#65 Innovation Chat: Laurent Burlion + Dan O'toole - A Few Things - 50 Min

We discussed a number of things including: 1. State of the #drones industry, regionally, nationally and globally 2. Outlook for sector and funding forecast 3. What's next in drones at Rutgers and at Dronedek 4. Talent pipeline opportunities and challenges Laurent joined the Rutgers University Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in 2019, after serving as a scientific researcher at ONERA, the French Aerospace Lab for 9 years, and as a "guidance and control" expert for 7 years inside the French DoD. He has thus collaborated with European Aerospace Industry leaders for around fifteen years. Burlion's research develops and applies advanced flight control algorithms to uncertain systems and is motivated by aerospace applications including spacecraft, aircraft, and drones. He led a project on vision-based landing of aerial vehicles, at the request of Airbus between 2013 and 2017. He also worked on advanced controls for the prevention of, and the recovery from, aircraft excursions from nominal flight regimes. At Rutgers, Burlion is setting up a new lab in which drones can perform indoor and outdoor flights. The drones are either directly bought "off the shelf " or "homemade" by graduate and undergraduate students. Innovative algorithms are implemented to both improve the reliability and enlarge the flight envelope of autonomous quadcopters and airplanes. He is also working on offshore floating wind turbines and nanosatellites. ---- Dan O’Toole is a serial entrepreneur and business leader who is among the first in the United States to secure patents for a smart mailbox designed to securely accept packages delivered by drone. DRONEDEK holds a First-Position Patent Portfolio for the next-generation mailbox of autonomous and drone delivery. Two issued US Utility Patents, two additional utility patents are under examination now and two PCT’s. In all 111 patent claims already awarded or filed for. Dan is a Ball State University graduate and lives in Carmel, Indiana with his family.