Terry Sando is the Director of UAS Sector Development at the Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corporation. The Grand Forks EDC promotes economic development in the Northeast North Dakota region, working to establish new wealth and job growth for the City and County of Grand Forks and outlying regional communities. Among the leading industries that the EDC targets is the Unmanned Industry. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Terry talks about the efforts of the Grand Forks EDC to encourage and support the growth and formation of UAS companies and offers lessons to other economic development professionals on how to nurture this fast growing industry in their regions.
Today's guest says we already have. Alex Caccia is a serial entrepreneur, with start-ups in hardware and software, as well as sports equipment. He is also the CEO of Animal Dynamics, a spinout company from the Department of Zoology at Oxford University. Animal Dynamics is setting out to develop a portfolio of products derived from research into evolutionary adaptions in flight, swimming, walking, based on the fundamentals mechanisms of high-performance animals. Their current project, the Skeeter Drone, is micro droned with flapping wings like a dragon fly. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Alex talks about Animal Dynamics, the science behind looking at high performance animals, the Skeeter Drone, and the role of university based research in launching new technologies.
The View From The Great Plains
In this third segment of Stories of the Drone, we travel to the Great Plains, to the town of Mandan, North Dakota to talk with Marlo Anderson. Marlo, also known as the "Guru of Geek", is the host of the Tech Ranch, a weekly radio program featuring technology for everyday use. He is also co-founder of Zoovio, Inc., Awesome 2 Products and NationalDayCalendar.com.
Marlo is actively involved in promoting unmanned and robotics technology in North Dakota. In this edition of the Drone Radio Show, Marlo talks about his Tech Ranch radio show, how drones are viewed in the Great Plains, the origin of 1 Million Cups and its impact on the drone industry, the efforts to create an Autonomous Friendly Corridor and his latest venture, the National Day Calandar. We’ll also talk a little about Drone Focus 2017 which begins on May 31st, which coincidently is also marked as National Autonomous Vehicle Day.
Todd Wahl is the President of Multi GP, the premier FPV racing league uniting pilots across the globe in casual and competitive events. Todd is a lifelong entrepreneur and technologist who sold his technology consulting company to focus fulltime on growing Multi GP’s FPV Sports offerings. He has been involved in drone racing for years, having organized and managed Atlanta’s Drone Racing Club and working to involve people at all levels of the sport. In this episode of the Drone Radio Show, Todd talks about Multi GP, the current state of drone racing, the Multi GP Drone Championship and how drone racing could very well become the next organized college sports sensation.
Can We Really Have an Impact?
David Rovira is the Regional Manager SensFly, a drone manufacture and services company based in Switzerland. He is also the director of Drone Adventures, a non-profit organization comprised of SenseFly employees who banded to make a difference. Their goal is to demonstrate and promote the great potential of drones to protect our planet and support local communities. On this episode of the Drone Radio Show, David talks about Drone Adventures, how it was formed, some of the missions that have been undertaken and how a group of like-minded employees are using their passion for drones to make a difference in the lives of people and communities across the globe.