St. Petersburg Launches Lab to Test Drone Deployment Scenarios
The new facility will model flight missions and operational scenarios for unmanned aircraft systems under near-real-world conditions.
A laboratory dedicated to testing the deployment of unmanned aerial systems in the transport sector has opened at Saint Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation.
Students will be able to develop autonomous flight programs, practice real-time drone control, ensure system stability under external stress, experiment with managing multiple systems simultaneously, and build software for unmanned aircraft systems.
The lab includes a research center and a specialized indoor flight arena. A local positioning system at the site functions as an indoor equivalent of GPS, allowing drones to navigate precisely without a satellite signal.
In addition to drones, the facility features flight simulators with pilot training software, workstations for processing drone data, and ground control and communications systems.
Expanding Drone Adoption Across the Economy
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a series of directives aimed at accelerating the deployment of autonomous systems across various sectors of the economy.
The country is expected to establish research centers and testing grounds for certifying unmanned systems, as well as develop supporting infrastructure and communications solutions for monitoring, identification, and control of autonomous systems.
Putin also instructed officials to create a system for training and retraining specialists in unmanned systems. The government and the Russian Academy of Sciences are to submit proposals for establishing a center focused on developing integrated hardware and software technologies for autonomous systems.
In addition, Putin called for consideration of “experimental legal regimes necessary for the use of ground-based autonomous systems.” By August 1, the State Duma and the Russian government are expected to adopt legislation governing unmanned vehicles.
