Small UAS Collision Avoidance System

Risks posed by sUAS to manned aircraft continue to increase as sUAS operations expand. To improve UAS-NAS aviation safety, Mosaic ATM proposes three UAS technology innovations: 1) An sUAS Collision Avoidance System (sUCAS) 2) A prototype Remote ID beacon, and 3) A prototype Remote ID receiver The first proposed innovation, the sUAS Collision Avoidance System (sUCAS), will be an enhancement to existing collision avoidance systems, specifically for mitigating collision risk with sUAS. sUCAS will take advantage of the position data broadcast by sUAS to present timely and situational awareness and maneuver guidance to augment a pilot’s see-and-avoid capability. The ultimate vision for sUCAS is to exist as an application on a pilot’s electronic flight bag (EFB). The second proposed innovation, a Remote ID beacon, will be a small, low-mass, portable, long range, self-powered module that can be mounted to an sUAS to broadcast Remote ID messages in accordance with the recently passed FAA rule. An integrated Global Positioning System (GPS) chip will provide interpolated position information of the sUAS. The third proposed innovation, a Remote ID receiver, like the beacon, will be a small, low-mass, portable, self-powered module that can be mounted to the interior windshield of the manned aircraft cockpit. The purpose of the receiver is to extend the effective range of the Remote ID beacon and integrate with sUCAS in the GA cockpit.

Applications within NASA include projects falling under the Airspace Operation and Safety program, especially those oriented towards future aviation systems like UTM, AAM, and ATM-X which have goals to safely accommodate emergent air vehicles.

Non-government markets for sUCAS and the Remote ID receiver include GA aircraft operators who fly in lower altitudes. Non-government markets for the Remote ID beacon include sUAS operators who will comply with the FAA Remote ID rule, which requires them to equip aircraft with a Remote ID beacon module by Q4 2023. A second market is sUAS manufacturers who may license the Remote ID beacon technology.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 6) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.