Colby Harvey: Drones for Aircraft Inspections, Boeing, Air Force, Air Safety | Hard Tech Podcast #13

Hard Tech Podcast · 24 Sept 2023 · 41m

What this episode covers

Colby Harvey, CEO of UltraView, explains how his startup uses autonomous drones equipped with 3D LiDAR and AI to inspect aircraft for defects like stress fractures and lightning strikes. He discusses the company's design process with Hatch Duo, its customers including Boeing and the U.S. Air Force, and the regulatory challenges of FAA approval for outdoor inspections. Harvey also addresses the impact of automation on maintenance jobs, the technical failures behind the Boeing 737 Max crashes, and the future of hardware versus software in the tech industry.

Mentioned

Companies
UltraView, Boeing, U.S. Air Force, Delta, United, Lufthansa Technik, Hatch Duo, Skydio, SpaceX, Blue Origin, Boston Dynamics, FAA, EASA, Airbus
Products
B1 platform, C130, 737 Max, MCAS
Tools
LiDAR
Also
Red Dot Award, IF Award

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • EE Times Current · 41m

    Voice-Activated Everything on the Cheap | Jets & Hoverboards & Reliability | AVs: How Safe is Safe?

    EE Times editors Brian Santo, Junko Yoshida, and George Leopold discuss the tension between reliability and time-to-market, using the Boeing 737 Max crashes and the hoverboard safety crisis as case studies. They analyze the shift in autonomous vehicle safety from driver-assist systems to full autonomy, featuring insights from Phil Koopman of Edgecase Research on the engineering challenges of prediction and required reliability levels. The episode also covers the emergence of edge-based voice processing technologies from companies like Pico Voice and Pietro Electric as alternatives to cloud-based solutions.

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 16m

    198: Unmanned Flying Thingy

    Walter Stockwell, Director of Technical Standards at DJI, discusses the evolving regulatory landscape for drones, including the distinction between autonomous and remotely piloted systems, and the FAA's Part 107 certification requirements. He details the results of the ASSURE UAS Ground Collision Severity Evaluation, which used crash test dummies to determine that drone impacts pose significantly lower injury risks than solid objects of equivalent mass, influencing safety standards. Stockwell also explains the role of Designated Engineering Representatives (DERs) in aviation certification and the technical challenges of sensor fusion, such as Kalman and Madgwick filters, in maintaining stable flight.

  • EE Times Current · 15m

    Nvidia’s GTC | Boeing 737 Max | AI Special Projects

    Junko Yoshida, global coeditor of Aspencore Media, discusses the Boeing 737 Max crashes with editor-in-chief Brian Santo, attributing the failures to Boeing's decision to retrofit engines on an existing airframe and the resulting addition of the MCAS software as an afterthought. Rick Merritt reports on Nvidia's GTC conference, noting the absence of a 7nm GPU announcement, and previews an AI special project featuring insights from Dean Caiman of Cayman AI and HPE regarding the challenges of sensor fusion and neural network models. The episode also covers the U.S. Exascale supercomputer contract awarded to Intel and Cray, and a patent infringement verdict in the Qualcomm versus Apple case.

  • Coredump Sessions · 53m

    #020: The Hidden Architecture of Autonomy: How Skydio Drones Think, See, and Connect

    Ross Yeager, VP of Device Platform Software at Skydio, discusses the company's vertically integrated manufacturing in California and its pioneering fully autonomous drone technology. He details the engineering challenges of building complex embedded systems with multiple microcontrollers and SoCs, emphasizing the critical need for safety, reliability, and rigorous testing in high-stakes government and first responder applications. Yeager also reflects on his career path, from early Kickstarter projects and work at Boosted Boards and Altera to leading software architecture at Skydio.

  • Go/No-Go · 1h 13m

    Skydio CEO Adam Bry explores how autonomy and AI are reshaping drones; what happened after a Waymo killed a cat; revisiting the history of civilian drones

    Skydio CEO Adam Bry explains how the company transitioned from consumer drones to autonomous infrastructure, detailing the strategic decision to build a vertically integrated, domestic supply chain in California to avoid reliance on China. Bry discusses the technical evolution of the X10, R10, and F10 drone platforms, the critical role of AI and 5G connectivity in autonomous flight, and the company's transparency regarding reliability data. The episode also covers recent manufacturing headlines, including FCC actions against DJI, private jet engine shortages, and a startup challenging ASML's lithography dominance.

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Hard Tech Podcast. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.