Parcel delivery via drones? Technically and technologically no problem, now it’s the turn of legislation. And the ability to convince authorities of the safety of the solution. UpVision is at the forefront of developing the use of drones in the civilian sector. It collaborates with both Czech and international entities on an international level. Various organizations are involved in the projects, whether from the perspective of aviation authorities, universities, companies, drone operators, or air traffic management, and so on.
The aim of these activities is to bring closer the time when, for example, a critical medication will not have to be transported to the operating room via congested roads but through the air. Besides parcel delivery, the possibility of transporting people is also on the horizon for the future. What innovative projects are the specialists from UpVision currently working on?
Uspace4UAM - Drone Mailman
In 2023, the Uspace4UAM project was completed, overseen by SESAR, the Single European Sky ATM Research organization. Specialists from UpVision, under the leadership of Honeywellu and with other participants from Spain, the United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic, including Air Traffic Control, conducted the first flight demonstration of drone delivery in the Czech Republic.
UpVision
The demonstration took place within the Brno CTR, i.e., controlled airspace from the airport in Brno up to approximately ten kilometers away, beyond visual line of sight, as required by drone operating conditions. The specialists from UpVision used advanced technologies not only from Honeywell for this purpose. The flight was pre-planned in a multi-level corridor, ensuring that if the drone deviated from its flight envelope, safety procedures would be triggered, and if it flew completely out of the area, a parachute would be deployed, and the drone would land.
This procedure guarantees that the drone cannot leave the corridor, which is one of the conditions for operating drones for parcel delivery. UpVision demonstrated this in the fall of 2022. Based on similar flights, work is being done on the development of drone delivery, i.e., parcel delivery using drones. This is a longer process, also from a regulatory perspective, but UpVision and its partners are attempting to bring this innovative solution to the Czech Republic for operational use, not just for demonstration.
MEDuSA - Project for the European Space Agency
Currently, UpVision, together with Czech and Italian partners, is working on the MEDuSA project for ESA, the European Space Agency. Within this project, the partners are developing a system for detecting drones within a certain perimeter. These systems, based on active or passive radars, are available, but the one currently being tested is completely innovative.
It operates on two components. The first component consists of smaller sensors that are deployed within a certain perimeter. This could be an airport or, for example, a prison. Within this context, UpVision is collaborating with Prague Airport. All sensors have GNSS receivers, which means satellite navigation. The second component is a control center where algorithms for drone detection are processed and evaluated.
Within the perimeter defined by the sensors, the system attempts to detect the presence of a drone based on satellite navigation. No radars are needed; only sensors placed on the ground or on objects. A significant advantage over radars is that detection can occur in any weather conditions, even in fog or darkness, and should therefore operate 24/7. Currently, the project is in the phase of testing the sensors, whose functionality will subsequently be verified in collaboration with Prague Airport.
UpVision
CERTIFLIGHT - dronový identifikátor
The third project that UpVision is working on is called CERTIFLIGHT, an initiative of the EU Space Program Agency (EUSPA), which is based in Prague-Holešovice. In this project, UpVision is part of a consortium with multiple partners, led by an Italian company, with partners from Spain, Italy, and other countries. Within this project, a box, essentially a remote ID for drones, is being developed. Simply put, it is a device independent of the drone that shares information about the drone’s exact location.
There are already several such solutions, but the innovation of this one lies in the fact that it operates on a new service called OSNMA, launched by the Galileo satellite navigation system. “Thanks to this, we can verify if the drone’s location is accurate and not being interfered with by, for example, spoofing or jamming. This is increasingly happening today, as has been recorded in Poland near the front line of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict,” explains Jakub Karas from UpVision. Many drones depend on GNSS signals.
Additionally, this add-on device allows verification, for example, that photos taken by the drone were captured at a specific time and place. This is used, for instance, in the Mediterranean Sea, where border controls are carried out by drones in relation to the movement of migrants. This service from Galileo, which can be linked to the drone’s camera and is independent of the drone itself, also provides a remote ID service. This means that the drone is made visible, which has become a requirement in the specific category of drones in the EU from this year, 2024.
“
“We are jointly working on U-space implementation, which is a system for drone traffic management. We want to test the conditions and U-space itself in the Czech Republic. We aim to demonstrate the mandatory services within a two and a half year period to prove that we can provide these services in the Czech Republic.”
Jakub Karas
UpVision
On the purely domestic scene, UpVision started working on the project “Test Implementation of U-space in the Czech Republic” in 2024. The main solver of the project by TAČR is the Department of Air Transport at the Faculty of Transportation Sciences, CTU in Prague. UpVision is collaborating on this project with other partners, including Dronetag, AgentFly Technologies, and the Air Navigation Services of the Czech Republic.
“We are jointly working on U-space implementation, which is a system for drone traffic management. We want to test the conditions and U-space itself in the Czech Republic. We aim to demonstrate the mandatory services within a two and a half year period to prove that we can provide these services in the Czech Republic,” explains Jakub Karas. The goal of the project is to establish so-called U-space areas where drones can fly under much better and safer conditions.
On the other hand, aircraft must also be visible within the U-space area. This is something that many recreational piloted vehicles, for example, do not have. “This is what the boxes we are developing in the CERTIFLIGHT project with EUSPA will be used for,” adds Jakub Karas. All these innovative projects share a common goal: to safely integrate drone operations into the airspace and enable their advanced operations.
About UpVision
UpVision provides top-notch airspace management and access services for drone operators. It simplifies the complex issue of safe navigation and integration of drones into enterprise applications and use in public sector services. UpVision develops applications that facilitate data sharing between unmanned systems, manned systems, and airspace management. The company focuses on innovative safety concepts, high levels of automation using the latest technologies and operational procedures. UpVision is a member of the European U-space Stakeholders Network and participates in a number of prestigious foreign and Czech research projects focused on applied research, verification of selected technologies, and operational procedures for U-space and drones.
Share