DBAS: Distributed BVLOS Aviation System

Research area	5G & Beyond
Dates	1st December 2020 - 31st March 2022
Funder	Innovate UK
Contact person	Professor Reza Nejabati

The Distributed BVLOS Aviation System (DBAS) project will enable to safely and remotely inspect and monitor construction and industrial sites, and remotely support emergency services personnel. The funding that we have been awarded with will allow to accelerate the development of an advanced Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) aviation system and its integration into the wider aviation ecosystem. This system, which comprises autonomous drones under tight human supervision, is designed to enable commercial BVLOS drone services at scale alongside manned aviation, particularly in industrial and urban environments.

This project will build a strong foundation from which the consortium can later extend to address more challenging and higher value use-cases such as aerial logistics and urban air mobility. As a leading research institution in 5G and Beyond, Smart Internet Lab researchers at University of Bristol will push the boundaries of telecommunication research and explore how end-to-end network architecture can be utilised to facilitate autonomous operation of future drones.

As a leading research institution in 5G and beyond, we will provide expertise on the design of end-to-end network architecture for the future operation of drones. Our experts will evaluate a combination of multiple 3GPP (4G and 5G), non 3GPP (WiFi), MEC and network slicing technologies in multi-operator settings with private and public operators. We are very well placed to train the next generation of engineers with unique and cross disciplinary skills in integration of telecommunication with drone systems.

Professor Reza Nejabati, Principal Investigator

Bristol’s Smart Internet Lab helps accelerate UK’s capabilities in drone operations