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Tech-Op-ed March, 2019 SOUNDING OFF


By Michael Skinner Editor


A Hum in the Air: Drone Delivery


T


ransporting packages that range from the mundane to critically life-sav- ing, drone delivery is finally taking off. The concept was publicized wide- ly in December 2013, after Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ announcement that


the company was planning to use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to deliv- er Amazon Prime orders. This was immediately met with skepticism about the drones’ safety, reliability, ability to navigate in crowded airspace, concerns about privacy and regulation, and questions about vandalism and thievery — of both drones and their cargo. While the popular conversation has been focused largely on fast order


fulfillment for small consumer goods and late-night take out from local restau- rants, the technology is cropping up in far-flung places. In Rowanda, in 2016, U.S. startup Zipline delivered two units of pedi-


atric O+ red blood cells over a distance of nearly 60 miles to a remote hospi- tal, where a young girl suffering from malaria was given a blood transfusion. The drone covered the distance in less than 10 minutes, effectively saving the girl’s life. The country’s haphazard and poorly maintained roads would have snarled a vehicle for roughly three hours to make the same delivery, which, according to the doctors, would have been too long for the child to wait. Zipline has announced its expansion into Tanzania, and since 2016, has


completed more than 4,000 deliveries. Its latest drone, the Zip 2, can reach speeds of up to 79 mph, carrying nearly four pounds of cargo. However, drones are also being used for less sanguine purposes. Between


2013 and 2015 there were at least three reported attempts of drones being used to deliver contraband into U.S. prisons and four reported international- ly, in Australia, Britain, Canada, and Ireland. In one prison in South Caroli- na, drones were used to deliver cell phones to prison inmates, allowing them to communicate with each other and make payments to their companions on the outside. Last August, in dramatic and nearly world-changing fashion, two drones


packed with explosives flew toward Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, detonating above him while he gave a speech at a military parade in Caracas. Video from the event shows him look up suddenly, startled by the blast, while soldiers rush to cover him. The accessibility of drones is also causing trouble for regular air traffic.


In January, Newark airport suspended flights after a drone was reported nearby. Earlier in the month, Heathrow airport was also closed due to drone sightings. A similar situation at London’s Gatwick airport before Christmas caused the grounding of flights for more than 36 hours. EasyJet recently re- ported that it had lost nearly $20 million due to the event. And, in none of these cases was anything actually damaged, though the concern remains. In December, an Aeromexico Boeing 737 reportedly crashed into a drone while flying, damaging the plane’s nose, and forcing it down for an emergency land- ing in Tijuana. Drone defense is particularly tricky. They are small, agile and can be


easily replaced. In 2016, a drone flown from Syria into Israel required two Pa- triot missiles and rockets from a fighter jet to bring down. The risks of firing bullets, rockets or lasers near a civilian airport to deter drones are obviously too great. More creative solutions include using a second drone equipped with a net-gun to snag the offending drone, and electronic countermeasures that jam the drone’s functions. Police in the Netherlands even briefly attempted to use trained eagles to bring down drones. While proper regulation is the major hurdle for commercial drone deliv-


ery at the moment, the industry is radically growing. According to a 2018 PwC study, the global drone market is worth at least $130 billion. Around 35 per- cent of that value comes from infrastructure, while agriculture accounts for another sizable chunk, about 25 percent. The rest is split between segments that include transportation, security, media and entertainment, and telecom- munications. The versatility of drone technology will make it an everyday part of our


lives in the future. Let’s hope it keeps its rotors from being completely tangled in red tape. r


PUBLISHER’S NOTE


By Jacob Fattal Publisher


Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan,” outlining a national strategy to dominate the global AI industry by 2030. The three-step plan seeks to match AI funding by 2020, develop two breakthroughs by 2025 and lead the world in AI technology by 2030. Elsewhere, the U.K., Germany, France, Canada, and Russia are all generously funding their own AI projects. The U.S. has led the development of AI for years, but until recently, has


Battle of Wits: AI W


had no central policy. This changed on February 11 when U.S. President Don- ald Trump signed an executive order prioritizing the development of AI and officially establishing the American AI Initiative. America’s powerful research infrastructure is at the front of the pack,


but China’s aggressive AI industry has grown 67 percent over the last year to a value of nearly $150 billion. The is the result of China’s huge infusion of cash into AI startups, ramping up from 11 percent of global funding in 2016 to 48 percent last year. China’s strategy has been directed almost exclusively by its government,


but in the U.S., the pressure has come from the marketplace. Last December, the CEOs of Google, Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, and Qualcomm met at the White House to brainstorm ideas about how to stay ahead in the fields of AI, quan- tum computing and 5G technology. In the electronics manufacturing industry, the race is heating up as well.


Over the last year, AI was a major focus at nearly every trade show we cov- ered. Earlier this year, it was one of the most prominent topics at IPC APEX. It is also sure to be heavily featured in Shanghai at NEPCON China, in April. The implications of AI in manufacturing cannot be overstated. Our ear-


liest forms of AI are taking shape through machine learning and data analyt- ics. Sophisticated algorithms are already improving digital machine monitor- ing and control, software for specific tasks like inspection, and factory-wide MES software to optimize material handling, personnel flow, production, and maintenance schedules. The foundation for general AI is be-


ing laid. While it may be many years be- fore we see a system that we believe to be truly “intelligent,” the concept is far more than artificial. r


hile the race to be the first to create general artificial intelligence (AI) is global, the two main powerhouses of AI research and development remain the U.S. and China. Back in 2017, China published its “Next


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