Grants and Contributions:

Title:

Artificial intelligence enabled navigation of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drones beyond visual line of sight

Agreement Number:

984562

Agreement Value:

$299,200.00

Agreement Date:

Apr 1, 2022 - May 31, 2025

Description:

Vertical takeoff and Landing (VTOL) vehicles provide highly practical means of delivering critical goods to remote locations in Canada. Recent advances in navigation sensors, satellite communication data links and AI-powered navigation payloads are paving the path towards safe and robust beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) VTOL drone delivery. Current drone delivery systems exclusively rely on GPS waypoint navigation autonomy functions to support BVLOS operation with remote pilot supervision, but mainstream operational adaptation of these systems requires additional safety critical measures to guarantee navigational accuracy regulatory requirements, protection measures against injury to persons caused by system failures and warning and alerts to enhance the risk awareness of the system. To this end, this project will develop Al-based multi-sensor navigation technology that adapts to the changes in sensor information, facilitates autonomous real-time trajectory planning, and provides pilot assistance for vehicles engaged in BVLOS operations in remote Canadian environments.

Organization:

National Research Council Canada

Expected Results:

In the short term, anticipated outcomes will be strengthened collaborations across industry, academia, and government to support research excellence. In the medium term, anticipated outcomes will be the development of new and potentially disruptive technologies with collaborators. In the long term, find collaborative solutions to public policy challenges and create stronger innovation systems.

Location:

St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador, CA A1C 5S7

Reference Number:

172-2021-2022-Q3-984562

Agreement Type:

Grant

Report Type:

Grants and Contributions

Recipient Business Number:

107690273

Recipient Type:

Academia

Recipient's Legal Name:

Memorial University of Newfoundland

Federal Riding Name:

St. John's East

Federal Riding Number:

10006

Program:

Collaborative Science, Technology and Innovation Program - Collaborative R&D Initiatives

Program Purpose:

Collaborate on multiparty research and development programs to catalyze transformative, high-risk, high-reward research with the potential for game-changing scientific discoveries and technological breakthroughs in priority areas.

NAICS Code:

541710