Description:
In order for small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) to effectively and efficiently operate within and outside the National Air Space (NAS), future unmanned aircraft will be required to operate autonomously. In order to meet this requirement, tomorrow’s sUAS will need to operate safely and efficiently using advanced beyond line of sight operational technologies (BLOS). To help NOAA better meet its existing and future science mission goals in remote and/or challenging environments, proposals in this SBIR subtopic that are of interest include the development of advanced solutions that will enable safe and reliable BLOS autonomous flight using multiple sUAS platforms, navigation systems and onboard environmental sensors. Any hardware or software-based solutions proposed under this subtopic should not be aircraft or autopilot specific. Candidate technologies might include applications based on machine learning and artificial intelligence, among others.
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