East of Innovation: Advanced air mobility transforming eastern North Carolina

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (WITN) - More than 120 years after the Wright Brothers’ first flight launched powered aviation from eastern North Carolina’s coast, the region is again at the forefront of flight innovation through advanced drone technology and unmanned aircraft systems.

The innovations of eastern Carolina today and how they will change the way we live tomorrow are the focus of a new monthly series on WITN exploring how technology is transforming our region.

Our first stop is Elizabeth City State University.

ECSU operates the only four-year program in North Carolina authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration to offer a degree in unmanned aircraft systems.

Students in the university’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Research and Design Lab design, build, and 3D-print drones while learning flight operations through simulation and real-world applications.

Students have been focusing on using drones for emergency response and search and rescue, and have partnered with the Department of Homeland Security on research projects, sparking even more interest in the role that drones can play during disasters.

“Your drone can go up, and its battery can last for hours. You can zoom in with the camera. Use different kinds of radar on camera,” said student Charli Brooks.

Student Isabela Lujan said the technology allows operators to “use those drones to help people in need and save them.”

ECSU has joined a new statewide partnership with the North Carolina Department of Transportation, N.C. A&T and N.C. State to form a University Transportation Center of Excellence. The partnership aims to develop infrastructure guidelines as drone traffic increases across the state.

“How do we lay out the infrastructure for the future to proceed, in a logical manner?” said Kevin Kupietz, chair of ECSU’s Department of Aviation and Emergency Management.

The university is constructing a new aviation building to accommodate the expanding program. Faculty members are working with experimental drones, including one with a 16-foot wingspan capable of flying for up to 10 hours.

“Every time that we think we’ve found all of the uses for drones, we find like 10, 15 more new uses,” Kupietz said.

Dr. Chandra Asthana, program coordinator for unmanned aircraft systems, said the future of what they’re doing may even include technology once reserved for science fiction. “We have got a grant on which we are working on flying cars. It’s going to be a reality,” Asthana said.

From drones to flying cars, innovation is once again taking flight in eastern Carolina.

Kupietz says, “We are there, I think, at the cusp of the leading edge, and I think that’s really exciting.”

The technology continues evolving rapidly, according to Asthana. “Things that were not possible earlier, we are making possible,” he said.

And drones are just the beginning. Next month on East of Innovation, we head into the fields — where eastern North Carolina’s farming heritage meets high-tech solutions.