🌟✈️ The 4th Workshop on the Future of the Innovative Air Mobility” was held in Madrid on 22nd February 🚁🔗
The program had several talks related to the future of air mobility in urban environments, so members of the #AI4HyDrop project attended the event to know the point of view of different stakeholders on issues very close to the objectives of #AI4HyDrop, and to know what other projects are being carried out with the idea of looking for synergies.
In the initial talk of the event, JOSE MARIA Pérez REVENGA spoke about the importance of having a clear regulation on the use of drones in urban environments, emphasising the need to regulate altitudes, distances and maximum number of drones in specific areas. Roberto Trigo from CDTI Innovación – Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico y la Innovación presented the programme and commented on the different funding possibilities for projects in the aerospace sector, and that work will be done to ensure that this funding is stable and maintained over time. He commented on the commitment that is being made in Spain for the sector, and highlighted the new facilities that have been set up in the city of Huelva for high-capacity drones.
In the talk by Bobby Healy of Manna Drone Delivery, the company and its parcel delivery services using drones, which are already operating successfully in cities such as Texas and Dublin, were presented. Bobby highlighted that Europe is a prime location for drone business ventures. Healy also addressed noise and privacy concerns as perceptual challenges rather than real obstacles, and cited successful drone delivery experiences in Australia as an example.
EASA’s Maria Algar Ruiz‘s keynote talked a lot about EASA‘s work, and discussed the regulatory framework for vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drones, EASA’s vision for Innovative Air Mobility and the roadmap for drone technology integration.
In the round table on drone logistics, there were interesting examples and discussions on drone package delivery. Diego Fernández Varela from @Wing talked about how his company is automating most of the delivery process with drones, which is very close to the goals of AI4HyDrop. Enrique Sánchez Hernández y Jose Ignacio Rodriguez also offered interesting points of view on the current state of logistics using drones.
In the second keynote of the workshop, Vassilis AGOURIDAS presented the UIC2 initiative (@Urban-air-mobility Initiative Cites Community) and its focus on urban aviation and the integration of low-altitude air traffic with ground mobility systems. He emphasised the importance of safety in urban aviation and the potential benefits for city mobility systems. He acknowledged the role of local governments in addressing citizens’ concerns about drone operations within cities, and emphasised the need to go hand in hand with municipalities and local governments when working on drone projects.
🌍💡 #FutureAirMobility #SESAR3JU #DigitalSky #AirTrafficManagement #iMOV3D #CDTI