Jon Darby

Background

About Jon Darby

Hi! I'm Jon Darby. What you have before you today is an aviation and robotics enthusiast, a nerd with fashion sense, someone broadening their own horizons to join an imaginative, driven engineering team. A skilled programmer, mechanic, engineer, and systems developer. A world-traveler, artist, musician. And quietly immersed in the fusion of artificial intelligence and UAS/UAV aviation technology, My vision lies in creating advanced UAV systems that improve energy efficiency, time-to-target dash speed, stability in surveillance and mapping platforms with potential Municipal and Military applications. The drone industry universally thinks inside of a box with mass-market retail packaging. One that dictates the entire airframe must be rigid for ease of manufacture, thus constantly in motion to make positional corrections. What if instead, we fix the drone in the sky in a perfectly flat orientation? the potential energy lost while fighting the inertia of the entire airframe rolling about an axis, much less 3 axes at a time, can be conserved about two of those axes through the use of rotating motor hubs. Less work for the camera gimbals, less work for the motors, longer battery life, aerodynamically clean My contributions to the UAV industry include:* Collaborative consultation on Tilt-Rotor dynamics for the CleanFlight drone flight controller software,* Developing a miniaturized Angle of Attack sensor based on optocoupling a fixed light sensor to a moveable LED coupled to the angle vane to eliminate physical wear and electric static in a resistive angle-sensor enhancing reliability and dependability.* Design and development of Tilt-Rotor airframes utilizing the PixHawk autonomous flight controller system for aerial photogrammetry and cinematic filmography. I was an early scholar of Artificial Intelligence as Computer Science degrees were becoming available in the late 90s. I applied it to programming video games for Sega, Sony, Hasbro Interactive, and Bethesda Softworks. Let's pioneer intelligent flight solutions, pushing past the boundaries of conventional remotely operated aircraft design. My work has been showcased time and again, presenting me with neverending opportunity to craft a unique blend of creative and technical acumen. My approach marries meticulous engineering with a futurist vision, aiming to elevate aerial cinematography and mapping standards through cutting-edge tilt-rotor aircraft technology.