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This sector is expected to generate more than 150,000 jobs in the next 20 years
El Drone Research Laboratory (DroneLab) was premiered today on the campus of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) situated in Castelldefels. It is a multidisciplinary flight space -with dimensions of 80x40x15 meters and covered by a protective net- specialized in mobile communications applied to drones. In this new center, the first of these characteristics in Europe, test flights will be carried out and applications based on drones will be validated and tested.
The DroneLab is promoted by the UPC and the Castelldefels Town Hall, with the support of the Mediterranean Technology Park (PMT) and the Telecommunications and Aerospace Engineering School of Castelldefels (EETAC), and is linked to ICARUS (Intelligent Communication and Avionics for Robust Unmanned Aerial Systems). The works of the space have been financed by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness thanks to the european fund FEDER.
With the implementation of the strategy of U-spacefrom European Comissionit is expected that in the next 20 years the drone sector will generate more than 150,000 jobs direct with an economic impact greater than the 10 billion of euros per year. Most of these benefits are expected to derive from the provision of services, such as infrastructure inspection, last mile logistics (the final leg of transport), precision agriculture or urban mobility, among others.
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The opening ceremony was chaired by the director of the EETAC, Cristina Cervellóand has had the presence of Daniel Crespo, rector of the UPC, who has assured that this initiative was born with the intention of being “a benchmark in research and development in the field of telecommunications through drones” and hopes that, in a few years, Castelldefels and the UPC will be recognized by all of Spain as the epicenter of innovation in this field. The mayor of Castelldefels has also been present, Mary Mirandawho has qualified the installation DroneLab “of the first order” and has valued the relationship between the university and the municipality. “As a city, we have a vocation for innovation that takes advantage of new technologies to respond to the needs of our citizens” she has expressed. Also participating in the presentation were Joaquim Nin, Secretary General of the Department of Research and Universities; Enric Pastor, director of the ICARUS group, and Josep M. Yúfera, PMT delegate.
As an innovative scientific-technical facility, the DroneLab will make it possible to study the integration of drones with 4G and 5G communications and the Internet of things. These technologies are key to the growth of the drone industry, as they represent the most viable alternative to overcome the obstacles they have in the field of communications.