The Sky's the Limit: How Drone Research Drives Innovation in Rural Oregon

Innovation in rural areas solves two problems: providing creative solutions with constraints and supporting traditionally underserved communities. Take the town of Pendleton, Oregon. Known for woolen mills and rodeos, the need to boost the local economy resulted in a drone research facility that is impacting not only the town, but the way companies think about and use drones. As the need for drone solutions increases, the rural location of Pendleton UAS Range (PUR) is a catalyst for new development. With a collective aerospace experience of 50+ years, PUR has attracted companies such as Spright (a medical transport drone testing deliveries with a local indigenous hospital) and Amazon's drone packaging system. This panel will look at the drivers behind Pendleton's innovation, and explore why we should rethink our biases toward urban areas as the sole points of innovation. Panelists will discuss how something as simple as rethinking an airstrip bridges the innovation gap between rural and urban areas.