AUVSI’s Unmanned Vehicle Systems Expo is the premier forum for reviewing, and experiencing the current and future use of unmanned systems and robotics technology. Attendees included experts in Law Enforcement, Public Safety, Education, Military and Industry organizations from around the globe who use robotic applications.

AUVSI is a worldwide robotics technology and industry leader and is a long-term partner with U.S. Army for unmanned system developments, particularly in shaping the future of unmanned ground vehicle technology and systems that are saving Soldiers lives.

The Fort Benning/Columbus Chapter of AUVSI supports local K-12th grade education by awarding annual scholarships to the Huntsville Space Camp, judging Science Fairs, and Robotic Competition.  The AUVSI local chapter provides speakers who, in addressing students, encourage attaining science undergraduate degrees as being crucial in the development of advanced technology.

Exhibitors showcased and demonstrated remote-controlled unmanned equipment highlighting the value of unmanned systems in the scientific, intelligence, law enforcement, homeland security and first responder communities. Land, air, or water, robotic use is expanding.

Speaker programs offered morning and afternoon sessions and included presentations from Georgia Tech, military and corporate personnel. Mr. Donald M. Sando,
Director of Capabilities Development and Integration 
Maneuver Center of Excellence, addressed attendees during lunch about the importance of robotics and its role in military technology. The Valley Partnership co hosted the event and sponsored lunch.

You can order tacos, transfer money with your bank, make restaurant reservations, have a video teleconference, bid on auctions andplay games from handheld mobile devices. You can even operate an unmanned aircraft (a Parrot AR.Drone – http://ardrone.parrot.com) with an iPhone app! Did you think you would say, as little as five years ago, that you would be able to fly a UAS with a phone? There’s also the new iPad-powered AVA robot from iRobot unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show last month. It can digitally map out an area and be recalled to that area by touching the desired place on the screen.

Expanding our Toolboxes

As professionals, you probably have become accustomed to using widely accepted programs like Outlook, Excel and even Word. These are tools, just like a carpenter uses a hammer. The good news is that due to technology advancements, specifically mobile technology, our toolboxes are expanding. The possibilities are endless. Here are some examples of tools you might find useful:

• Zamzar (www.zamzar.com) helps you convert PDF documents to various formats, including Word.

• Keeper (www.callpod.com/products/keeper) is a password and data vault for laptops, desktops and mobile devices. Similarly, LastPass (http://lastpass.com) is a personal data management tool which controls all logins with a master password.

• If you are a speaker, consider using a program such as Prezi (www.prezi.com) to deliver your next presentation. This type of presentation will replace PowerPoint once and for all (hooray!).

• By following major news outlets on Twitter, you can have one stop to find out what’s going on in the news world as well as what’s going on in your friends’ and family’s worlds. TweetDeck (www.tweetdeck.com) and HootSuite (www.hootsuite.com) allow you to pin streams of different search terms and other filters right next to each other to make the most of your screen’s real estate.

• Do you find yourself having jaw-dropping thoughts while you drive? You want to write things down but that would be dangerous. Jawbone Thoughts (www.jawbone.com/thoughts) is an app that lets you send quick voice messages to friends/groups or save them for yourself to review later.

Did you notice that at AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems North America 2010 there was very little paper involved in the registration process? For the planning of the 2006 show, it is estimated that more than 15,000 pieces of paper were used for registration alone. While the attendees almost doubled, the amount of paper AUVSI used for the 2010 registration process was about 2,000 sheets. In a society where “going green” is the key phrase for businesses hoping to lessen their carbon footprint, technology is the key. A small investment in time to learn (most apps or tools referenced here are free) might save you time and money in the future.

If you already feel behind the curve, it’s not too late to jump on. Increase your productivity today by searching the app store for your iPhone, iPod, iPad, Blackberry or Android device. Or check out some of the web-based tools mentioned above.

If you want to get started, you will notice that some stories in this issue of Unmanned Systems have digital barcodes. These black and white squares can be scanned using any smart phone or tablet with a barcode application. They will direct you to a website that has video or information corresponding to an article. One highly rated application is called i-nigma from 3GVision LTD (www.i-nigma.com).