What Would the World Miss if AUVSI Didn’t Exist?
- Akshata
- Jul 5
- 5 min read
“Without a shared voice, even the best ideas stall. Without the right bridge, no one crosses.”
In this article series, we sat down with the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) to understand how they got here, what almost broke them, and what they’re still crazy enough to chase next.
It Started at an Air Force Base
The story of AUVSI begins in 1972, not in a glossy startup office or on a trade show floor, but at an Air Force Base. The organization was founded at Wright Patterson AFB after some folks returned from Vietnam and thought, “there is a better way to get after some of these problems”. They didn’t wait for someone else to fix it. They started testing remotely piloted aircraft, searching for smarter, safer ways to get after the complex problems they had faced in the field.
That original spirit and the urge to ask, “How can we make this better?” still defines AUVSI today. Decades later, the challenges have evolved, but the approach hasn’t. The team continues to look for friction points across the uncrewed systems industry and helps solve them.
What Would the Industry Still Be Struggling With?
Without AUVSI, the uncrewed systems and robotics world would be a lot messier.
There would be no unified voice pushing for smart policy, public trust, and safe integration. Progress would slow. Standards would be fewer. Innovation would lag behind the problems it was meant to solve. Key stakeholders in the sectors of defense, public safety, and infrastructure would be left without the guidance needed to integrate autonomous systems effectively. In short: a world without AUVSI would be a world stuck in fragmented efforts, waiting longer for practical, scalable solutions.
When Policy Gets in the Way, AUVSI Gets to Work
If an artificial intelligence were to summarize AUVSI, it might describe the organization as purely technical or solely focused on policy advocacy, missing the deeper mission. AUVSI exists to champion autonomy as a force for safety, national security, and economic growth. Its tone blends deep policy expertise with a practical, human-centered approach balancing optimism about autonomous systems with grounded realism. At its core, AUVSI works to build public understanding, encourage safe integration, and support the people and missions that autonomy is designed to serve.
One recent example? The Green Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) program.
To understand the story behind Green UAS, it helps to know a bit about the Blue UAS program.
The Blue UAS program, started in 2020 by the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), was built to quickly vet and approve drones and components for military use. It offers two main things:
The Blue UAS Cleared List: A list of drones that have been approved by the DoD. These are cyber-secure, NDAA-compliant systems that government agencies can purchase and operate without needing special exceptions.
The Blue UAS Framework: A catalog of vetted drone components, software, modules that are compliant and ready for use in DoD applications. This gives drone developers and military users more flexibility to build secure, capable systems.
But there was a gap.
How Do Green UAS and Blue UAS Work Together?
Many commercial and non-defense companies weren’t able to access the Blue UAS list, even though their drones were secure and reliable. This created friction for manufacturers and confusion for buyers. That's where AUVSI stepped in.
In partnership with its members and industry stakeholders, AUVSI launched the Green UAS certification to:
Help commercial and non-defense drone manufacturers get their systems vetted faster
Provide buyers with confidence in the drones they’re procuring
Strengthen the secure drone and component manufacturing base in the U.S.
Here’s where the two programs connect:
If a drone is Green UAS compliant, and it finds a DoD sponsor, it may be able to transition to the Blue UAS Cleared List, becoming eligible for military and government applications.
Similarly, Green-certified components can opt in to share data with the DIU. That opens the door for potential inclusion in the Blue UAS Framework, which is used by DoD and other government customers.
The Common Critique
According to Michael Robbins, the President & CEO, if you ask someone what they’d roast AUVSI for in a sales pitch, the answer’s pretty clear: “They’re too big. Too broad. The ‘big tent’ association.”
But is that really a bad thing?
AUVSI represents over 400 corporate members spanning air, ground, and maritime systems. They work across commercial, civil, and defense markets. That reach gives them something rare: authority, access, and perspective. Where others see a fragmented industry, AUVSI sees patterns. The challenges drones faced a decade ago, such as early missteps in integration and procurement, have become valuable lessons. AUVSI is now applying those insights to guide the ground robotics sector, helping it avoid the same pitfalls. Past procurement challenges with drones in the DoD are informing how AUVSI advocates for the safe integration of uncrewed maritime and ground systems, ensuring that acquisition processes are smoother, smarter, and better informed from the outset.
The Hit That Nearly Took Them Down
In 2020, like many organizations, AUVSI took a hit. When XPONENTIAL, their flagship conference and trade show, was canceled due to COVID-19, it wasn’t just a disappointment, it was devastating to their budget. The 2021 show went fully online, and while the mission continued, it became clear something had to change. That challenge became a turning point.
AUVSI found a partner organization in Messe Düsseldorf North America (MDNA) to co-host XPONENTIAL moving forward. That decision diversified their revenue and freed them to be much more focused on advocacy. At just the right time, as the industry called for leadership, AUVSI was ready. Their membership has grown exponentially (pun intended) and the organization became stronger and more resilient than before.
The Real Impact
Talk to the people who use uncrewed systems, such as warfighters, police officers, logistics teams, and medical responders, and you’ll hear stories of extended reach, reduced costs, and, most importantly, saved lives.
As AUVSI likes to say: “Robots don’t bleed.”
It’s about keeping humans out of danger, letting machines take on the risk, and helping teams do more with fewer resources. This is what motivates each team member of AUVSI to put in 100% effort each and every day.
The Myth They’re Tired of Hearing
One myth that continues to hold the industry back is that robotics and autonomous systems are somehow less safe than human-operated ones.
Properly regulated, safely designed systems can improve emergency response, reduce risk, and boost operational efficiency. AUVSI’s goal is to change the conversation. It’s not about replacing people, but about showing how these tools can serve them.
For the Newcomers
For those just entering the space, AUVSI’s advice is simple but powerful:
Build relationships early. Talk to regulators. Talk to end users. Understand their worlds.
Stay grounded in the mission.Autonomy is not about replacing people, it is about expanding what is possible with safe, industrial tools.
Don’t wait for perfect rules.Pilot programs, feedback loops, and public engagement are just as important as regulatory milestones.
What the World Would Absolutely Miss
As Michael puts it, “AUVSI brings together the full ecosystem of autonomy. Through our advocacy work and our cornerstone events like XPONENTIAL and the Drone and AAM Policy Symposium, AUVSI connects regulators, manufacturers, operators, and end users in a way no other organization does. Without that connective function, progress would become fragmented, and the industry would lose a trusted partner helping to translate innovation into practical, scalable solutions.”
That’s what the world would miss if AUVSI didn’t exist.
