The unfolding AI revolution in commercial aviation is far broader than the envisioned pilotless airplane flown by a HAL9000. Learn about how airplanes, airlines, and airports will never be the same because of AI. Joining me is Mark Roboff, most recently General Manager of Transformation for Aerospace at DXC Technology. 

Mark’s an industry visionary, consensus builder, and standards maven for using AI in commercial aviation. He has an expansive career at the epicenter of AI including a gig with IBM’s Watson, co-inventor on 2 patents covering natural language processing, and Chairman of one of the most important committees steering the vision for AI in commercial aviation.

Mark is now working on a top secret project that could change flying as we know it. Will he spill the beans??

The Real Story Behind AI In Aviation with Mark Roboff

The inside story of how a dedicated team of engineers and explorers developed cutting-edge autonomous navigation technology to use on Mars, as shared by Dr. Jeff Delaune of Ingenuity’s Navigation Team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Our conversation details how the helicopter finds its way around Mars and the navigation technologies the Ingenuity helicopter team invented to accomplish one of the greatest engineering feats in aviation history.

All our show notes can be found here: https://www.catalyst-go.com/podcasts

Please like our show and subscribe.

Flying the Mars Helicopter w/ Dr. Jeff Delaune of JPL

This is the story of how you can literally save your company from catastrophic litigation, limit damages, and in the process be able differentiate yourself with a certification or designation straight from the US Government. If your drone or driverless vehicle or even your research helps with protecting, detecting, identifying, or deterring bad things or bad people you'll want to turn up the volume.

ZigZag

Safety Act With Akmal Ali

Part 1: What is creativity and why is it important for organizations?
Learn the key roles that creativity and innovation play in helping drive successful companies forward. This is Part 1 of a three-part series on developing and benefiting from creativity within all types of organizations.

Creativity with Israel Stol Part 1

Part 2: How can I find creative people in my organization?
Understand the four different types of creative people and how to identify them in your organization. This is Part 2 of a three-part series on developing and benefiting from creativity within all types of organizations.

Creativity with Israel Stol Part 2

Part 3: How can I foster creativity to drive positive outcomes in my workplace?
Creativity should not be a goal--it should be an ongoing process. This episode guides you through creating a sustainable creativity engine in your organization. This is Part 3 of a three-part series on developing and benefiting from creativity within all types of organizations.

Creativity With Israel Stol Part 3

Topics: designing for autonomy, making vehicles compatible with humans, building better teams, and understanding it when he says, "Persistence is awesome, until it is stupid." John's  accomplishments include an Olympic silver medal in short track speed skating, he is a Stanford d.school grad, Kellogg MBA, NBC Sports analyst, and Professor of Innovation. As a speaker and author, his talent is weaving facts, examples and intellectual principles into engaging stories which leave you with actionable ideas. Oh yeah, we manage to fit in eating moruga scorpion peppers into the discussion.

Design for Strengths

(Part 1)Design for Strengths with John Coyle

Topics: Finding your strengths, knowing when to quit, and managing time.  What does it mean when he says, "Most companies and managers hire for diversity of talent, experience, and background—and then they waste it?" John's  accomplishments include an Olympic silver medal in short track speed skating, he is a Stanford d.school grad, Kellogg MBA, NBC Sports analyst, and Professor of Innovation. As a speaker and author, his talent is weaving facts, examples and intellectual principles into engaging stories which leave you with actionable ideas.

Design for Strengths Part 2

(Part 2)Design for Strengths with John Coyle

In our first trans-Atlantic podcast we talk with DroneALERT's, founder and CEO, Brooke Tapsall. We learn about her journey from EU Commission scientist to CEO of a hot drone industry startup that's rewriting C-UAS and how to inspire women and girls to pursue STEM careers. We round things out with a discussion on the March 2019 changes to EU drone regs.

Brooke Tapsall: DroneAlert CEO

Urban Planning, Office Design, and Sustainability in the Age of Autonomy: Amy Korte´s Blueprints. Amy is a global visionary in designing mixed-use projects and commercial buildings that allow the driverless cars, drones, and air taxis of tomorrow to operate safely and efficiently. Her plans start by embracing what people need.

Urban Planning, Office Design, and Sustainability in the Age of Autonomy: Amy Korte´s Blueprints

Amy Korte´s Blueprints for Autonomy

In this interview, we ask the City of Pittsburgh’s Director of the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure a very important question.

“How does a city decide when the autonomous vehicle operations are no longer safe?”

If you’ve ever wondered if a city might suspend operations after an accident, what metrics city officials care about, or how someone gets into a role to be making such decisions, this is the interview you should be listening to.

Full show notes: https://www.catalyst-go.com/thinkingthroughautonomy/2019/6/20/when-would-a-city-ban-autonomous-vehicles


Connect with Karina
https://www.linkedin.com/in/karina-ricks-837b9828/

"When would a city ban autonomous vehicles?" w/ Karina Ricks

In this interview, we speak with cybersecurity expert Bruce Schneier. Bruce is internationally renowned with multiple books, including Click Here to Kill Everybody.

Bruce shares his perspective on the broad security issues that need to be addressed in our autonomous future.

A crucial question to answer is, “Who will dictate policy?” Many of these technologies transcend federal governments, leaving some policymakers scratching their heads. Hopefully, this conversation moves us one step closer to answers.

Show Notes:

https://www.catalyst-go.com/thinkingthroughautonomy/2019/7/20/bruce-schneier

Connect with Bruce
https://www.schneier.com/

Bruce Schneier talks the Cybersecurity Risks of an Autonomous Future

Leadership Excellence at the Vanguard of Autonomy

Sanjiv Singh is CEO of Near Earth Autonomy, Research Professor at Carnegie Mellon University, and Editor and Chief of the Journal of Field Robotics. His company makes some of the most advanced autonomous navigation systems in the world.

He drives a bold vision for air vehicles within the industry and his company. Being part of the team nominated in 2018 for the famed Collier Trophy indicates he's right on target.

Given his large and varied expertise, we cover a lot of topics in the interview. We discuss spinning a technology firm out of a university, lessons from landing autonomous helicopters, and the regulation hurdles his company faces. Buckle up for an hour of insights.

Show Notes:
https://www.catalyst-go.com/thinkingthroughautonomy/2019/8/17/sanjiv-singh-ceo

Leadership Excellence at the Vanguard of Autonomy w/Sanjiv Singh

Show Notes: Why Ethical A.I. Needs a Focus on the Fundamentals w/ David Danks

Dr. David Danks is one of the world’s premier ethicists in the area of artificial intelligence and the Department Head & L.L. Thurston Professor of Philosophy and Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University.

David has examined the relations of trust and identity as they are affected by technologies like self driving vehicles, autonomous weapon systems, and autonomous cyber-systems.

This interview covers the key ethical considerations for driverless cars and drones, how to apply AI ethics to building a company or device, and the United Nations AI for Good Summit.

Connect with David

https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/philosophy/people/faculty/danks.html

Find every episode’s show notes at

https://www.catalyst-go.com/podcasts

Why Ethical A.I. Needs a Focus on the Fundamentals w/ David Danks

Jim Williams served as one of the world’s top unmanned aircraft regulators. He created and ran the FAA’s UAS Integration Office, where he was the executive lead.

He is now director of U.S. regulatory affairs at Drone Delivery Canada.

Jim shares with the audience best practices on when to engage with a government agency and how to avoid wasting time.

This conversation explores regulatory perspectives on UAS systems, what to focus on regarding UTM, and complying with regulations of the present and future.

Connect with Jim
linkedin.com/in/jim-williams-866531b/

Find every episode’s show notes at
Catalyst-go.com

How Does the FAA Regulate Drones? w/ Jim Williams

Dr. Karl Wunderlich is a Fellow for Transportation Analysis in Washington, DC, serving as a task leader or senior advisor on numerous research and development tasks related to surface transportation.

Dr. Wunderlich is a recognized expert in the use of simulation and modeling techniques to evaluate emerging technologies or system policies intended to improve traveler mobility or system productivity. 

He is also a thought leader in the facilitation of collaborative transportation research through open source and open data communities. 

Karl and Ken discuss how to coordinate complex systems, what happens when blockchain meets transportation.


Connect with Karl
linkedin.com/in/karlwunderlichphd/

Watch Karl
youtu.be/CNSWC42Zk78

Find every episode’s show notes at
Catalyst-go.com

What Happens when Blockchain meets Transportation w/ Dr. Karl Wunderlich

Kaitlyn is an associate at OpenView Venture Partners, an expansion stage venture capital firm. She is responsible for identifying, evaluating and executing on investment opportunities.

Prior to OpenView, Kaitlyn worked at Amazon as a senior financial analyst for Amazon’s machine learning group, where she worked on machine learning projects in Amazon’s worldwide consumer engagement team. 

Ken and Kaitlyn discuss her investing philosophy, why “artificial intelligence” is synonymous with hype, and the kind of pitch in autonomous technology that holds her interest.

Kaitlyn also served as an advisor to early-stage technical founders through her work at the Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, an accelerator in Central California.

Connect with Kaitlyn
www.linkedin.com/in/kaitlynhenry/

Find every episode’s show notes at
www.Catalyst-go.com/podcasts

Investing in Drones, Machine Learning, and the Future w/ Kaitlyn Henry

Bob Leigh is Senior Market Development Director, Autonomous Systems at Real-Time Innovations (RTI),  headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA. RTI lives at the intersection of functional artificial intelligence and pervasive networking. RTI is the largest vendor of products based on the Object Management Group (OMG) Data Distribution Service™ (DDS) standard. 

Throughout his career, Bob has facilitated transformative technology implementations. He understands the costs, opportunities, and pitfalls that firms and regulators can run into during a significant change.

Ken and Bob talk about adapting technology to leverage IOT data distribution services, the challenges associated with DDS in autonomous vehicles, and how to connect vehicles to infrastructure.

Connect with Bob
https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertleigh/

Find every episode’s show notes at
https://www.Catalyst-go.com

IoT for Autonomous Vehicles w/ Bob Leigh

David Ihrie is the Chief Technology Officer at Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology. He focuses on driving economic welfare for the state of Virginia by evaluating technologies and their ability to play a role in the future.

David has more than 35 years of experience innovating in the fields of satellite and terrestrial communication, computing, and information science. He has been a principal in seven different startup companies across a number of industries.

Now, as CTO, David consistently evaluates how to make Virginia a hotbed of “Smart Communities.”

David and Ken discuss how technology firms can work with governments, the frameworks he uses to evaluate trends, and how most innovation is incremental vs disruptive.

Find every episode’s show notes at
Catalyst-go.com

How to Nurture “Smart Communities” w/ David Ihrie

The Department of Homeland Security pursues tech and innovation in a number of ways. One of the most inspiring is their Center of Excellence Student Grand Challenge.

The DHS-sponsored hackathon challenges students to come up with novel methods of answering difficult security questions. This year, they focused on how to better protect ourselves from drones

The competition took place in July 2019 and featured a 36-hour sprint for developing the new ideas.

In this episode, you’ll hear a roundtable of students, educators, and leaders from across the country. They all share a perspective on the competition and the exciting seeds that have been planted.

Note: The COE Network of university-led consortia is funded and administered through the DHS Science and Technology Directorate Office of University Programs. The views expressed in this podcast are those of the participants and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Find every episode’s show notes at
Catalyst-go.com

Envisioning a Hopeful Future at the COE Student Grand Challenge

Bonny Simi is the President of JetBlue Technology Ventures, where she is responsible for investing in and partnering with early-stage startups focusing on technology and travel.

Before leading these efforts, Bonny was an Olympian, television broadcaster, and airline pilot. These diverse experiences have prepared her to lead a team that takes JetBlue’s original mission to bring humanity back to travel and expands it to a wide range of technologies.

This episode includes conversation about how investment from JetBlue signals legitimacy, the process for incubating technology concepts into businesses, and how Bonny got into Olympic luge. Hint - it started with $8.

Connect with Bonny Simi
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonnysimi/

Find every episode’s show notes at
Catalyst-go.com

Corporate Investment, UAM, and Luge w/ Bonny Simi

Chris Runde is the Senior Director of Strategic Development at CGH Technologies. CGH is an aviation innovation firm providing management consulting and solutions to public and private customers.

Prior to his current role, Chris held numerous executive, aviation-related positions in the public and private sectors. He’s lead initiatives in airport biometric credentialing, the first deployment of TSA PreCheck as a core member of the Risk-based Security team, and worked on a venture-backed startup.

In this episode, you’ll hear Ken and Chris discuss where innovation & autonomy will impact airport, trends in UAS applications, and how to go about innovating in a slow-moving industry.

Connect with Chris
https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherrunde/

Find every episode’s show notes at
Catalyst-go.com

UAS, Airports, and Innovation w/ Chris Runde

Security is one of the greatest challenges caused by the proliferation of drones. Luckily, Luke Fox is on the case.

Luke Fox is CEO & founder of WhiteFox, a global leader in drone airspace security. WhiteFox’s products focus on the secure management of drones in sensitive airspace worldwide.

Prior to founding WhiteFox, Luke ledcyber-forensics and high-performance drone manufacturing companies. Those experiences inform Luke’s vision for establishing an effective market solution to ensure drones fly safely and legally.

You’ll hear Ken and Luke discuss the challenges identifying drones, securing locations, and limiting costs associated with this technology. 

Connect with Luke Fox
www.whitefoxdefense.com/

Find every episode’s show notes at
Catalyst-go.com

Keeping the Skies Secure w/ Luke Fox

Ken updates the audience on what's been going on since the last episode, the effects of COVID on the business of the UAS industry, and previews the 3rd season.

July 2020 Special Edition

Paul Snyder is the Assistant Chair and Director of UAS at the University of North Dakota. The New York Times calls the campus "the silicon valley of unmanned aircraft systems." Paul and Ken build for you a picture of what the unmanned industry looks like from flight test to small users to the military and compare and contrast the challenges in each segment.

Paul Snyder Bridging The Gap

Steve Jangelis is the Aviation Safety Chairman for the Air Line Pilots Association and oversees all of ALPA's safety efforts for the airline industry. Ken and Steve compare and contrast the challenges ALPA faces in commercial aviation safety against those facing the unmanned industry and place these within context. What should an airline pilot really think when she sees a drone outside the window?

Steve Jangelis Bridging The Gap

We’re kicking off this 6 episode podcast series with Paul Lewis, Vice President, Policy and Finance from the Eno Center for Transportation. He's coauthor of Bridging the Gap: Sustaining UAS Progress While Pursuing a Regulatory Framework. We’ll be leveraging Paul’s and the Eno Center’s perspectives that spans across all transportation sectors. In this segment will focus on comparing and contrasting the challenges facing the nascent unmanned industry against similar ones faced by other sectors as they developed.

Paul Lewis Bridging The Gap

Andy Cebula is Vice-President, NextGen and New Entrants at Airlines for America. In this segment Ken taps Andy’s unique perspective of how the civil aviation safely system operates and interconnects. We'll focus on the key questions facing the aviation industry, especially what does the unmanned community need to understand about sharing the airspace with commercial aviation?

Andy Cebula Bridging The Gap

Stella Weidner is Director Regulatory Affairs-Autonomous Systems Engineering at Boeing. In this episode, she shares her unique perspectives that span safety and engineering at Boeing and the UAS industry. We’ll build pictures of both the range of UAS programs/aircraft Boeing is advancing and the many challenges associated with aircraft and production certification.

Stella Weidner Bridging The Gap

Uber’s ground breaking Elevate program is single handily responsible for ushering in the age of on demand quiet electric aircraft (eVTOL)that fly above the grid and across cities. It presents an entirely new mode of transportation. Joining us is Danielle Rinsler, Head of Aviation Policy and John Illson, Head of Aviation Safety for Uber.

Uber Bridging The Gap

How do you position your business for success in a post-COVID world?

How do you inject your organization with more creativity and innovation?

You must design an environment where team members have the freedom and support to take a chance.

Israel Stol is a leading inventor, author, lecturer, and corporate business process consultant. He is also a professional welding development engineer with numerous patents for advanced torpedo propulsion and welding processes. 

Israel has worked at SpaceX and is a founder of Always-βeta, LLC.

You’ll hear Ken and Israel discuss the challenges of remote work, the systems that support innovation, and the huge value created by advancing technology. 

Connect with Israel Stol
https://www.linkedin.com/in/israel-stol-50b09059/

Find every episode’s show notes at
Catalyst-go.com

Position Your Company for Success post-COVID w/ Israel Stol

Understand the promise and impact of autonomous vehicles on our world through the stories and expertise of the visionaries delivering this revolution. Each episode features an in-depth dive into a key aspect of how driverless cars and drones operate, touch our lives and the environment. Hosted by the fully autonomous, Ken Dunlap, who is also known for leading global security tech initiatives featured in the pages of the New York Times, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times.

Thinking Through Autonomy with Ken Dunlap

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