As it has become inevitable that drone technology will play a key role in our everyday lives, research is catching up to regulatory roadblocks with communications tech company Mobilicom (ASX: MOB) the latest to secure a drone research contract from Space Florida. 

The project will see Mobilcom partner with U.S-based drone company Censys to develop a communications system for drones and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) that can enable safe operation in civilian airspace. 

 “The coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated the need for fast delivery, without human involvement in the delivery. This has led to accelerated testing and deployment programs for the use of drones in several fields,” said Mobilicom CEO, Oren Elkayam.

“The solution being developed with Censys is solving a major reliability aspect, which is a focus of the US Federal Aviation Authority. It will enable the drone and UAS market to continue to grow by addressing the key needs and trends of autonomous beyond line-of-sight operation.” 

“The biggest hurdle for mass drone deployment in civil applications remains regulatory requirements imposed by aviation authorities and this solution is another step to solving these issues.” 

Having partnered with Censys on a previous project which led Censys to adopt Mobilicom’s communications equipment, this Space Florida Project will see the two firms collaborate for the next 2 years. In particular, the partnership will target activities such as drone delivery services, infrastructure inspection, security and law enforcement with a budget of $770k for the first 12 months with more funds expected in the second year. 

Via this Space Florida Project, Mobilicom is expected to further strengthen their relationship with Censys and open opportunities for the sale of Mobilicom tech to Censys and other American drone manufacturers. Together, the partnership is aiming to ‘make impossible critical communications possible’. 

This technology has already been significantly advanced by Mobilicom which proposes a two concurrent wideband transmitting transceivers, with auto redundancy capability and on-going data-reception analysis for selecting the best momentary communication link.

Space Florida was created to strengthen Florida’s position as a global leader in aerospace research and attract the next generation of space business to the State. 

Securing one of four research contracts awarded by South Florida, the win follows a similar appointment earlier in the month when Mobilicom was appointed to the Wireless Intelligent Networks Consortium to optimise Israeli 5G cellular technology using wireless AI. 

MOB shares responded well to their new contract, reach a high of $0.081 in morning trade, a rise of 12.5% from their previous $0.072 close.