Talk to the eye in the sky

Mar

29

Talk to the eye in the sky

Brought to you by The Radio Technology Group

Join the Radio Technology SIG at their next in person event where we will explore the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) industry, to establish the current landscape, the technology needs to evolve and hear from successful examples of UAV’s being deployed in real-life.

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Event Information

Started 29 March 2023 at 10:30

Approx 5 hours, 30 minutes

TTP, Melbourn Science Park, Melbourn, SG8 6EE

Free to members / £150.00 (+ VAT) for non members

About the event

From Tanzania to Scotland, demonstration missions have shown that UAVs can provide vital services such as delivering medical supplies to regions with limited road infrastructure and inspection of assets in locations hazardous to humans. Being able to do Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) safely and securely is key to make this commercially successful and enable large scale operations. Several pieces of the puzzle need to align to make this commercially successful - ranging from reliable command and control; means to integrate safely with airspace via various layers of deconfliction; optimising for size, weight, and cost to improve uptake; and close integration with enterprise or appropriate use-case workflows.

At this event, you will hear from various stakeholders on their perspective of where the industry is, how technology needs evolve and hear some successful examples of these being deployed in real-life.

This in person event is kindly sponsored and hosted by TTP, and is taking place in their Melbourn, Cambridge offices.

Employees of CW member organisations can attend this event for free. You will need to be logged into your CW account to access your free ticket – log in (or reset your password here)

Tickets for non-members are £150 plus VAT. CW membership may be more cost effective for your organisation than fully priced tickets – find out more about CW membership benefits.

Limited FREE places for non-members: We are keen to engage with and foster the next generation of technologists and engineers - we have limited FREE places for non-members who are under 35. If you would like to register for one of these tickets, then please email - hello@cambridgewireless.co.uk to receive your discount code.

You can follow @CambWireless on Twitter and tweet about this event using #RadioTech.

Agenda

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The information supplied below may be subject to change before the event.

10:30

Registration and networking with refreshments

11:00

Welcome from our host, Richard Walker, TTP plc

11:05

Introduction to CW & Event, Dr Vidhya Sridhar, Head of Autonomous Technologies, TTP plc

11:10

Dr Vidhya Sridhar, Head of Autonomous Technologies, TTP plc

'The potential for drones:- what is it and how do we unlock it?'

We kick off the day with this framing conversation outlining the demonstrated and future potential for drones and all the puzzle pieces that need to align to unlock their true potential.

11:30

Edward Fitzpatrick, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)

'The CAA’s Challenge Lead Approach to Enabling BVLOS Integration'

The presentation will cover the CAA’s Innovation System and how it is ensuring the CAA can enable BVLOS in UK Airspace

11:50

Gavin Goudie, Operations Director, Blue Bear Systems Research Ltd

'Beyond Segregation'

Blue Bear is an innovative company based in Bedford working in the field of unmanned systems and automation, this session will provide an overview of alternative technologies that have been tested to aid the integration of manned and unmanned aircraft into non segregated airspace and why this is key to the widespread adoption of drones.

12:10

Steve Clark, CEO and Co-Founder, Cambridge Sensoriis Ltd

'Micro Radar for drone localisation, navigation and autonomy'

Micro Radar are becoming available for drones, allowing all-weather, long-range detection of obstacles and tactical deconfliction while in flight, supporting BVLOS flight missions. But there are multiple other uses for these software configurable Radar; high precision measurement of landing pads for autonomous control of drones during critical approach and landing phases, possibly in GNSS denied environments; finding a journey endpoint within centimetres, whilst supporting default silent technology; and assured positioning while a drone surveys infrastructure. Both technology insights and practical use cases will be discussed.

12:30

Panel Session with speakers

13:00

Networking Lunch over demos

14:05

Neal Unitt-Jones, VP Commercial, Stratospheric Platforms Ltd

‘The hydrogen revolution. How hydrogen powered aircraft will enable 5G communications’

14:25

David Pankhurst, Director of Drones, BT

‘A Future with Drones’

14:45

Jon Holmes, Senior Director UAV Technology, Inmarsat

‘Enabling UAV BVLOS Operations Through L-Band Satellite Communication Links’

The Inmarsat L-band satellite constellation has provided cockpit based safety service communication to the Air Transport industry for over 20 years. This reliable and robust link has application in UAS C2 operations, this talk highlights some of its advantages.

15:05

Steve Hutt, Business Development Consultant,uAvionix

‘Communications and Data Integrity - The backbone of trusted BVLOS UAS Operations’

With more and more crewed and uncrewed aircraft taking to the skies, the complexity of airspace use is quickly exceeding the traditional Communication, Navigation (CNS) and Surveillance capabilities typically operated by an Air Navigation Service Provider. In particular, command, control, and surveillance systems must integrate new uncrewed operations at both lower and higher altitudes while incorporating new risks including communications network reliability, ground based activities and identification of aircraft in controlled and uncontrolled airspace, to name a few. A key component to the success of these systems is the reliable and predictable delivery of high-integrity data which is crucial for the real-time identification, monitoring and deconfliction of unmanned aerial systems (UAS). This session addresses the importance of datalink path and diversity for assured connectivity and how use of deterministic systems can improve data integrity for Detect and Avoid services and mitigate risk for Beyond Visual Line of Sight UAS operations.

15:25

Panel Session with speakers, Chaired by Andrew Fell, TTP plc

15:50

Closing remarks provided by Dr Vidhya Sridhar, TTP plc

16:00

Event closes

Speakers

Dr Steve Clark - CEO, Cambridge Sensoriis

Dr Steve Clark is the Founder and CEO of Cambridge Sensoriis. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Electronic Engineering and Physics at Loughborough University, and his PhD at the Australian Centre for Field Robotics at the University of Sydney. He has over 25 years’ experience as a founder and entrepreneur in radar technology for industrial automation. Steve co-founded Navtech Radar from 1999, where he designed and manufactured radar solutions for the security, industrial automation, and traffic safety markets. World first systems include radar navigation for autonomous straddle carriers at Australian container ports; radar for tunnel and motorway stopped vehicle detection in the UK and internationally; and radar on autonomous iron-ore bulk carrier trains for obstacle avoidance. Steve is now designing all weather micro-radar systems at Sensoriis, to support autonomy and BVLOS flight for commercial drone services.

Andrew Fell - RF Consultant, TTP plc

Andrew has around 30 years' experience in the technology industry in commercial and government sectors, mostly in the area of telecommunications specialising in RF systems and circuit design. At TTP he has had key lead roles in the development of a wide range of products through RFID at 125kHz to satellite communications systems in Ka band and everything in between; even the development of ventilators (marketed under Dyson) during the Covid19 pandemic. Andrew has been involved with and project led several modem designs including the development of Inmarsat's L-band BGAN/ELERA Radio Module, the core modem for Inmarsat's geostationary network. He has created reference designs for RF Front Ends and transceivers, applied across a range of market segments, including aeronautical terminals which have evolved into Inmarsat’s UAV Velaris solution. Andrew is focussed on Business Development around communications technologies at TTP and holds a private pilot’s license, so has a keen interest in the developments of Electronic Conspicuity and DAA, with a personal motivation to avoid mid-air collisions!

Edward Fitzpatrick - Regulatory Innovation Specialist, Civil Aviation Authority

Ed is supporting delivery and implementation of a single CAA pathway across the organisation’s Strategic Priorities for Innovation. Key programmes and workstreams that he is coordinating include the BVLOS Integration, Introduction of Autonomy to Aviation, the use of Mobile Networks in Aviation, and Establishing Test Environments for novel systems. For the CAA, he previously worked in the Airline Licensing with a focus on EU-Exit work streams on Market Access and Third Country Operator Authorisations as well as Repatriations and Illegal Public Transport. Before joining the CAA, Ed worked in the private sector developing technology and commercial strategy within the marine, aerospace and aviation markets.

Gavin Goudie - Operations Director, Blue Bear Systems Research Ltd

As Operations Director at Blue Bear, Gavin is responsible for programme management, leading flight trials and liaising with end users and regulators to deliver high profile multinational programmes. Gavin has delivered civil and military projects that have demanded a fast paced turnaround of research through to product delivery. He combines his engineering skills with in-depth knowledge of aviation requirements; through professional and personal interests in the field.

Jon Holmes - Senior Director UAV Technology, Inmarsat

Jon has 35 years experience in mobile satellite communications engineering with the majority of this time spent in the aeronautical segment, specifically in the development of satcom avionics. He started his engineering career developing a DSP modem for the very first commercial Inmarsat (Classic) avionics product, the Racal Satfone. Subsequent roles in engineering development, program management and engineering organisation leadership spanned a range of companies and locations including the UK, Canada and Denmark, with product developments in all mobile aviation frequency bands - L, Ku and Ka. In his current role, as Senior Director UAV Technology, Jon is leading the development of technological elements needed to ensure the Inmarsat offering can optimally serve UAS C2 and payload BVLOS communication needs. Jon has a BSc in Physics from Imperial College London; an MSc in Satellite Communications Engineering from Surrey University; and an MBA from Warwick University.

Steve Hutt - Business Development Consultant, uAvionix

Aviation and IT run as threads throughout Steve’s career. The first 21 years were with British Airways, where he started in Operations Engineering. After 2 years he switched to IT, working in numerous areas, including Flight Planning, Mainframe Systems Programming, Database Administration, Systems Management and IT Strategy & Architecture. After BA Steve worked in IT Sales and Business/IT Consulting assisting clients in modernising their IT and business processes. Steve has a private pilot’s license, has completed an Aeronautical Engineering course and is an ex-director of the Light Aircraft Association (who oversee the airworthiness of 2,600 aircraft, plus a further 1,500 aircraft build projects in the UK). From 2014 to 2021 Steve worked with the Future Airspace Strategy VFR Implementation Group and then Airspace4All, collaborating with the Civil Aviation Authority on the development of airspace policy. Since 2014 Steve has been a member of the CAA’s Electronic Conspicuity Working Group. Steve joined uAvionix in January 2022 where he works closely with the CAA, partners and customers developing Communications, Navigation and Surveillance solutions for airports, Air Navigation Service Providers, general aviation, uncrewed aviation and defence.

Dave Pankhurst - Director of Drones, BT

Dave Pankhurst is Director of Drones at BT Group, part of Etc. the newly formed incubation arm of the business. Dave joined BT in 2016, leading a product team focusing on new growth opportunities for BT before building BT Group's Drones unit.

Vidhya Sridhar - Head of Autonomous Technologies, TTP plc

Vidhya Sridhar is a consultant at The Technology Partnership (TTP) Plc. She has a background in digital signal processing and physical layer design and development. In her PhD at Imperial College London, she carried out research on array signal processing techniques with applications in 5G and defence. Prior to her PhD, she spent three years working on physical layer design and development in LTE and WiMAX at Broadcom (India) and Alcatel Lucent (India) respectively.

Neal Unitt-Jones - Commercial Vice President, Stratospheric Platforms Ltd

Neal Unitt-Jones was educated as a physicist and then immediately entered the world of commerce. During his career he has worked in many commercial fields; electronics, automotive, defence, surveillance, aerospace and telecommunications. His latest venture combines aerospace and telecommunications at Stratospheric Platforms.https://www.stratosphericplatforms.com

SIG Champions

Mark Beach - Professor of Radio Systems Engineering, University of Bristol (Communication Systems & Networks Research Group)

Mark Beach received his PhD for research addressing the application of Smart Antenna techniques to GPS from the University of Bristol in 1989, where he subsequently joined as a member of academic staff. He was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 1996, Reader in 1998 and Professor in 2003. He was Head of the Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering from 2006 to 2010, then spearheaded Bristol’s hosting of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Communications. He is the Co-Director of this centre. He leads research in the field of enabling technologies for the delivery of 5G and beyond wireless connectivity; which includes the recent award of an EPSRC Prosperity Partnership in the field of Secure Wireless Agile Networks (SWAN). Mark’s current research activities are delivered through the Communication Systems and Networks Group, forming a key component within Bristol’s Smart Internet Lab. He has over 30 years of physical layer wireless research embracing the application of Spread Spectrum technology for cellular systems, adaptive or smart antenna for capacity and range extension in wireless networks, MIMO aided connectivity for through-put enhancement, experimental evaluation and optimization of Massive MIMO, Millimetre Wave technologies as well as flexible RF technologies for SDR modems. With a strong industrially focused research portfolio, he is also the School Research Impact Director.

Brian Collins - Managing Consultant, BSC Associates

Brian has designed antennas for applications including radio and TV broadcasting, base stations, handsets and consumer products, and has operated his own consultancy firm for the last 12 years. He has published more than 70 papers on antenna topics and contributed chapters to several recent textbooks. He operates a small consultancy company, chairs the Antenna Interface Standards Group and is an Honorary Visiting Professor in the School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science at Queen Mary, University of London.

Paul Harris - Principal Wireless Architect, VIAVI Solutions

Paul is a wireless technology expert with experience across a range of areas including research, design, implementation and standardisation. He received his PhD from the University of Bristol for evaluating the performance of massive MIMO technology in the lead-up to 5G and is currently a Principal Wireless Architect within the CTO Office at VIAVI Solutions providing thought leadership on new and emerging technologies for 5G, 6G and beyond. In line with this he represents VIAVI within a range of bodies and fora including 3GPP, the O-RAN Alliance, ETSI, the Next G Alliance, the 6G-IA and the UKTIN. His experience prior to joining VIAVI includes representing Vodafone within 3GPP for radio performance aspects, contributing to the development of massive MIMO channel estimation solutions at Cohere Technologies, and working with customers as a domain expert at National Instruments to establish effective research solutions using software-defined radio. He is also a Chartered Engineer, Senior Member of the IEEE, Fellow of the ITP, and an Honorary Industrial Fellow at the University of Bristol.

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Peter Kibutu - 5G NTN Market lead, TTP plc

Peter has been working in the cellular industry for over 15 years, specialising in modem system architecture and physical layer development. Before joining TTP, Peter worked in the development of 2G/3G/4G wireless modem products and small-cell base station projects for a number of leading cellular equipment vendors. At TTP Peter has worked with a wide range of clients in the satellite and cellular communication domains, specialising in end-to-end system engineering, modem system development and advising on commercial aspects. Currently Peter is the TTP technical lead for 5G/6G activities and represents the company in range of industry bodies including 3GPP and UKTIN.

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Peter Topham - Principal Engineer, Qualcomm Technologies International

Peter has more than 30 years experience of RF and high-speed circuit design, taking chips into production ranging from FM Band II through cellular, Bluetooth and on to UWB at 10GHz. He has been with Qualcomm for 7 years, specialising in low-power RF design for portable and wearable products.

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TTP, Melbourn Science Park, Melbourn, SG8 6EE

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