Feature

Utah Companies Show Well at AUVSI Convention in San Diego

As you know, Utah is well known for its spectacular vistas, magnificent skiing and many other recreational opportunities, but don’t forget its airspace.

That’s right. The restricted air and ground space of Utah’s west desert has become the preferred location to test and evaluate unmanned vehicles for military and commercial applications. Having the most open air and ground space in the country has drawn the attention of leading military groups and commercial enterprises within the unmanned vehicle industry, many of which want to test and evaluate their systems here, says Marshall Wright, director of business development in the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED).

Wright just returned from the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems (AUVSI) 2008 Convention, held last week in San Diego, where he led a contingency of Utah organizations participating in the convention’s Utah Pavilion.

The AUVSI convention is the world’s largest event focusing on the international ground, air and maritime unmanned systems marketplace. As such, it hosts the largest gathering of government, business, technology and academic leaders in the unmanned systems community. Wright says there were some 4,000 attendees and 275 exhibitors from over 30 countries there.

This is the third year that GOED has lead a Utah contingency at the convention and the effort has paid off by attracting a number of military-related unmanned systems programs to Dugway and Hill Air Force Base, to use their air and ground space. While most of the interest in Utah has come from the Department of Defense, Utah is attracting a lot of interest from commercial enterprises developing unmanned vehicle systems.

“Companies and military programs developing unmanned vehicle systems need a lot of space where there is no public encroachment. We have some great corridors here that are free of commercial aviation and controlled by either Dugway or Hill,” says Wright.

One company, General Atomics, which developed the Predator unmanned aircraft, is currently working on a partnership with Hill. Another company, yet to be announced, is interested in bringing its new unmanned vehicle program to Utah for final assembly, testing and evaluation.

Wright says all eight of the Utah Pavilion participants attracted attention for their unique products and applications. Utah-based Marshall Electronics, which got its start building small locators for falconry enthusiasts, now makes a tiny transponder for small, hand-launched unmanned vehicle systems. Wright says the product has opened up a whole new market for the company and created a lot of buzz at the convention.

Another draw at the convention came from Flying Sensors, a Utah company developing surveillance and video capabilities for unmanned vehicles using technology first introduced at Brigham Young University. And the entrepreneurial company Hyperblimp drew attention for its ultra-streamlined, low drag, helium-filled airships, which will be used for unmanned aerial surveillance.

Other companies in the Utah Pavilion included:

• ImSAR, which has developed a revolutionary, lightweight radar system called NanoSAR using “synthetic aperature radar" (SAR) for unmanned aerial vehicles. Wright says ImSAR has participated in the Utah pavilion for several years and is now attracting business from both commercial aviation and military programs.
   
• Applied Engineering Products, which has developed a robotic vehicle for the disarming and clearance of land mines.
   
• ATK, which manufactures composite structures for unmanned platforms.

 
• L-3 Communication Systems - West, which designs and manufactures communications systems for manned and unmanned surveillance platforms. (L-3 Communications Systems – West also took part in parent booth for L-3 Communications.)

Three other Utah companies had their own exhibit space at the convention:

• Kairos Automni, which builds unmanned ground vehicles for military and commercial applications.
   
• Autonomous Solutions Inc. (ASI) – a Cache Valley company, designs and manufactures unmanned vehicle systems, software and components for a variety of industrial and military customers.
   
• Procerus Technologies, which develops and markets an autopilot system for mini and micro unmanned aerial vehicles.

Representatives from both Dugway Proving Grounds and Hill Air Force Base were on hand at the convention, as well. Also of note, several representatives from the U.S. Forest Service (with whom Wright is working) led discussions at the convention about the use of unmanned vehicles for the prediction and fighting of forest fires.

Wright says the AUVSI convention is an important event for Utah and its growing cluster of companies with products in the unmanned vehicle systems industry. The convention helps Utah companies attract business, especially from Department of Defense programs; it attracts companies to Utah as the preferred place to test and evaluate their products; and it draws attention to Utah as a great place to locate a business.