FAI has issued an invitation to attend the 1st FAI International Drones Conference in Lausanne, Switzerland, from 1 - 3 September 2017 about Innovation, Safety and Sports.

The Conference and Expo are part of the EPFL Drone Days 2017  (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) that features Lausanne, Canton de Vaud and Switzerland as a globally relevant hub for Drones.

“For an overview over the most recent developments in the world of Drones attendance at the 1st FAI International Drones Conference and Expo is a must. You will be informed about the exponentially fast growing use of Drones in society, be it for maintenance, rescue operations or daily logistics. The safety issues coming with these developments will be discussed by experts from government authorities and those who are at the forefront in developing state of the art technology to make Drones a regular part of air traffic in the sky. Last but not least, Drones are already being seen as a top level air sport, and emerging to become the number one air and maybe e-motor sport” says Frits Brink, FAI President.

The conference will run over three days and will feature a mix of international speakers from the world of Drones, site visits and social events.

The three main themes of the conference are: Drones and Innovation, Drones and Safety, and Drones and Sport.

Drones and Innovation will see presentations from industry leaders on drones in transport, logistics, humanitarian needs and rescue operations, agriculture and data analysis. This part of the conference will also look into future developments: how many Drones will there be in a few years’ time, what does it change in our view on the world.

Drones and Safety will feature discussions about the latest technology used with Drones in order to integrate them into the already crowded air space, from anti-collision systems to tracking systems and challenges in long distance operations for example in the maintenance of railway lines, public education needs and general regulatory matters.

Drones and Sports will present the highlights of Drone Racing events, the different types of Sport Drones, and also discuss the governance of this still young emerging air sport. In this part of the conference case studies from other new emerging sports such as E-Gaming will be shown, and an exchange of experiences from air sports organisations around the world in their work with new stakeholders.

On the third day, Sunday 3 September, there will be an opportunity to see live Drone Racing organized by the Swiss Rotorsports Association in action, as well as a visit to the NCCR Robotics Expo based the EPFL.

Entry fee is 250CHF with a reduction for students (150CHF) and FAI Members (175CHF).

The 1st FAI International Drones Conference and Expo website is now live at www.fai-dronesconference.org.

Registration at www.fai-dronesconference.org/registration.

Photo credit: DJI