IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - December 2017 - 15

future of the industry. In 2018, the congress is aiming for a bigger, better, and
bolder turnout as the WoDC hosts the
first #DroneWeek. For the most up-todate information about the event, you
can visit the website at https://www
.worldofdrones.com.au.
In her professional activities, Ball is
an author, a founder, and an ethics
advocate working across global projects
where robotics and new technology
meet environmental protection. A
sought-after voice in industry, she is
now working with the application
of remotely piloted aircraft systems
(RPAS), called drone technology, across
remote communities, schools, and industry. She is leading the way for discussions around the ethics of spatial
data and commercial drone operations.
Ball's biggest passion is working on
projects that have a humanitarian aspect, ranging from the use of RPAS for
emergency response to recording cultural
heritage and agricultural assessments. "I
have been advising a number of groups
and government agencies on the capabilities of drones for bushfire management and response, environmental
surveys such as weed detection, and
some biosecurity work," she says. "I had
the pleasure of supporting some indigenous ranger groups and programs in
northern Queensland, looking at river
management, and also monitoring the
Great Barrier Reef. I have provided
advice to various nongovernmental
organizations and government agencies
working in international development
around these technologies. Working
with farmers to look at the real-world
applications and limits of this technology has also been a great source of ideas
and inspiration. Farmers are some of the
best innovators you'll find."
Ball has traveled and worked globally on cutting-edge projects that
combine science, entrepreneurship, empowerment, education, and training.
She continues to support Australia as
the world leader in the nonmilitary
application of drone technology, called
drones for good.
This is such a huge and growing
aspect of what we can do with

Figure 2. Catherine Ball. (Photo courtesy
of DrCatherineBall.com.)

robotics and drone technology.
Some of the most obvious case
uses that people would have seen
would be the use of drones as
part of emergency response during hurricanes, cyclones, and
earthquakes. We have seen them
recently used in Houston after
the flooding there, and also the
earthquakes in Mexico. We also
have the humanitarian response
arena opening up to drones as
potential mechanisms for delivery of aid and medical supplies.
We have a number of agencies,
creating collaborations with the
drone industry around 'humanitarian corridors' and also drones
being used to locate lost hikers in
National Parks.
Ball's latest passion project is called
#SheFlies (www.sheflies.com.au; www
.facebook.com/shefliesau), where
women and girls get a chance to fly and
try drone technology. She Flies aims to
reach 100,000 Australian women and
girls by 2020 and is already expanding
internationally. Ball cofounded She Flies
with Dr. Karen Joyce after they realized
there was a serious gender issue in the
global drone ecosystem. "We estimated
that women make up fewer than 1% of
the commercial drone industry," Ball
says. In addition, drones for kids were
gender skewed toward boys in their marketing and packaging, and, at schools,
there was much interest at the primary

level but not at the secondary level. "Over
a call, Karen and I chatted about what the
Google Images results are for 'drones and
girls' versus 'drones and boys' and realized
this narrative was pervasive and destructive. Therefore, we needed to do something about it. You see it; you own it."
As a result, She Flies was born, and
the project has a number of things going
on: they run drone camps across Australia, they train teachers to be more confident with drone technology, they run
school events around drones and geospatial data, and they are preparing an
online learning management system
with webinars and lesson plans. They
have instructors across Australia delivering programs, and the program is about
to expand across the United States,
Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region.
From ages six to 60, She Flies is all
about #SeeItToBeIt and about increasing
the confidence in women and girls to try
new things and get involved with science, technology, engineering, and math.
"One of my main passions is supporting
people to be the
change we wish
to see," says Ball. She Flies aims
"Going forward, to reach 100,000
I would love to
connect more Australian women
with the Women and girls by 2020 and
in Engineering
and Women in is already expanding
Robotics com- internationally.
munity, especially with the
initiatives within the framework of She
Flies." This could happen during large
international initiatives such as the
WoDC or at the IEEE International
Robotics and Automation Conference,
which, incidentally, will also be in Brisbane next year.
"A great piece of advice I was once
given was, to actually succeed at changing things, we just have to be braver for
a little bit longer," says Ball. "So, once
you have an idea of what you want to
do: don't give up. And remember, your
network is your net worth, and so reach
out to those of us around you if you
need guidance or help."

DECEMBER 2017

IEEE ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION MAGAZINE

https://www http://worldofdrones.com.au http://www.DrCatherineBall.com http://www.sheflies.com.au http://www.facebook.com/shefliesau

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - December 2017