sUAS Manufacturer Parrot and Embry-Riddle Launch Academic Partnership

Parrot, a leading manufacturer of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS), and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Worldwide Campus have announced a new academic partnership that will promote curriculum development and the dissemination of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) research and real-world applications.

http://news.erau.edu/headlines/suas-manufacturer-parrot-and-embry-riddle-launch-academic-partnership/


Parrot and Embry-Riddle will contribute resources to support advanced UAV research, platform development, education and recruitment, helping Embry-Riddle Worldwide students and faculty stay in the forefront of the sUAS industry’s rapidly evolving technology curve. The partnership also enhances career prospects for Embry-Riddle UAS students as they leave the classroom.


Embry-Riddle will support Parrot with access to its facilities, professional development programs and research opportunities. The university will also provide educational opportunities for eligible Parrot employees, including access to for-credit degree programs and non-credit courses, and the waiving of application fees for the 2016-2017 academic year.


“Increased commercial demand for data from autonomous vehicles requires that we train a new generation of experts to collect this information safely and accurately with a wide range of platforms and sensors. We also need to teach best practices on how to efficiently manage the processing, storage and analysis of this data over time,” said John Cherbini, Director of Enterprise Business Development for Parrot. “Embry-Riddle Worldwide’s global presence and expertise in aeronautical education was a clear fit for the portfolio of Parrot hardware and software solutions. We are excited by the opportunity to help raise the next generation of commercial sUAS pilots.”


“Working with an innovative consumer sUAS manufacturer such as Parrot will enable Embry-Riddle Worldwide to provide our students with unparalleled access to the latest generation of technology, processes and tools. In turn, our students will build and refine the knowledge, skills and abilities essential to ensuring safe, effective and responsible operation in our nation’s shared airspace system,” said Dr. Brent Terwilliger, Program Chair of the Master of Unmanned Systems degree, UAS Discipline Chair and full-time Assistant Professor of Aeronautics at Embry-Riddle.


ABOUT PARROT INC


Parrot INC is the North American subsidiary of Parrot SA. Founded in 1994 by Henri Seydoux, Parrot creates, develops and markets advanced technology wireless products for consumers and professionals. The company builds on a common technological expertise to innovate and develop in three primary markets:
Civil drones: With recreational quadricopters and solutions for professional use.
Connected objects: With a focus on audio and gardening.
Automotive: With the most extensive range of hands-free communication and infotainment systems for vehicles on the market.


Headquartered in Paris, France, Parrot currently employs more than 900 people worldwide and generates the majority of its sales overseas. Parrot has been listed on Euronext Paris since 2006. (FR0004038263 – PARRO). For information, go to: https://www.parrot.com/us, or contact Greg Crutsinger, Scientific Program Director, Parrot INC - T: +1-415-738-0545; gregory.crutsinger@parrot.com.


About Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Worldwide UAS Program


Embry-Riddle Worldwide’s College of Aeronautics is focused on providing students with the most relevant global innovations in UAS and personal involvement in this growing aerospace frontier. Worldwide currently offers a Bachelor of Science in Unmanned Systems Applications, an undergraduate minor in Unmanned Aerial Systems, a Master of Science in Unmanned Systems, a graduate UAS specialization, and professional sUAS education opportunities. Embry-Riddle was one of the first schools in the nation to offer a degree in UAS.


Embry-Riddle Worldwide’s faculty and the courses they teach bring UAS expertise directly into the classroom. Students actively explore new uses and control interface improvements and operational enhancements to ensure an understanding of the technology, while applying best safety practices. Graduates will enter an industry expected to create over 100,000 jobs and have an $80 billion-plus economic impact on the U.S. economy in the next 10 years, once UAS is integrated into the national airspace. For more information, visit Embry-Riddle Worldwide’s College of Aeronautics Unmanned Aerial Systems degree programs information page.

What’s the Best Drone for Beginners? Embry-Riddle Publishes First-Ever Consumer Guide to sUAS

Embry-Riddle Worldwide professors, who are experts in the UAS profession, collaborated with undergraduate teams from Worldwide and Daytona Beach campuses to conduct dozens of separate quantitative and qualitative measurements on 12 readily available sUAS platforms. All aircraft tested cost under $3,500, had electric motors with removable batteries, could carry or had built-in HD cameras and weighed less than 7.5 pounds with payload. 

The Embry-Riddle sUAS Consumer Guide will be useful to a wide variety of users, not just novices, so they can evaluate options for purchase, appropriate to their skill and experience levels, while introducing them to key measurements for future comparison when purchasing a sUAS.

View and download the Embry-Riddle Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Consumer Guide

The estimate that more than 2.5 million sUAS platforms are currently operating in U.S. airspace, with potential growth of up to seven million by 2020, has far-reaching implications for this evolving, $100+ million industry and the public.

“Our hope is that novices and experienced operators alike will use this free resource to examine critical features and capabilities inherent to the safe and responsible use of sUAS technology,” said Dr. Brent Terwilliger, Worldwide Program Chair of the Master of Science in Unmanned Systems degree in the College of Aeronautics.

In addition to the product reviews and final rankings, the guide provides users with a picture of overall and relative performance, quality of construction, ease of operation, cost, accuracy of advertised capability, and user support. The team also prepared a detailed Operational Test Plan document, which was used to identify, evaluate, and record critical safety and operational details of the testing. This document is also being shared with the public to serve as a starting point for novice operators to use in their own planning activities.

View and download the Embry-Riddle Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Consumer Guide

View the Embry-Riddle Worldwide Small UAS Operational Test Plan 

While the FAA has vigorously promoted safety and responsible operation, it alone cannot reach new sUAS pilots. By providing educational information to inexperienced operators through its consumer guide, Embry-Riddle can help increase awareness while connecting fledgling pilots to critical resources and assistance so they become responsible, informed, and engaged stakeholders in the aviation community—a critical factor in public safety as these aircraft are integrated into the National Airspace System (NAS).

“We want new users to operate these aircraft safely and within the law,” said Terwilliger. “It’s why we also offer programs like free online classes, UAS workshops, and accessible sponsored research, plus actively promote industry public service campaigns like Know Before You Fly.”

Unmanned Systems Degree Programs at Embry-Riddle’s Worldwide Campus

In the next 10 years, use of both small and large UAS is expected to have explosive growth. Embry-Riddle Worldwide’s College of Aeronautics is focused on providing students with the most relevant global innovations in UAS and personal involvement in this growing aerospace frontier. Worldwide currently offers a Bachelor of Science in Unmanned Systems Applications, an undergraduate minor in Unmanned Aerial Systems, aMaster of Science in Unmanned Systems, a graduate UAS specialization, and professional sUAS education opportunities.

Worldwide’s faculty and the courses they teach bring UAS expertise directly into the classroom. Students actively explore new uses and control interface improvements and operational enhancements to ensure an understanding of the technology, while applying best safety practices. Graduates will enter an industry expected to create over 100,000 jobs and have an $80+ billion economic impact on the U.S. economy in the next 10 years, once UAS is integrated into the national airspace.

Embry-Riddle was one of the first schools in the nation to offer a degree in UAS. In addition to Worldwide degree programs in UAS, both the Prescott and Daytona Beach Campuses offer a Bachelor of Science in Unmanned Aircraft Systems Science. The Daytona Beach Campus also offers a Master of Science in Unmanned and Autonomous Systems Engineering. All three campuses offer a minor in Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

Embry-Riddle is also a co-founder of the ASSURE Coalition (Alliance for System Safety of UAS Through Research Excellence), a Federal Aviation Administration Center of Excellence in Unmanned Aircraft Systems.