time, day or night). Imagine how they’re gonna feel about flying cars. That’s exactly what Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti did on 23 December 2020, when he announced the Urban Air Mobility Partnership between…

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Game of Drones: How eVTOLs and UAS Will Change UAM and Our Lives

While most of the general public’s attention is focused on the prospect of flying cars, (“Damn you, Jetsons!”), much of business and industry (along with the military) remain focused on unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), AKA drones, and how they can contribute to an enterprise’s bottom line by taking airborne pilots, photographers, and/or videographers out of…

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