Vision Based Sense and Avoid Solution for small UAS

Currently, the lack of a proven Sense and Avoid (SAA) technology is the largest technological obstacle in the way of wide scale Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) deployment in the National Airspace Systems (NAS). Group 2-3 UAS, due to their small size, slow cruise speeds and climb rates; exacerbate the probability of their involvement in a Mid Air Collision (MAC). Therefore, there exists a need for a SAA solution that will enable small UAS to avoid MAC while satisfying their Size, Weight and Power (SWaP) constraints. In past work, UtopiaCompression Corporation (UC) has demonstrated the components of a passive sensor based SAA solution using both simulated and flight test data. The objective of this Phase II effort is to enhance the capabilities of the algorithms and demonstrate the integrated solution and its hardware implementation on a UAS for SAA applications and to establish the feasibility of adapting the same for General Aviation (GA) aircraft.