ENAC: A new post-doctorate for the Chair on Drone Systems

Jacson-Miguel Olszanecki-Barth joined the ENAC-Groupe ADP-Sopra Steria Research Chair on Drone Systems teams in June 2020. He talks about his career and research topics in a three-question interview.

Can you summarise your educational background and professional experience?

I obtained my MSc degree in Electrical & Control Engineering – specialising in control of dynamic systems – from the Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse (INP-ENSEEIHT) with a double MSc degree in Operational Research (OR) from ISAE-SUPAERO in 2016. I then started my PhD thesis at ISAE-SUPAERO in partnership with ENAC, where I contributed to the design and development of new control algorithms for Transitioning Micro Air Vehicles.

As a member of the Chair, what will your assignments be?

My role involves providing supplementary information for UTM (Unmanned Aerial System Traffic Management) to improve both guidance and path planning services (geofencing, dynamic geofencing and conflict resolution) of Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) operations in an airport scenario. By defining a qualitative and quantitative performance model of UAS that describe their dynamic capabilities, we will be able to evaluate and design guidance algorithms for safe integration of UAS in the busy civil airspace.

What challenges await drone technology in your opinion?

First, from a technical point of view, I think that the insertion of UAS in civil airspace requires the improvement of UTM and its interaction with manned aircraft. For that the development of robust guidance strategies combined with detection and avoidance of dynamic obstacles is key and remains challenging. A second challenge concerns general public support for privacy and public safety. These issues can be addressed through regulatory measures with risk assessment analysis and the design of safe autopilot systems that detect faults and provide a scenario in case of failure, such as automatic landings. This will ensure a higher degree of reliability for the system which could promote public acceptance of UAS services producing benefits for all stakeholders.