Thanks for clicking through, Cardinal readers. This is the third edition of Tech Briefs, a weekly batch of items that covers the digital and life sciences landscapes. Look for it on Wednesdays in Cardinal News, and email me at tad@cardinalnews.org with any tips or story ideas.
The United States’ leading drone manufacturer has received the Federal Aviation Administration’s go-ahead to fly over people and vehicles, with help from Virginia Tech experts and facilities.
Skydio, a California company, received approval in January for its Skydio X10 drone, a parachute-equipped vehicle used in public safety, utilities and national security, according to a Virginia Tech news release. The FAA’s declaration of compliance gives Skydio an exception to its rule against operators flying above people or vehicles.
The drone maker worked with Virginia Tech’s Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, or MAAP, an FAA-approved test site, and its Center for Injury Biomechanics to receive compliance.
A Skydio representative said that federal approval to fly over people and vehicles is good news for all the company’s customers, in particular, more than 1,000 police departments, including Las Vegas, New York City and San Francisco, according to the news release.
Skydio, MAAP and the Center for Injury Biomechanics used a method in the FAA rules to show that the X10 is safe to operate in such environments.
Other companies that Virginia Tech has assisted in gaining FAA compliance since 2022 are Sinclair Broadcast Group and the global real estate company CoStar Group Inc.
The parachute was important in the Skydio work, MAAP Chief Engineer Robert Briggs said in the news release.
“We worked with the FAA for a couple years and got approval to add parachutes into our means of compliance testing, but this is the first one we’ve done,” Briggs said. “It helped us learn some of what we didn’t know, and now that we’ve successfully done it, we’re definitely well positioned to test more drones with parachutes, which is exciting.”
Another Virginia Tech participant was the university’s helmet lab. In testing, researchers crashed a drone into a test dummy equipped with head and neck sensors that helped evaluate how the drone would react and what damage it could cause.
NRCC, George Mason University create cybersecurity partnership
New River Community College is teaming up with George Mason University to create a cybersecurity transfer pathway.
Representatives from the two institutions met at NRCC’s Christiansburg location to sign an agreement allowing students who complete NRCC’s applied science degree in information technology/cybersecurity to transfer into a similar bachelor’s degree at Mason, according to a news release last week. Students may pursue the GMU degree either online or on-site in Fairfax County.
Tuition-free attendance is also possible through a GMU grant that closes financial gaps for undergraduate tuition beyond grants and scholarships.
GMU will provide one-on-one advising to NRCC students to support a smooth transition. Students must successfully complete the NRCC degree with at least a C in all required coursework.