Air and sea Exec Mickey Markoff talks innovation in aviation.
The 1800s had the invention of the steam engine, the 1900s had the development of electrical power and mass production, and we are just at the beginning of the 21st century as far as history is concerned. We have come a long way from the invention of the car, and now seemingly have a new invention each year. If we look back into human history, we can see that many inventions and innovations have built upon creations that came before. Something that many of us may take for granted today, the humble book, for example, would not exist without the printing press. Many may not think of the book as an ‘invention’ in the sense that we understand them today, but everything is relative. The book paved the way for e-books and digital readers, and even the screen that you’re reading this from today! But these items are things which we wouldn’t know until many decades later. Such is the same for most innovations. They are iterations, improvements, and evolutions of existing technologies. We have several across industries, including many in the world of aviation. Since the Wright Brothers’ first flight in 1903, we have seen an explosion of innovation in the air space.
There was a point not long ago in our history when humans felt the mere thought of flying was pure nonsense. It posed too many challenges, not the least of which how to keep such a heavy vehicle suspended in the air. An understanding of aerodynamics, advances in mechanical engineering, and a whole host of other areas helped make air travel not only possibly, but profitable. Humans have solved the problem of ‘can it fly’, and have started asking different questions, like, ‘can it fly itself ‘? Like the questions asked before, this too seems improbable. But it has in fact been answered with a resounding, ‘yes’. Planes can indeed fly themselves. And we are innovating in this space as we speak. What the Wright Brothers paved the way for, many more are building on with research and development on autonomous helicopters.
In the last decade, we have accomplished the previously unthinkable. Not only can planes fly, but planes can fly themselves. Aurora Flight Sciences demonstrated the power of thinking outside the box by taking an old UH-1H Huey helicopter and teaching it to fly itself. One may think that the technology to make something autonomous would require starting from the ground up, but this was not the case for this demo. The company equipped the old helicopter with cameras and onboard LiDAR (light detection and ranging) sensors, helping to supercharge the existing technology with additional capabilities. LiDAR, also known as 3D laser scanning, helps to identify object. The addition of these sensors helped the helicopter to detect and avoid obstacles, and with the image recognition needed to identify the landing zone.
With this technology, the helicopter was able to be ‘manned’ without an actual pilot onboard. With the aid of a tablet, a laptop, and ‘boots on the ground’ as it were, the helicopter was able to carry out tasks that would normally require a pilot onboard. With the autonomous innovations, Aurora Fllght Sciences was able to demonstrate the three successful cargo delivery missions. With minimal input from infrantrymen, the system was able to plan its mission, chart the best route, identify no-fly zones, and the best landing spot near troops.
Innovations such as these show us the power and potential of disruptive technologies. We can take an ‘old’ fleet of helicopters and breathe new life into them. The beauty of the existing innovations is that the technology is not limited to military helicopters, but it is ‘aircraft agnostic’. This means that the tech will work with other vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicles, as well. What does this mean for military aviation? Safer, more efficient technology that is only the beginning of a new era.
is best-known as an executive producer of the Hyundai Air and Sea Show. Markoff is also President of MDM Group, an innovative South Florida firm that develops effective multidimensional marketing campaigns. Learn more about , and the history of the here.
Originally published at http://mickeydmarkoff.wordpress.com on February 1, 2023.