Product Introductions Reflect Rapid Expansion Of Global Industry

Innovation abounds as companies launched products at XPONENTIAL 2018, the leading conference and tradeshow for the multi-billion dollar global unmanned systems industry. XPONENTIAL, hosted by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), was held from April 30 to May 4 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver.

Many companies used XPONENTIAL as a platform to unveil new unmanned systems and products, including:

• Insitu revealed ScanEagle3, a new, mid-sized addition to the Boeing subsidiary’s unmanned aircraft family.
• Aeryon Defense, the U.S.-based affiliate of Canada’s Aeryon Labs, literally took the wraps off its new R80D SkyRaider.
• Textron Systems displayed the X5-55 flying testbed for first time at a trade show; it will be the focal point for new technology used throughout the company’s products.
• Hollywood stalwart FLYING-CAM, which has used drones to shoot scenes for James Bond and Harry Potter movies, unveiled its newest unmanned helicopter, Discovery.
• AeroVironment, best known for its small, fixed-wing drones, announced it has teamed with FlightWave to produce a new family of systems that use FlightWave’s Edge technology for vertical take offs and landings that transition to forward flight.

The annual event featured keynote speeches by government and industry executives, including Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, who declared it “Unmanned Systems Week” to recognize XPONENTIAL and the growing unmanned systems industry in the state. The show also featured more than 650 exhibitors, hundreds of educational sessions and new activities, such as drone racing and a drone demonstration area.

“The success of this year’s XPONENTIAL is a true testament to the continued growth and strength of the unmanned systems industry,” said Brian Wynne, AUVSI president and CEO. “The new products unveiled at XPONENTIAL reflects the increased use of autonomous technology in our economy and society. We appreciate the support of our attendees, exhibitors, members and sponsors, and we look forward to seeing what is on the horizon for our rapidly-evolving industry.”

The keynote addresses at XPONENTIAL covered three broad themes: the unmanned economy, the unmanned lifestyle and unmanned for good to showcase the economic benefits of unmanned systems technology and how it is changing, and sometimes saving, lives around the world. Many who have helped serve the industry were honored in the AUVSI Membership Awards. Brent Klavon, president of the Florida Peninsula Chapter, was named Member of the Year, and Anne Swanson, president of the D.C. Capital Chapter, was named Chapter Leader of the Year. The Florida Peninsula Chapter was named Chapter of the Year; the Cascade Chapter took home the Chapter Communications award; the Great Plains Chapter won the Chapter Development award, and the Twin Cities Chapter won the Chapter Recruitment award.

In addition, winners of the first AUVSI XCELLENCE Awards were announced in a wide variety of categories from counter-UAS systems to operations and safety. AUVSI and DJI presented five Humanitarian Awards as a part of the new XCELLENCE Awards series. Michael Perry, managing director of North America for DJI, joined AUVSI President and CEO Brian Wynne to present the awards and prize-winning donations valued at $5,000 each. AUVSI also contributed $3,000 to the Yellow Ribbon Fund, an organization dedicated to supporting injured military service members and their families.

XPONENTIAL also hosted international teams who competed for awards and prizes in three competitions. New to the conference was XBuild, which was held April 28 to 29 at Galvanize in Boulder, Colorado. Top engineering minds from around the world faced off during the event to develop autonomous technology solutions, including a team that participated virtually from Gujarat, India. The XBuild winners were: iCreate FASCARE of India (first place), EMS Rapid Response Drone Team (second place) and Drone Dr. (third place).

StartUp Showdown—a competition designed to recognize early stage, disruptive companies that are creating, innovating or enhancing unmanned systems technologies and applications—featured five finalists who conducted live presentations before a panel of judges and the XPONENTIAL audience. The winner was Iris Automation, a San Francisco-based, Series-A venture-backed company with a team from NASA, Boeing and computer vision researchers who built an electro-optical sense-and-avoid system for industrial drones.

The International Drone Racing Association (IDRA) also held the Denver Internationals in its 2018 Challengers Cup at XPONENTIAL, where 18 pilots competed to qualify for the finals to be held later this year. Over two days, there were four rounds of racing, resulting in Shaun Taylor, known as “NytFury,” achieving the highest rank with a race time of 33.7 seconds.

(Source: AUVSI news release)

FMI: www.xponential.org