Dr. Anthony Comer is the director of the Simulation to Flight Applied Research Lab (S2FAR) in Oklahoma State University-Tulsa’s Helmerich Research Center — so he spends a lot of time thinking about drones, or Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS).

Right now, most of those drones are mass produced for no specific purpose. But Comer, who also serves as a mechanical and aerospace engineering faculty member at OSU-Tulsa, hopes that won’t be the focus of the future for the industry.

“Instead of making mass-produced drones that are just generic off the market, can we start producing more specialized drones that don't cost a hundred thousand dollars?” Comer said. “Because right now, people are really breaking the bank to buy those. Companies aren't prepared to make individualized drones for people.”

That’s where the S2FAR lab fits in. They work to create individualized drones for industry partners that can fit their specific workforce needs. The S2FAR lab, as well as the team at Oklahoma State University Aerospace Institute for Research and Education in the Helmerich Research Center, are stepping up to bridge the gap between businesses and organizations and emerging UAS technology on a local level.

Part of the problem is that many businesses and organizations just aren’t aware of how customized drones can help them.

“Why can't we have firefighters come in and tell us what a mission would look like for one of my firefighters using a drone?” Comer asked. “Maybe that's carrying a hose up and spraying a building, maybe that's scanning and observing a fire — but let’s find out the Mission Task Elements for these drones, so that we can make drones tailored to achieve those.”

Comer sees opportunities for first responders and agricultural industries in particular to benefit most from custom-made drones in the near future, but as local industries and economies evolve, there could be an expanding need for individualized drones — especially at an affordable price.

“We'd love to build drones for people, or help them to build their drones,” he said. “If a company wants to do a demo, demos are very difficult. Getting to that first demo to impress a customer and get that first sale is tricky — so we can help, without them having to spend an arm and a leg to do it.”

To get connected to the S2FAR lab, contact Comer’s team at s2far.com.

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