{"id":2461,"date":"2018-07-06T17:02:22","date_gmt":"2018-07-07T00:02:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/news\/?p=2461"},"modified":"2025-07-09T10:21:57","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T17:21:57","slug":"drone-con-coverage-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/news\/drone-con-coverage-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"Second annual Drone-Con takes flight at Palomar"},"content":{"rendered":"

Leaders of industry and education gather to discuss the latest in emerging drone technology, from safety and regulations to drone maintenance to the growing list of commercial applications for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).<\/p>\n

Pictured above: Drone inventor and Palomar College Drone-Con exhibitor Earnest Smith (second from right) explains the features of a search-and-rescue prototype he built.<\/em><\/p>\n

SAN MARCOS \u2014 More than 250 unmanned aviation entrepreneurs, thought leaders and innovators from across the nation met at Palomar College for the second annual Drone-Con event on Friday, July 6. With more than 30 guest speakers presenting on a range of topics, the sold-out conference was twice as large as last year\u2019s inaugural gathering.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year we really broadened our focus,\u201d said conference co-organizer and Palomar professor Wing Cheung. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of excitement from various sectors in the industry about this technology, the work that we\u2019re doing here at Palomar\u2014and the work that our students are doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Friday\u2019s keynote speaker, U.S. Air Force Col. Jeremy Zadel, started the day by sharing some of the advancements made by the military in unmanned aviation. He sampled a vast array of applications for which drones are already being used, and hinted at some of the jobs they may be doing in the near future.<\/p>\n

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Keynote speaker Col. Jeremy Zadel, U.S. Air Force.<\/p><\/div>\n

Zadel also praised the entrepreneurs and private-sector innovators who have adapted and advanced drone technology very quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the military, we\u2019ve taken risks and we\u2019ve experimented, but we don\u2019t think as creatively, and we aren\u2019t as willing to take as many risks, as the business world,\u201d Zadel said. \u201cThe business world can develop things very quickly. And then you have institutions like Palomar College, where we can sit down and talk about how we are going to use (drone technology) in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the opening remarks, attendees split up for a variety of breakout session, which included:<\/p>\n