Game of Drones (High Country News)

by | Dec 22, 2014 | NEWS/EVENT

High Country News examines  the work being done in drone technology at UNLV and at Skyworks in Henderson, as well as the current legal status of drone use in Southern Nevada. Read the story...

Press Release — College of Engineering Hires Renowned UAS Expert Paul Oh

by | Oct 21, 2014 | NEWS/EVENT

Oh will create unmanned autonomous systems lab, head DARPA robotics challenge. The UNLV Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering is pleased to announce the hiring of Paul Oh, an internationally renowned expert in unmanned autonomous systems research with more than 20 years of experience in the robotics and unmanned aerial vehicles industry. Oh joined UNLV in August as the Lincy Professor of Unmanned Aerial Systems for the College of Engineering. He will establish a UAS lab with a humanoid robots and a fleet of drones and brings with him over $1 million in grant research. He joins UNLV from Drexel University in Philadelphia. “This is one of the best hires the College of Engineering has ever made,” said Rama Venkat, dean of the College of Engineering. “With the addition of Professor Oh, this sets the stage for UNLV to become an international leader in discovering the most updated applications for autonomous systems.” Oh said he was inspired to join UNLV because of the university’s commitment to statewide economic diversification and desire to nurture the young UAS industry. Less than one year ago Nevada received the FAA designation to become a testing location for UAS. UNLV strives to become an intellectual and research hub for the burgeoning industry. “The College of Engineering has been engaged in over a decade of unmanned aerial vehicles research and we are well positioned to see this field really blossom,” Oh said. “It’s exciting to be front row and center and see how state and private industry is committed to this vision for the region and nation.” Oh is a former program director for robotics...

UNLV News Center – Taking Flight

by | Jun 19, 2014 | NEWS/EVENT

UNLV research, a new FAA designation, and state economic development efforts offer clear skies for Nevada’s growing drone industry. l Greg Friesmuth wanted for Christmas as a sixth-grader was a Lego Mindstorms kit. The kits for building programmable robots were new and pricey at the time, so he was thrilled he when he unwrapped three packages of them. He tinkered with those robots, building and rebuilding them throughout high school in Riverside, Calif. When he followed his sister to UNLV for college, he already knew he wanted a career in robotics. Here his ideas quite literally took flight. Under the watch of professor Woosoon Yim, Friesmuth dove head first into the development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also sometimes referred to as “drones.” As head of UNLV’s Intelligent Structures and Control Laboratory, Yim had just landed a federal research grant in partnership with Sandia National Laboratories to develop an autonomous system for doing the hazardous job of measuring radiation levels inside a domed nuclear power plant. Friesmuth stepped up to design and build a drone to carry sensory equipment. “It was an up and coming thing,” Friesmuth said about the research work. “I knew (flying UAVs) was going to be popular, and I kind of latched onto them as my specialty.” His timing couldn’t have been more perfect. The prototype developed with the help of Yim has spawned Skyworks Aerial Systems, a UNLV student-based startup that is winning over investors and showcasing the talent available in the state. [Related story: “From Student Project to Start Up“] “I guess (those Legos) turned out to be the best investment in my...