The Unmanned Aircraft Systems (aka “drones”) industry is rapidly expanding. We hear and read news about new uses and mishaps on a regular basis. Many people have a basic understanding of this aircraft, but have limited knowledge of the safety and regulatory issues as well as their potential use in supplementing our research. Over the past nine months, Argonne has obtained a Federal Aviation Administration - approved Certificate Of Authorization (COA), trained our pilots, and conducted our first mission utilizing small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS). We are now ready to use this technology for our programs.

This seminar will be held to inform staff on some of the COA specifics as well as provide information on sUAS technology and how we can apply it to our research programs. There are many different tools that can be mounted on sUASs including various instruments for image processing (including intra-red), site surveying, detection (chemical, radiation, bio markers, etc.) as well as other specialized sensors. In addition, there are areas where we could enhance the UAS technology with increased battery capacity and advanced software for autonomous flying. These are just some of the potential applications where Argonne could play a roll.   
 
Specific applications of various imagery and sensor tools will be discussed as well as their limitations and capabilities from actual field experience.
 
The purpose of the presentations will be to stimulate new and creative ideas on how we can use this technology at Argonne.