Theo de Vries is director of Unmanned Valley
‘Unmanned and autonomous technology offers solutions to today’s big challenges. We want to enable everyone to develop and use this technology. That is why we are happy to join Key Region Leiden as a partner in strengthening the Leiden – Katwijk – Noordwijk knowledge axis,’ said Theo de Vries, director of Unmanned Valley in Katwijk.
Unmanned Valley is convinced that unmanned and autonomous technology offers solutions to issues related to energy transition, personnel shortages, logistics, defense, agriculture and much more. De Vries: “We bring together knowledge, supply and demand from the entire chain. In recent years, the former Naval Air Station has been transformed into the Dutch center for unmanned technology. Increasingly, leading companies and knowledge institutions are finding their way to our campus. This is thanks to our central location and state-of-the-art facilities. We organize knowledge events, manage the largest UAS test field in the Netherlands, advise organizations in the field of unmanned technology and rent office/meeting rooms to innovative organizations’.
Sensor-based technology is already being used in numerous places. From remote sensing for recognizing and predicting diseases in flower bulbs to solutions for various safety issues such as securing critical infrastructure. Great examples of dual-use of drone technology. With the continued development and integration of robotization, artificial intelligence, big data, machine learning and Internet of Things, the number of useful applications is growing rapidly. For everyone – from composite developers and robotics manufacturers to companies active in artificial intelligence, service providers and end users – it is important that technologies and applications can be tested. Preferably close to where the research and development also takes place. Unmanned Valley offers that space in its extensive field lab consisting of 25 acres of UAS test field and 2,000m² indoor test center.
The field lab is run by the Unmanned Valley Foundation, an initiative of TU Delft and the Municipality of Katwijk.
