Sensors for Drone Applications

Drones use many sensors for perception — to enable them to navigate, avoid obstacles, and stabilize themselves — while, at the same time, also exploit a diverse suite of sensors to carry out a variety of tasks, such as ground surveying, infrastructure inspection, and gas-leak detection.

This two-day workshop will feature 10+ hours of content with more than 230 slides developed and presented by Harvey Weinberg, Director of Sensor Technologies at Microtech Ventures.

We will discuss the full spectrum of sensors used in drone applications. In particular, we will cover sensors used for perception (e.g. cameras, LIDAR, and radar), sensors used for navigation and stability (e.g. GNSS, barometric pressure, gyros, and accelerometers), as well as several application-specific sensors (e.g. thermal cameras and spectrometers). We will describe the principles of operation for each sensor and explore which applications benefit from their use. The workshop will include a comprehensive look at the following sensor modalities:

1) Perception sensors: visible light cameras, monocular cameras, stereo cameras, time-of-flight cameras, LIDAR, radar, ultrasonic

2) Navigation and stability sensors: accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, barometric pressure sensors, GNSS, IMUs

3) Application specific sensors: IR cameras, thermal cameras, spectrometers, multispectral cameras, hyperspectral cameras, radiometers

We will also provide an overview of notable players drone sensors makers such as: AgEagle, Ainstein, Analog Devices, Autel Robotics, Ball Aerospace, Basler, Bosch Sensortec, Bridger Photonics, Colybris, Cubert, DJI, Echodyne, Emlid, Espros, FPV3DCAM, Geometrics, Gremsy, Headwall Photonics, Hesai, Infineon, Intel, Jabil, Konica-Minolta, LIDIRit, Livox, MicaSense, Parrot, Pergam, PhaseOne, PNI, Purway Innovation, Pix4D, Propeller, Riegl, Resonon, Rock Robotic, Sentera, Sierra-Olympia Technologies, Septentrio, Sony, SPH Engineering, STMicroelectronics, Superior Sensor Technology, Specim, Stereolabs, TE Connectivity, Teledyne FLIR, Terrarad Tech, Texas Instruments, Velodyne, Vzense, Workswell, WSL, and Zenmuse (non-exhaustive list).

This workshop will be presented by Harvey Weinberg, Director of Sensor Technologies at Microtech Ventures, a global firm focused on investments, M&A advisory services, management consulting, and business development for sensors, MEMS, and microtechnology companies.