Mr. Nico Nijenhuis CEO Clearflight Solutions, Member MANCEF
Dr. Rainer Harms, University of Twente, Nikos, MANCEF member
Dr. Steven Walsh, Distinguished and Regents Professor at UNM, Institute Professor of Entrepreneurial Renewal of Industrial, University of Twente, Past President of MANCEF
Hype or solution?
Are Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV or drones) trending for use or caught in the downward spiral of the Hype cycle? Even though the “Toy” version of UAVs are still at the pinnacle of customer acceptance and were this Christmas seasons’ most purchase gift with over 1 million units sold - industrial solutions have not fared as well. Industrial UAV solutions seem caught in the “Through of Disillusionment.” Interestingly, this is due to no fault of the UAV manufacturer. Unlike most emerging technologies based products, which find themselves in the Hype Cycle “Through” because they did not meet technology utility expectations, UAV developers find themselves in this predicament mainly through public regulation.
Take for example the Amazon Prime project, which focuses on parcel delivery via drones. Many view Amazon as “Visionaries” that saw the potential that UAV’s brought to their industries. However, many also see Amazon as embracing the UAV “Hype” without a full grasp of how to first understand and then work within UAV governance by regulatory agencies. In the United States (US) the Federal Aviations Administration (FAA) religiously protects its airspace and most US residents want them to. This has lead to unexpected hurdles to industrial UAV use. Further, the flight of a “Toy” drone on the US Whitehouse’s grounds certainly did not help the industry. Finally this further emphasizes the huge gap between toy or hobbyist use and industrial application that are the harbingers of a new industry.
Another example of regulation as it applies to UAV’s is found in Europe. Drone developers in the Netherlands where stymied by traditional regulations placed without understanding of drone use rendering some of the drone’s value mute. For example, here, an industrial size drone with a camera for industrial inspection requires a team of three to operate it. One to “Pilot,” one to observe and “Co-Pilot” and one to act as a “Payload Operator” and to control the camera. Governmental bodies have hindered industrial UAV applications in a variety of worldwide regions. Yet, incongruently it is these same governments that are enacting inhibitory regulations that also see value in UAV development and are indeed the “Lead Users” in a number of areas. World governments are the initiators of drone development for military use and more recently for public safety and security concerns.
Caught up in this melee are groups of leading edge emerging technology based UAV or drone developers that have identified exceptional problems and provided uniquely valuable solutions. They face greater hurdles to commercialisation than ever before. What are these firms doing to overcome regulation based on dated views of the aviation industry?
One of the actions taken by these entrepreneurial developers is becoming experts in international regulation concerning drones and their trends in different regions. Another is emphasising their non-traditional UAV technologies. Let’s view the example of Clear Flight Solutions www.clearflightsolutions.com. Clear Flight Solutions Inc. develops robotic birds of prey as well as other birdlike UAV’s for a variety of application. Most known for their birds of prey that that perform bird control for airports, harbors, waste management and large scale agriculture they UAV that Clear Flight Solution “Robird” provide unprecedented effectiveness in creating long term bird based damage. See figure 1 of Clear Flight Solutions’ Peregrine Falcon “Robird”. Companies such as Clear Flight Solutions are becoming part of their own future by not only having unique technology based competencies but also creating great managerial capabilities. These managerial capabilities are generated through specialized board and committee membership for worldwide regulatory bodies that are seeking new and more appropriate governance of the UAV industry.
First, as any entrepreneurial firm with a value laced vision, Clear flight Solutions (CFS) demonstrated their value where regulatory hurdles could be easily overcome. In doing so they earned the trust of venture firms and demonstrated the efficacy of their value statement and gaining a greater understanding of how to work with regulatory bodies as developer versus fight with regulatory body as customers often do. Today firms like CFS have development a deep understanding how the system of aviation not only does business but its ethos. As an accepted insider these firms are helping to affect real regulatory change for the good of all. Now, for example, CFS and other firms are tackling the more regulatory intensive applications for their products.
CFS, is now embracing airport and harbor needs, which represent the two most intensively regulated arenas. Airports in most countries can use real falcon which is problematic as real falcons cannot be cannot be controlled once in the air. Now, CFS is just now in the process of getting their 100% controllable “Robird” in a approval cycle. Once this uncontrolled real bird versus controlled “Robird” utility was a source of corporate frustration. Now CFS’s understanding of the regulatory system is a foundation for their future success.
Today working together with airports new procedures are being developed. This group of UAV developers and airports are now working as a group work interacting with the governmental aviation authorizes to input processes that protect the public and provide for rigorous approval processes. Doing this together with the entire supply, customer and regulatory supply chain helps insure success and safety for our emerging technology.
Nico Nijenhuis studied Applied Physics and Engineering Fluid Dynamics at the University of Twente. During his studies he spent time in Malawi, Africa with local tobacco farmers, wrote his Bachelor thesis at CERN in Geneva, and did an internship at the Dutch Aerospace Laboratory NLR during his Master, where he developed and validated a novel theory for the aerodynamic Near Ground Effect. Soon after being handed an early prototype of a Robird by his professor, Nico founded Clear Flight Solutions and started working on the further development and commercialization of the technology. The company now has 15 employees and completely focuses on the development and operation of their Robirds and other (bird-like) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) technologies in wildlife control and wildlife protection. www.clearflightsolutions.com.
Rainer Harms is a tenured associate Professor at NIKOS, University of Twente, and a visiting professor at the Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Institute for Industrial Economics and Management. Prior to this position, he was Assistant Professor at the Department of Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship, University of Klagenfurt, Austria (Habilitation), and Researcher at the WWU Münster, Germany (Doctorate). Rainer was Visiting Professor at the Vienna University of Economics and Business (Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien), at Klagenfurt University, and at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. His research interests are (international) entrepreneurship, firm growth, and innovation management.
Dr. Steven Walsh is a distinguished professor at UNM where he also holds the Regents professor at UNM’s Anderson School of Management. He also is the Institute Professor for Entrepreneurial Renewal of Industry at the University of Twente. He has many business service awards, including the Lifetime Achievement award for Commercialization of Micro and Nano Technology Firms from MANCEF. He has also been named as a Tech All Star from the State of New Mexico Economic Development Department and has been recognised by Albuquerque the Magazine as a leader in service to the economic community. He is a serial entrepreneur who has helped attract millions of dollars in venture capital to many firms.