Mosaic ATM’s work to advance safer, more connected small uncrewed aircraft systems is featured in a new case study published by Device Solutions.
The case study, Remote ID BLE Transmitter for Small Unmanned Aerial Systems, examines the development of a long-range Bluetooth Low Energy transmitter created for Mosaic ATM’s Remote ID research under a NASA Small Business Innovation Research Phase I and Phase II project.
The newly published case study provides a closer look at the product development behind one component of Mosaic ATM’s broader body of Remote ID research, which has also included flight demonstrations, detect-and-avoid system development, safety analysis, and collaboration with the Federal Aviation Administration.
Developing a Long-Range Remote ID Transmitter
As drone operations expand into increasingly complex airspace, aircraft must be able to reliably communicate their identity, position, and operational information. Remote Identification provides this capability by allowing drones to broadcast data that can be received by nearby users and systems.
Mosaic ATM identified Bluetooth Low Energy technology as a promising method for supporting reliable, long-distance Remote ID broadcasts while maintaining compatibility with commonly available wireless devices.
The goal was to develop an aircraft-mounted system capable of transmitting Remote ID information to commercial smartphones and tablets without requiring modifications to the receiving devices.
Mosaic ATM selected Device Solutions to help move the initial research concept from feasibility analysis to field-ready, flight-tested prototypes. Device Solutions collaborated with the Wireless Research Center to develop and optimize the system’s radio-frequency architecture and antenna design.
The development effort included:
- Radio-frequency architecture and performance modeling
- Bluetooth Low Energy hardware and firmware development
- GPS integration
- Printed circuit board design, manufacturing, and testing
- Custom antenna design and optimization
- Integration with commercial Android devices
- Live flight testing and performance analysis
The resulting transmitter and receiver pairs were validated under real-world flight conditions. The system demonstrated long-range communication with commercial tablets and smartphones without requiring hardware modifications to the receiving devices.
Mosaic ATM’s Remote ID Research
The transmitter project represents one part of Mosaic ATM’s continued research into how Remote ID information can support aviation safety and the integration of uncrewed aircraft into the National Airspace System.
In 2024, Mosaic ATM and the Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership completed the first successful Remote ID-based detect-and-avoid demonstration for drone-to-drone encounters.
The demonstration evaluated how Remote ID information could be used by an onboard detect-and-avoid system to identify nearby aircraft, generate resolution advisories, and help a remote pilot maintain safe separation.
The Federal Aviation Administration later published a detailed technical report documenting the project’s methodology and findings. Mosaic ATM summarized the release in FAA Releases Report on Mosaic ATM’s Remote ID for Drones.
Conducted in collaboration with Virginia Tech MAAP and the Wireless Research Center of North Carolina, that research included 36 drone-to-drone encounters and evaluated detect-and-avoid standards, alerting methods, pilot interaction, and operational risk.
Together, these efforts demonstrate the different ways Remote ID can contribute to a safer UAS ecosystem—from improving the range and accessibility of aircraft broadcasts to providing information that supports automated conflict detection and avoidance.
Advancing Safe UAS Integration
Reliable aircraft identification and communication are important components of safely integrating uncrewed aircraft into increasingly complex operating environments.
Mosaic ATM brings more than two decades of experience in air traffic management, aviation safety, UAS integration, human factors, decision-support systems, and advanced air mobility to this challenge.
Through research, engineering, simulation, prototyping, and live flight testing, Mosaic ATM continues to develop and evaluate technologies that give pilots, operators, regulators, and airspace stakeholders greater situational awareness.
The new Device Solutions case study offers a behind-the-scenes look at how collaboration among Mosaic ATM, Device Solutions, and the Wireless Research Center helped transform an early Remote ID communication concept into a field-ready prototype.
