ADACORSA

The European drone industry is developing new beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) technologies that allow service providers to perform complex drone operations and operate without human intervention. The EU-funded ADACORSA Project aims to develop technologies for safe, reliable and secure drone flight to increase public and regulatory acceptance. Within the scope of the project, research and development activities will be carried out on sensing, telecommunication and data processing components and systems. Project stakeholders will adapt technologies such as radar, LiDAR sensors and 3D cameras used in the automotive industry to the drone market, as well as provide technologies for accurate sensor coupling, data analytics, and safe and reliable drone communication.

The ADACORSA Project aims to strengthen the European drone industry to demonstrate safe, reliable and secure drone operation in all conditions and flight phases. These efforts will be geared towards increasing public and regulatory acceptance of BVLOS drones. In addition, demonstrations and studies will contribute to the greater acceptance of drone technologies by the public and industry, and enable the development of drone-led smart industries. Within the scope of the project, 35 physical and virtual BVLOS demonstrations will be performed.

TÜBİTAK BİLGEM is contributing to the demonstration in the project's supply chain number 7. Its task is to develop ground station software for trucks and excavators used in the construction industry, including an artificial intelligence-based high-level task and route planning module. TÜBİTAK BİLGEM will conduct this demonstration together with stakeholders in Turkey such as FORD Otosan (as a truck developer), BUYUTECH (as an excavator developer), TURKCELL (as a communication provider) and ROBONIK (as a drone developer). In addition, a drone developed by TAI (Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc.) will be used to demonstrate load transportation beyond the BVLOS visual line of sight. In this 2023 demonstration, the autonomous drone is planned to perform basic construction site operations through the ground station software of trucks and excavators. During this demonstration, the autonomous truck and autonomous digger vehicles will perform soil digging and unloading tasks on a task-based basis through the ground station interface, using the developed route planning algorithms and inter-vehicle messaging infrastructure, while the drone will reach the pre-mission area and inform the ground station about any situation that may jeopardize the safety of the operation through the sensors on it.