GPS World

Tag: UAV safety

  • Altitude Angel, Inmarsat offer air traffic management for UAVs

    Altitude Angel, Inmarsat offer air traffic management for UAVs

    Logos: Altitude Angel, Inmarsat

    Altitude Angel and Inmarsat are collaborating to develop and deliver advanced flight tracking and management capability for UAVs.

    According to the companies, they will build on Altitude Angel’s GuardianUTM platform to jointly develop a “pop-up UTM” capability that can be deployed anywhere it is required to manage beyond visual line of sight UAV flights, without the need for ground-based communications infrastructure. By utilizing Inmarsat’s global network of satellites and leveraging its experience in air traffic management communications, Altitude Angel’s pop-up UTM can be accessed rapidly and deployed worldwide, the companies added.

    The pop-up UTM will be developed initially to address the unmanned traffic management needs of blue light emergency services and first responders who need aerial surveillance rapidly with little notice. The companies plan to release a commercial, industry-focused product soon after. Through this technology, emergency services will be able to remotely manage UAVs, increasing their range of safe operations in mixed airspace of manned and unmanned vehicles.

    “The ability to almost instantly ‘pop-up’ safe, secure and fully operational UTM platforms in any environment, at any time, will give first responders, blue light services and aid organizations a valuable tool that could save countless lives,” said Phil Binks, head of air traffic management at Altitude Angel. “Altitude Angel and Inmarsat, in developing ‘pop-up UTM,’ will be able to bring connectivity, clarity and automated air traffic control services for UAVs in even the most challenging of circumstances.”

    Altitude Angel is an aviation technology company delivering solutions which enable the safer integration and use of fully automated drones into airspace. Inmarsat is a British satellite telecommunications company, offering global mobile services.

  • UAVOS parachute system for UAS proved effective

    UAVOS parachute system for UAS proved effective

    UAVOS has successfully tested its new two-stage parachute system. The new parachute system provides slow descent of a UAS at high speed. It includes two parachutes — the pilot chute and a main chute used to slow and stabilize the UAS.

    The decrease in the load speed on the UAS occurs due to the main chute opening delay function, when the pilot chute opens first. The parachute system is designed for UAS with speeds of up to 280 mph (450 kph) and weight of up to 110 lb (50 kg).

    Watch the parachute in action:

    The pilot chute allows safe, slow descent of the UAV during the main parachute deployment, as well as to open up the main chute at a minimum altitude.

    After landing, the group of the main parachute lines is automatically unfastened to collapse the canopy of the main chute and releases after touchdown to avoid dragging the aircraft along the ground. Unfastening is carried out by the lock of a three-step release:

    Stage 1: Opening the pilot chute
    Stage 2: Opening the main chute
    Stage 3: Release of the group of lines of the main parachute

    “In the aircraft safety developments, saving an entire aircraft through a deployable parachute system is a crucial thing,” said Aliaksei Stratsilatau, CEO and lead developer of UAVOS. These trials have generated an amount of data that allows us to quantify the performance of parachute system for future missions. Computer modeling cannot capture all the complexities. Parachutes encounter turbulent and dynamic airflow, which is almost impossible to replicate with computers. The only way to get a handle on all the possibilities is test.”

    Photo: UAVOS
    Photo: UAVOS
  • Cyberhawk completes UAV inspections on 63 platforms for Dubai Petroleum

    Cyberhawk completes UAV inspections on 63 platforms for Dubai Petroleum

    As part of a framework agreement with Dubai Petroleum, Cyberhawk was appointed to inspect more than 350 risers on 63 offshore platforms. The inspection took one month to complete, followed by the production of more than 90 detailed engineering inspection reports.

    Photo: Cyberhawk

    The rationale behind Dubai Petroleum’s use of UAVs was to quickly complete detailed inspections of all their risers. Risers are traditionally a difficult area of an offshore platform to inspect; in the under deck and the splash zone, options for access, such as abseiling or scaffolding, are limited, extremely time consuming and very expensive.

    Using UAVs as a scanning tool, the high-quality reports produced by the Cyberhawk team allowed the client to plan contact-based inspections or repairs. With a full inspection completed on all risers, defects can be tracked over time to understand their long-term degradation.

    Daily reports were produced to notify Dubai Petroleum of potentially serious defects, with detailed inspection reports then produced by Cyberhawk’s experienced oil and gas inspection team.

    On the same project, an additional three elevated flare stacks and 24 bridges were inspected, maximizing the value of the mobilization.

    Image: Cyberhawk

    “Having worked with Cyberhawk in the past, we understand and appreciate the potential on offer from UAV inspections,” said Dubai Petroleum’s asset integrity manager. “This confidence led us to use UAVs in a new area within our business; this risers survey project. The campaign was a great success and we are pleased with the outcome. The speed and efficiency with which this project was completed has proven that the scope and application of UAV inspection can be expanded for our requirements, and we look forward to continuing our relationship with Cyberhawk in the future.”