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Exciting times for Research and Development Tax Relief
"Exciting times" and "Research and Development Tax Relief" are not usually terms you will see used together but this is what we are heading towards.Research and Development Tax Relief (RDTR) was introduced in 2000 and a lot has changed since the early days.R&D Consulting was formed in 2012 as, at that time, the relief was being largely ignored by companies unless they were with one of the big accountants. It was just too complex and most companies who could have claimed assumed it didn’t apply to them. Back then, there wasn’t a lot of advice for companies when it came to RDTR and for about 5 years we gently educated companies and accountants – helping a lot of companies claim RDTR and helping others understand that although they were undertaking research and development, they didn’t meet the criteria for RDTR. Read More »
Challenge 8. Hadrian’s Wall self supported ultra run (84 miles in 2 days)
Stretching from Bowness-on-Solway, near Carlisle, to Wallsend in Newcastle, the route took me through beautiful countryside between the North Pennines and Kielder Forest, past the remnants of the incredible Roman fortification, Hadrian’s wall.This was a great distraction as the brutal route climbed a total of 4500ft and the weather was atrocious, with constant penetrating rain for 11 hours straight on the second day. 84 miles of trail running in 23 hours, carrying a tent and supplies resulted in my feet and body taking a real battering and (bar the tendinitis I received after challenge 4) this is definitely the most broken I have been so far. I did, however, meet two other veterans on route, a Marine and a Parachute Regiment soldier, which gave me lots of motivation to continue! Read More »
Looking ahead to the full-scale operation of regular logistics drone flights in 2021
ALI Technologies and SBS Holdings (provider of integrated logistics services) released a public demonstration experiment of logistic drones at SBS Logicom in Yokohama city.In a complex radio wave environment and strong sea breeze, 5 round trip experiments of 100m were completed. Before then, tests were done in mountains & forests, but now they proved that autonomous flights can be performed safely in complex radio wave environments. Aiming at social implementation including commercial use, they focus at providing the last mile service to the logistics industry at a low price.Details: Automatic delivery flight using ALI Number One UAV equipped with a 2kg dummy baggage. Cosmos: ALI's UAV control system (traffic management platform that enables UAV group control & air traffic control). iGOQ: platform operated by SBS Logicom that matches spot cargo with vacant vehicles. Read More »
36 Tech Barristers launch their dedicated service offering for the drone sector.
36 Tech Barristers were very happy to join the Drone Major community this month as its only supplier of legal services, and a leading supplier of legal services in this multi-faceted, multi-jurisdictional sector.36 Tech Barristers is a part of 36 Group Barristers Mediators and Arbitrators of 36 Bedford Row. This is a barristers’ chambers steeped in history but modern in approach. 36 Group provide legal services directly to businesses or to their own lawyers in a wide range of disciplines, including contracts, regulation, crime and commercial law. The 36 Tech division works in the area of technology, e-commerce and digital media. Joining Drone Major marks the division’s concentration on the commercial use and application of drones and drone technologies. It is an obvious area for 36 Group to work in with specialists with established practices in the area of aviation, and technology, as well as the many related disciplines that impact on it, and make up the body of “drone law”. Read More »
Veterans' Foundation Challenge List
Challenge 1. KÖNIG LUDWIG LAUF 2022 Freestyle Ski Marathon (50km) Germanys biggest XC ski event and part of the Worldloppet XC ski series. The course was rolling with a total elevation gain of 830 metres; more than enough considering my training for this had consisted of rollerblading to work throughout January. I have XC skied before but not for years so it was pretty tough on the body to jump straight onto skis with no more than a quick warm up! Still, a good beat up challenge!Challenge 2. Jurassic Coast Ultra marathon (40 miles/ 64km) The Jurassic Coast Ultra started at Abbotsbury, Dorset, and followed the beautiful but brutal Southwest Coast path all the way to Lulworth Cove. It was a very hot weekend, and this is still the longest distance I have ever run in one go. It was also self-navigated which should have been easy (keep the sea on your right…) but I managed to get temporarily navigationally challenged. It took nearly 10 ho Read More »
GT20 Gyrotrak by Airial Robotics Makes Debut at New York’s FAA-Designated UAS Test Site
First official, public flight in the U.S. proves GT20 Gyrotrak ready for customer operationsThe Gyrotrak GT20, a hybrid helicopter and gyrocopter UAV (uncrewed aerial vehicle) by Airial Robotics, was successfully demonstrated and tested at the FAA-designated New York UAS Test Site at Griffiss International Airport managed by NUAIR in Rome, NY. This is the first flight demonstration of its kind in the United States. The GT20 Gryotrak is an impressive and serious cargo and inspection platform – with flight times of up to 2.5 hours with an 8-pound task load. It can be equipped with a variety of sensors enabling it to be used for a broad range of uses, including medical transport, high precision mapping, line inspection and more.The GT20 Gyrotrak flight test included four different missions including a manual helicopter flight; full autonomous helicopter mission, which transitioned to complete autorotation-mode, flying at about 80 mph; and a simulated delivery mission. All missions were Read More »
Improve your global profit margins with Airwallex
Streamline your finances, unlock new markets and save on FX fees with an Airwallex accountLet's face it, choosing a business account is probably the least exciting part of owning a drone business. But how you manage your finances can make a big difference to the success of your enterprise, particularly if you operate across borders. High street banks charge up to 3.5% above the interbank rate for currency exchange, meaning every time you make a transaction in another currency—whether that’s importing equipment, accepting payments from international clients, or using your card abroad—you’ll lose a chunk of money. Read More »
Purdue Athletics Collaborates with Levy’s DBK Studio, Valqari, and USOG to Pilot First F&B Drone Delivery Service in Sports & Entertainment
Test flights at recent Boilermakers baseball home series transported orders from remote kitchens to landing area just outside Alexander Field West Lafayette, Ind., May 4, 2022 – Purdue Athletics has collaborated with hospitality partner Levy, Levy’s innovation studio, DBK Studio, Chicago-based Valqari, and USOG to pilot the first drone-delivered food and beverage service at a sports & entertainment venue. The pilot took place from Wednesday, April 27th through Saturday, April 30th at Alexander Field, home of Purdue Baseball, leading up to and during its recent home series. The pilot involved a select fan base ordering food and beverage, with orders prepared at another on-campus athletic venue, delivered by drone, and placed in a pick-up locker for guests in an open-air space at Alexander Field. The pilot tested the user experience, food quality and delivery accuracy. Throughout the pilot, drones delivered orders of hot dogs, bottles of water, and chips to prepare and pressure Read More »
Commercial drones could be the answer to Ukraine’s logistics nightmare
Since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, unmanned air systems (UAS), otherwise known as drones, have played an important role in the defense of the country against Russian aggression. Whether it’s military offensive systems delivering devastating effects on advancing Russian convoys or small drone camera systems providing reconnaissance, air drones have undoubtedly been instrumental in enabling the Ukrainian military to mount an effective defense against the Russian invasion.However, their true potential to support what every war veteran knows can win or lose a war–logistics–is yet to be unleashed. Read More »
Heven Drones and Roboteam Launch First Flying Robot
Heven Drones, a fast growing Israeli drone technology company, has unveiled a full turnkey robotic solution with land and air integration at ISDEF, Israel’s largest international defense and HLS Exhibition. This first ever flying robot was jointly developed with Roboteam, a leading global provider of tactical ground robotic systems.From complete heavy lift-drones to flight controllers and operating systems, Heven develops the hardware and software that is enabling the next generation of autonomous & actionable drone platforms. The company initially started in homeland security but is rapidly moving into other fields, including logistics, construction, and more.According to Bentzion Levinson, Heven Drone’s CEO, Read More »
Valqari Secures Position as Drone Delivery Industry Leader with New U.S. Patent
Valqari, creator of the patented Drone Delivery Station and provider of last inch mailbox solutions for drone deliveries, has been awarded its latest patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). With a priority date of January 2, 2014, the patent (patent no. 11,117,680) covers a broad range of claims in the field of drone delivery and Valqari's delivery infrastructure, from general UAV delivery to protecting users' packages from theft, weather, and other nuisances.Valqari has created the market-leading drone delivery solution that has solved the last inch logistic problems with its patented Drone Delivery Station that provides a secure and convenient delivery receptacle for both drone and traditional package delivery and pick-up. Equipped with best-in-class hardware and software, the Drone Delivery Station is completely platform-agnostic, operating seamlessly with any drone manufacturer and further solidifying Valqari as the ideal solution for drone delivery. Effo Read More »
The role of drones and traffic management beyond airports
With the advent of specific regulations, better technologies and greater public awareness, more drones are entering airspaces beyond those of airports, and into areas bustling with businesses and communities. Currently, drones are being used for monitoring, inspection and emergency response, as well as tasks that involve a high level of risk or danger to personnel like visual surveys and maintenance in bad weather or hard-to-reach places. Drones are also cost-efficient to employ in activities such as round-the-clock surveillance. And their capability is yet to be fully harnassed. In the recently published white paper on Unmanned Traffic Management: Enabling Drones in Ports, Unifly looks into a newly identified industry which is slated to benefit from the use of drones within its airspace – ports. Read More »
INVOLI LAUNCHES SALES OF A NEW AIR TRAFFIC RECEIVER: THE G-1090
Lausanne, Switzerland:Lausanne, Switzerland: In its vision to enable a sky where drones fly safely alongside manned aviation, INVOLI launches a new generation air traffic signal receiver: the G-1090, specifically created to resist to harshest weather and electronically noisy environments and to bear the CE/FCC label. The G-1090 detects aviation transponder signals ADS-B, Mode S, Mode A/C and FLARM and it natively supports INVOLI Multilateration, enabling a comprehensive view of the air traffic. The receiver is designed to be installed over telecommunication and aviation infrastructure, but not only. It can be installed in a matter of minutes by simply mounting it on a pole and connecting it to an Ethernet cable with internet connectivity and Power over Ethernet and, it can optionally communicate data via 4G. Raphael Zaugg, CTO of INVOLI says “We wanted to provide a receiver that allows our clients to increase their air traffic awareness in the simplest way, with a quality / cost rati Read More »
A case study to demonstrate the value of a single source of the truth
Working closely with DE&S and the UAS Delivery Team to identify, report and manage airworthiness issues in unmanned aircraftWorking closely with DE&S and the UAS Delivery Team to identify, report and manage airworthiness issues in unmanned aircraftThe implementation of tlmNexus’ tool Resolve was deemed essential to ensure that the airworthiness issues were correctly identified, reported and managed, in order to meet the UK Military Aviation Authority’s (MAA) Regulatory requirements. From the outset we engaged and built strong relationships with key players in the customer’s organisation including the Type Airworthiness Authorities (TAAs) Engineering Authorities (EAs), Desk Officers, Safety Managers, Continuing Airworthiness Management Organisation (CAMO) staff and Industry Technical Managers. We co-ordinated all our efforts through a single implementation manager who was nominated by the DT to establish close collaboration and communications with us from the start. We l Read More »
Can drones help your business meet its environmental commitments?
By Tony Roberts, iLaw Solicitors LtdFreddie Mercury once sang: “I want it all - and I want it now”. Green activists may not be singing from the exact same songsheet, but they are not far off. Under constant pressure from campaigners, governments are ratcheting up the pressure on the business world. Commitments become more onerous; deadlines shorten. Many businesses will need to adapt radically to avoid the thumbscrews and drones will often be a crucial part of their response. The International Energy Agency predicts that global energy usage will surge as the world bounces back from the covid pandemic. In the immediate term, governments will need to prioritise the generation of tax receipts to fill depleted coffers, but at the same time the UK government is planning to host the COP26 summit in November 2021 and the Biden administration is rejoining the Paris Climate Change Accord. The upshot is that international pressure will cascade down to individual countries, whose Read More »
New patented autonomous drone for pressure-regulating water tank inspection
New patented autonomous drone for pressure-regulating water tank inspection Hokkaido Electric Power and ACSL have developed a drone capable of autonomous flight in a pressure-regulating water tank of a hydroelectric power plant, which is a non-GPS environment* *Equipment for mitigating water hammer caused by sudden output changes such as power shutoff of a generator. It is a cylindrical structure with an inner diameter of several tens of meters and a depth of several tens of meters. Water hammer is a phenomenon in which a strong impact and high-water pressure are generated in the water pressure pipe when the water flow is suddenly shut off due to a sudden stop of the water turbine. In order to fly stably, the drone uses the structure such as the riser pipe in the pressure-regulating water tank as a mark to determine the positional relationship with itself (patent pending: Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-000814). The idea is to improve the utilization rate of hydrop Read More »
Successful hybrid power unit operation test for heavy drones by ADJ
Aero Development Japan Co., Ltd. succeeded in operating tests of a hybrid power unit that combines Halbach generator and gas turbine power, which is being developed for heavy-duty and long-distance drones. A hybrid power system that combines the unit with a propeller motor and ESC (a motor for high voltage propellers of DC300V (AC200V) class for drones) is being developed with the goal of flying a large drone with a total weight of over 150 kg carrying 50 kg of payload for 60 minutes. According to ADJ, the development of power sources for drones using gas turbine engines and Halbach generators will be an advanced initiative not only in Japan but also in the world. This technology is a patented invention of Professor Morishita of Kogakuin University, and the ADJ development partner holds a license for the Halbach generator. Read More »
VIZGARD: Practical AI Solutions for Defence and Security
VIZGARDDrone Major welcomes London-based SME VIZGARD to our roster of world-class suppliers. Their FortifAI computer vision software provides real-time intelligent tasking and alerts for drones and PTZ camera platforms. FortifAI's server runs in the background on PC, edge, and cloud platforms to offer C2 and GCS software an ever-growing list of AI-powered enhanced capabilities such as:Market-leading counter-UAS detect/track/classify capability. Detection of people, cars, boats, drones, birds, planes and helicopters.Cutting-edge single object tracking of any agile target with no model training required.Real-time face redaction.Electronic image stabilisation.Precision drone landing on moving vehicles in GPS-denied environments.Horizon trackingVIZGARD's solution aims to significantly reduce time-to-market by streamlining the integration process with a browser-based test application, well-documented API and prompt technical support. Once deployed, they make it easy for non-technical Read More »
Japan: The Land of rising business opportunities for overseas organisations
Japan UAS Industrial Development Association (JUIDA), long-time partner of Drone Major Group, is pleased to announce its new services dedicated to overseas companies interested in breaking into the Japanese market.Since its establishment in 2014, JUIDA has been facilitating the healthy growth of the UAS commercial use in terms of regulations, education, research and business/international cooperation.Established to meet the needs of both the public sector (Japanese government) and the private sector (industries), reaching more than 12,000 members and more than 200 accredited drone pilot schools, and now involved in the UAM research field as well, time has come to open our network and our expertise to overseas companies. Read More »
Delivering value through engineering expertise
DASIS (Develop and Supply In-Sync) is a supply chain management consultancy that offers UK SME’s a secure and safe route to manufacture. Together with a trusted consortium of supply partners, our dedicated team manages all aspects of the product manufacturing processes from concept to completion. The businesses we support operate predominately in the defence, automotive, aerospace and sectors.A family of partnersDASIS holds a firm belief that companies thrive and grow stronger through collaboration. Through the consortium we offer a unified and bespoke service that ensures on time delivery of first-class products and components. It is a transparent and secure process that puts our clients at the heart of every project. With extensive knowledge of programme management, combined with hands on manufacturing experience, we are fulfilling a dream of synchronising UK supply chain activity. Read More »