Autonomous Air Mobility at Urban Airspace – Now in Europe

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First drone test flights over cities were carried out in Poland as part of a European initiative. The move is part of the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) large-scale demonstration, a project that aims to enable the safe integration of urban air mobility, including flights with autonomous drones, in the airspace of the European Union.

The aim is to show the technologies of autonomous drones that can be used in cities to improve safety and help security services to manage emergency situations.

The project is co-funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 program, within the framework of the SESAR Joint Undertaking, an EU public-private partnership that coordinates all air traffic management research and innovation activities. 

Poland is one of the four EU countries where the trial flights are conducted, alongside the Czech Republic, Great Britain, and Spain.

The flights in Poland are carried out by Dronehub with the support of Honeywell, which provides equipment and sensors for drones, and the Altitude Angel, responsible for the software. 

These companies are part of the Uspace4UAM consortium, which was selected for drone flights in urban conditions. 

By mid-2022, Dronehub will carry out approximately 160 flights over the Aviation Valley near Rzeszów. The flights will be carried out for three scenarios of the use of autonomous drones in the public service: to provide emergency services with aerial monitoring from accident sites; to take a series of photos for the needs of public institutions, and to transport AED defibrillators in life-threatening situations.

As part of the Urban Air Mobility project, flight safety requirements will be developed, as well as regulations and standardizations to support the development of drone flights in urban space in the EU, as reported by insideunmannedsystems.com. 

From smart cities to smart spaces: Watch this intriguing panel discussion from INNOTECH 2021: