ROBOTICA^SM UAS Summit Program

Wednesday, January 13, 2021 | Virtual

This panel will explore how different federal, state, and local jurisdictions can collaborate to fund, support, and grow emerging technologies and industries and how they must define new roles and responsibilities where uncertainty in authorities exist. The session will focus on the cross-jurisdictional legal and regulatory environment for a counter-UAS response, the management of low-altitude airspace to enable new UAS operations, and building public acceptance of advanced air mobility operations.

ENABLING UAS
What is the State’s Role in Helping to Shape Low-Altitude Airspace for Expanded UAS Operations?
Peter Sachs, UTM Implementation Program Manager, FAA UAS Integration Office
Dr. Scott A. Uebelhart, Chief Scientist, MassDOT Drone Program

ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY
How Do We Organize Stakeholders to Create a Strong Mobility Ecosystem that Nurtures Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Services?
Paige Scott Reed, Partner, Unmanned and Autonomous Systems Practice, Prince Lobel Tye LLP
Geoffrey Douglass, Shoreline Aviation

AIR DOMAIN AWARENESS
How Do We Enable Air Domain Awareness for Protection of State and Local Critical Infrastructure?   
Jarret Wright, Deputy Director for Corporate Security and Emergency Preparedness, Massport
Elizabeth Soltys, FAA's UAS Security Program Advisor to the Deputy Associate Administrator for Security and Hazardous (ASH) Materials Safety, FAA Security and Materials Safety

With so many new aircraft types entering civil airspace, many organizations are predicting a significant market expansion. Some organizations are investing now to develop this market, and others are poised to enter, waiting on demand signals to appear. This panel will discuss this potential new market, any issues or roadblocks surrounding it, and catalysts to accelerate the industry. Presentations about successful collaborations between industry, academia, and the government will illustrate how some barriers are already diminishing.    

MARKET DEVELOPMENT
Advanced Air Mobility - Market Development
Andrew Jetton, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Collins Aerospace (a Raytheon Technologies company)
Charlie Hipwood, President and Chief Executive Officer, MassVentures

ACHIEVING AN INTEGRATED AIRSPACE
Advanced Air Mobility - How Do We Get to an Integrated Airspace?
Dr. Heather Arneson, Urban Air Mobility Airspace Services Technical Lead, NASA Air Traffic Management-X
Dr. Waseem Naqvi, President, AUVSI New England and Chief Technology Officer, Raytheon Unmanned Vehicle Systems

EXPANDING TO ADJACENT OPPORTUNITIES
Shall We Pivot to a New Market?
Billy Thalheimer, Aviation Consultant
Jacob Ruytenbeek, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, SailPlan

Day 1: Recap and Closing Remarks

Thursday, January 14, 2021 | Virtual

Partnerships with academia serve a critical role in bringing new technologies and capabilities to the forefront for both industry and government. Typically academia focuses on cutting-edge research that may not hit the marketplace for several years. With the correct partnership models, these discoveries can quickly transition from academic labs to product lines, significantly reducing that timeline. The UAS/UAM industry boom is still in its infancy, with many advancements on its horizon. Academic research and development will play a crucial role here – and multi-sector partnerships will determine how and when products can go to market. In this session, we will discuss case studies on alliances between academia and industry related to UAS technologies and how those partnerships have helped or will help bring new products, systems, and services into the marketplace.

UTM/UAM SURVEILLANCE AND WEATHER NEEDS
CASA - UMass Amherst/Raytheon Radar Concept Through Production
Apoorva Bajaj, Innovation Manager, CASA Engineering Research Center, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Ralph Stoffler, Senior Solutions Architect, Raytheon

VEHICLE AND PAYLOAD COLLABORATION
Enabling the Future of Autonomous Navigation Through Research Partnerships for Rapid Innovation 
Thomas Vaneck, Vice President and Managing Director, AeroVironment Innovation Center – New England
Hanumant Singh, Professor, Kostas Research Institute at Northeastern University
Matthew Kling, ECUAS Lab Director, and Senior Research Scientist, Kostas Research Institute at Northeastern University

AI/ML UAS
Realizing AI/ML in UAS via the Air Force AI Accelerator at MIT
Victor "Salsa" Lopez, Captain, U.S. Air Force | Chief of Artificial Intelligence, Massachusetts Institute of Technology AI Accelerator
Sertac Karaman, Associate Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

This session will focus on making progress in the operational integration of unmanned and autonomous air systems by aligning government, industry, and academia around next-generation aviation and creating a roadmap for Massachusetts. On behalf of the State, MassDOT Aeronautics has goals that include Enabling UAS, Counter-UAS, AAM, and Test Ranges. It needs a roadmap to build support from state and local jurisdictions and the community. The industry needs to know if there will be a market, the market ground rules, and when the market will materialize. What are the critical questions we need to be asking, and what is the order in which we answer these questions? Academia will need to help us solve this puzzle. MassAutonomy will act as the glue and the grease between all these factions, facilitating the Commonwealth's understanding of the following questions: What public action is necessary to help develop the market? What are industry regulators and public funders likely to do? What are the further unknowns that academia might need to explore, and how should they be prioritized?

MASSACHUSETTS ROLE IN AAM DEVELOPMENT
What Role is Massachusetts Prepared to Play in Developing AAM?
Our fundamental goal is to have the most robust aviation system we can have, that always meets the needs of industry and the traveling public, that is always safe and secure, --and... To achieve those goals, we need to have a game plan for what we need to do, and when.
Dr. Jeffrey DeCarlo, Administrator, MassDOT Aeronautics Division
Joseph Donovan, Managing Director, Federal Strategies Team, Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough

POTENTIAL FOR INDUSTRY INVESTMENT
What Does Industry Need to “See” to Justify Investment in (and Perhaps With) Massachusetts?
Will There Be a Market, What Will the Ground Rules Be, and When Will the Market Materialize?
Mr. Frank J. Serna, Principal Director, Strategic Initiatives, Draper
Billy Thalheimer, Aviation Consultant

CAN MASSAUTONOMY HELP UNLOCK AAM DEVELOPMENT?
How Can MassAutonomy Be the Glue and the Grease to Unlock AAM Development?
How Can We (All of Us) Collaboratively Lay a Foundation and Create a Roadmap to Align Efforts and Unleash the Massachusetts AAM Market?
Daniel Chiofalo, Director of Business Development, MassAutonomy
Richard Davey, Partner and Associate Director, Boston Consulting Group 

Recap and Closing Remarks