Photos by J. Alan Paul Photography
The third annual Drone Focus Conference, exceeded 600 attendees and featured more than 55 speakers from around the nation. Those participating represented nearly 30 states, 8 countries and almost 300 companies from across the UAV and unmanned systems industry.
Marlo Anderson, the founder of National Day Calendar, officially announced at the opening session that May 31 will henceforth be known as National Autonomous Vehicle Day.
Brevan Jorgenson discussed with the audience how he turned his 2016 Honda Civic into a “Level Two” autonomous vehicle. Jorgenson is a student at the University of Nebraska Omaha, majoring in information technology innovation and management information systems. He’s also a technical consultant at UNO in the College of Business Administration.
Sen. John Hoeven (N.D.), U.S. Transportation Sec. Elaine Chao and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum speak about the advantages of using drones in emergency situations as a tornado simulation plays on the screen.
Elaine Chao, U.S. Secretary of Transportation
Eric Rutayisire, middle, and Teddy Segore, right, pose for a photo with Jason Pearson, regional sales manager of RDO Integrated Controls. Rutayisire is the CEO and founder of Charis Unmanned Aerial Solutions, based in Rwanda, Africa. Segore is the technical director/certified pilot with Charis. He is the first and only internationally certified drone pilot in Rwanda.
Networking is a fun part of a convention atmosphere, and conversation fills the breaks between sessions.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao shares her vision for the UAS industry during the opening session of Drone Focus.