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NTU and M1 to develop traffic management system for drones on faster 4.5G mobile network

SINGAPORE — A research partnership inked on Thursday (Dec 7) could one day enable hundreds of drones to safely deliver parcels, or survey and inspect a given area, along pre-determined routes at the same time.

A research partnership inked on Thursday (Dec 7) could one day enable hundreds of drones to safely deliver parcels, or survey and inspect a given area, along pre-determined routes at the same time. Photo: Koh Mui Fong/TODAY

A research partnership inked on Thursday (Dec 7) could one day enable hundreds of drones to safely deliver parcels, or survey and inspect a given area, along pre-determined routes at the same time. Photo: Koh Mui Fong/TODAY

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SINGAPORE — A research partnership inked on Thursday (Dec 7) could one day enable hundreds of drones to safely deliver parcels, or survey and inspect a given area, along pre-determined routes at the same time.

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Under the three-year initiative, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and telecommunications firm M1 will develop a traffic management system for drones here using 4.5G mobile networks.

In the past eight months, researchers have test-flown a drone on the 4.5G Heterogeneous Network (HetNet) for the first time. The 4.5G network, which is a faster version of the 4G data network used on mobile phones, allows operators to pilot their drones even when the unmanned aircraft systems are out of their line-of-sight.

The operators monitor the drones on pre-programmed flightpaths using computer systems, instead of physically operating the drones using a joystick controller.

Currently, most drones operate on 2.4G networks, which are similar to wireless bandwidths. These unlicensed networks can be interfered by radio signals and are susceptible to hacking. They also have a lower flight ceiling of about 61 metres and can generally fly drones up to 4km in distance.

The 4.5G network is secured as it is tied to a mobile SIM card. It will allow drones to go further than 4km if their batteries permit.

NTU researchers have flown their drones to a height of 130m – about 36 storeys high – during tests.

The drone operators can also access real-time video feeds and monitor the strength of the data network. They can track the drones’ coordinates throughout the flight.

Professor Vu N. Duong, director of the Air Traffic Management Research Institute (ATMRI) at NTU, said research into the command and traffic control of drones is of critical importance, as usage of commercial drones is taking off in Singapore.

Under the Memorandum of Understanding, NTU will provide the expertise in traffic management of unmanned aircraft systems, while M1 will offer usage of their network and engineering expertise.

“Traditionally telcos optimise their network for terrestrial vehicles, because we use our smartphones in cars, in public transport, as well as for indoors. Now M1 has also (looked into and) optimised above-ground use, in this case, for drones,” said M1’s chief technical officer Dennis Seek.

The joint research project will be led by Professor Low Kin Huat from NTU’s School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and ATMRI senior research fellow Mohamed Faisal Mohamed Salleh.

 

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