UrbanV and the Edge Company – an Italian organisation specialising in Artificial Intelligence (AI), neural networks, and deep learning – have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate to develop the Bird Concentration Monitoring System (BCMS), designed to combat bird strikes at airports and vertiports, was installed at the Test Vertiport UV-0 in Fiumicino last December.
“The system, currently undergoing testing at Italy’s first test vertiport, has started to capture images to map the local wildlife and address potential obstacles that may arise during air taxis’ flight phases” according to the press release. “This initiative will enable UrbanV to monitor in real time any risks associated with bird strikes and uncooperative obstacles. The monitoring process is automated and environmentally friendly, facilitated by Artificial Intelligence. Video data captured by cameras is seamlessly processed by AI networks, automatically aggregating a vast amount of verifiable data.
“UrbanV’s Test Vertiport UV-0 benefits from its strategic location within a designated “regulatory sandbox”, an experimental zone carefully selected and approved by the Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC). This unique set-up allows the testing of complex interfaces between controlled airspace, similar to that of an international civil airport and the operational airspace essential for Urban Air Services (UAS). Thanks to this sandbox, UrbanV, together with Aeroporti di Roma, aims to support the national task force for the “Implementation Plan of the Italian AAM Roadmap”.
“In this context, the technology developed by the Italian SME in Rimini will be tested alongside a range of other beneficial technologies in a secure environment and in accordance with the principles of the CAA Regulatory Sandbox.”
“The Edge Company,” said Fabio Masci, CEO of the Italian SME, “has developed an automated bird monitoring system based on its extensive experience in the aerospace sector, combining cutting-edge technologies such as AI with natural sciences, revolutionising the approach to mitigating bird strikes. Following a period of acceleration in France in 2018, where Airbus engaged us in anticipation of the forthcoming launch of new urban mobility initiatives, we adapted our BCMS system to cater to this emerging market, turning it into a NON-COOPERATIVE obstacle detection.”
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Start of the test phase of The Edge Company’s BCMS system at UrbanV’s Test Vertiport UV-0
