XPONENTIAL 2023: First day recap

Attendees crowded the show floor during the first day of AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2023.

AUVSI XPONENTIAL is underway in Denver, Colorado, at the Colorado Convention Center. After the first day of touring the XPO Hall of more than 600 exhibits and attending educational sessions lead by industry leaders and speakers, GPS World staff noticed a key theme: mitigating GNSS jamming and spoofing by advancing technology for UAVs.  

Educational Sessions

Franck Boynton, Vice President of NavTachGPS, highlighted Tallysman ‘s HC871SXF during his “Real World GPS/GNSS Protection from Start to Finish,” presentation.

“Real World GPS/GNSS Protection from Start to Finish,” was presented by Franck Boynton, Vice President of NavTechGPS. He discussed why anti-jam equipment is needed and how to mitigate jamming. Boynton mentioned several anti-jam products, such as NovAtel’s OEM series product line, Septentrio’s AIM+, Tallysman’s HC871SXF and more.

Additionally, GPS World contributing writer, Dana Goward, received a mention for his article regarding the GPS jamming incident on Jan 21, 2022, at Denver International Airport, which can be found here. Boynton also suggested checking out the RNT Foundation, which is a nonprofit, public benefit corporation that helps protect critical infrastructure by promoting resilient navigation and timing, of which Goward is the president and director.

“The Importance of GNSS Security in UAV Applications,” featured a panel of speakers that included (from left to right) Captain Joe Burns, CEO of the Airo Group and member of the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing Advisory Board, Jeff Horne, vice president of security at Skydio Abigail Smith, executive director of UAS security at the FAA, Gustavo Lopez, market access manager at Septentrio, and moderated by Michael Glutting, sales manager at Septentrio.

“The Importance of GNSS Security in UAV Applications,” featured a panel of speakers that included Abigail Smith, executive director of UAS security at the FAA, Captain Joe Burns, CEO of the Airo Group and member of the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing Advisory Board, Gustavo Lopez, market access manager at Septentrio, Jeff Horne, vice president of security at Skydio, and moderated by Michael Glutting, sales manager at Septentrio. During the panel discussion, the speakers explained types of GPS interference, including jamming and spoofing, and the risk they pose to UAVs. The latest methods for strengthening both GNSS receivers and control units to design secure and robust UAVs was also discussed.

Day-of highlights

Maddie Saines, managing editor, and Jesse Khalil, digital media specialist, had the opportunity to stop by several booths in the XPO Hall on the first day of XPONENTIAL. A few highlights from the day included speaking with Ahmet Salih Erdem, deputy general manager at Tualcom, getting an in-depth look at SBG Systems’ Quanta Mirco and Ekinox Micro with Yoann Plenet, head of product management, and getting a first-hand look into the newest products from Tallysman Wireless — such as SSL889XF — from Ken MacLeod, product manager for Tallysman.

SBG System’s Quanta Mirco and Ekinox Micro.

Ken MacLeod, product manager for Tallysman, showcasing the AJ977XF.

Tualcom’s booth at XPONENTIAL 2023 showcased new products such as ANTY, its GPS anti-jamming device.