During the next edition of Amsterdam Drone Week, a new international platform will be launched that aims to connect drone researchers, research institutions and companies from all over the world. The platform will be called Drone Fusion and is an initiative of researcher Thierry Tartarin and lecturer Heino Brink.

Promoting knowledge sharing

Drones have the potential to provide many jobs and activities in the coming years. But to make that possible, knowledge sharing is a requirement, the initiators argue. According to them, training institutions must now respond to this development in order not to miss the boat soon.

During his PhD research at TU Delft, Thierry Tartarin found out that many drone researchers are doing their work in relative isolation. This created the idea to promote contacts between drone researchers, via an online platform. “People who deal with the technical aspects of drones have little to no contact with people who deal with the legal aspects or laws and regulations. While those different disciplines do influence each other.”

The idea of connecting researchers resonated with one another at Heino Brink, lecturer at the County College in Doetinchem. “We’ve been experimenting with drones for a while. We teach in the field of laws and regulations and flying skills. And we are researching the sustainability of drones, in collaboration with our automotive departments. We are now in the phase of adapting our curriculum to train our students for the work that will be needed in the future.”

The idea behind Drone Fusion is that researchers, companies and institutions can enter into contact with each other in an accessible way to share knowledge. The scope is immediately international. Tartarin: “If you see the European Union’s drones ambitions and at the same time know that curriculum changes are traditionally slow to take place, you understand that we have no time to lose. We as an education must be ready if this development really takes off. Not only in the Netherlands, but worldwide.”

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Drone Fusion platform will be officially launched during the next edition of ADW Hybrid, which will take place from 18 to 20 January 2022, and the aim is to develop a website where participants from all over the world their research or research questions with each other can share. Parties wishing to join the Drone Fusion movement are encouraged to contact the initiators in advance.