Hemisphere GNSS made the announcement at AUVSI Xponential, being held this week in Denver, Colorado.
The HA32 is a high-performance antenna that supports GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, Hemisphere’s own Atlas L-band correction service. It was designed specifically for UAVs, GIS, surveying, real-time kinematic (RTK) and other applications requiring high-precision positioning and navigation.
According to the company, the HA32 is built on an innovative and proprietary four-helix antenna technology that provides superior filtering and anti-jamming performance with low noise amplifier (LNA) features such as a low noise figure of 2.0 dB (typical) and up to 30 dB gain (typical).
Suitable for most outdoor and harsh operating environments, the HA32 antenna is sealed in a durable and ruggedized IP67-rated enclosure for protection against dust and water and is equipped with an O-ring. The lightweight (40 g, typical) and compact form-factor (40 mm x 75 mm) design of the antenna makes it resistant to wind when installed on UAVs and offers easy integration with a single subminiature version A (SMA) RF connector.
“We are very excited to be introducing this extremely competitive entry-level UAV GNSS antenna for a wide range of positioning and navigation applications such as UAVs, GIS, and RTK,” said Miles Ware, director of marketing with Hemisphere GNSS. “The features and specifications of this antenna is another example of the innovation and incredible value that Hemisphere is known for.”
AUVSI Xponential attendees can visit the Hemisphere booth (#4228) to see the HA32 UAV GNSS antenna in person.
On Wednesday, May 2, 3:15–3:45 p.m., Swift Navigation’s Product Manager Akshay Bandiwdekar and Sales Executive David Fischer will lead an educational session on “The Role of RTK in the Autonomous System Sensor Suite.” Join them in Room 203, where they will discuss how one sensor — a multi-band, multi-constellation RTK GNSS receiver — is a unique sensor in autonomy as the only sensor within the autonomous vehicle sensor suite to deliver absolute position, velocity and time.
Swift Navigation’s Duro.
At Booth 3311 in the exhibit hall, Swift Navigation is featuring its multi-band, multi-constellation real-time kinematic (RTK) GNSS receiver, the Piksi Multi GNSS Module, and its Duro Ruggedized Receiver, an easy-to-deploy GNSS sensor that is protected against weather, moisture, vibration, dust, water immersion and the unexpected that can occur in long-term outdoor deployments, such as for robotics applications.
The company will also be featuring its newest Internet service Skylark, a cloud-based GNSS corrections service that delivers affordable, fast, centimeter-level accuracy and eliminates the complexity of deploying and maintaining GNSS networks.
Fergus Noble
Webinar on Location and IoT
Those unable to attend Xponential 2018 but interested in Swift Navigation’s recent product announcements or looking to learn more about what is next for the company can join Swift’s upcoming webinar with GPS World: Location’s Role in the Internet of Things (registration is free).
Oliver Cameron
The webinar takes place on May 17 and features Fergus Noble, co-founder and CTO of Swift Navigation, along with Oliver Cameron, co-founder and CEO of Voyage — a company that deploys self-driving taxis in private communities across North America and uses both Skylark and Piksi Multi in its real-world autonomous driving application.
“Xponential 2018 is the ideal venue for Swift to showcase its end-to-end ecosystem of products and cloud services, including our most recent innovation, Skylark,” said Diana Schlosser, executive vice president of marketing at Swift Navigation. “We are excited to demonstrate our low-cost, centimeter-accurate GNSS solutions to the unmanned systems industry.”
NovAtel has introduced several new precision positioning solutions for space-constrained applications. With enhanced positioning accuracy in a compact form, the PwrPak7D, PwrPak7DE1 and OEM7600 are suitable for automotive, airborne and other smaller unmanned systems.
PwrPak7D and PwrPak7D-E1 are dual-antenna, multi-frequency enclosures, and the OEM7600 receiver board, plus NovAtel’s new Waypoint Inertial Explorer Express post-processing software are being showcased this week at AUVSI Xponential 2018.
Dual-Antenna, Multi-Frequency Enclosures
The new PwrPak7D enclosure. (Photo: NovAtel)
NovAtel’s new PwrPak7D and PwrPak7D-E1 enclosures provide space efficiency without sacrificing position accuracy and heading stability, even in stationary, slow-moving or hovering dynamics.
The PwrPak7D-E1 enclosure integrates an inertial measurement unit (IMU) with NovAtel’s OEM7720 dual-antenna receiver board to deliver GNSS and inertial navigation system (INS) capabilities.
When combined with NovAtel’s SPAN technology, positioning and attitude performance is optimized during extended GNSS outages.
Both the PwrPak7D and PwrPak7D-E1 include NovAtel’s Interference Toolkit with advanced interference detection
and mitigation features applicable to all stages of integration. A web user interface, accessible through Ethernet or
Wi-Fi, allows for quick and easy system configuration and control.
OEM7600 Receiver Board for Smaller Autonomous Systems
The OEM7600 receiver board. (Photo: NovAtel)
The OEM7600 receiver board features NovAtel’s high-performance positioning solutions in an extremely small form factor, wrapped with protective shielding to isolate emissions from surrounding electronics in confined spaces.
This new receiver integrates easily with NovAtel’s SPAN technology to optimize performance during extended GNSS outages.
The new OEM7600 will be commercially available this summer.
New Post-Processing Software for UAVs and Small Project Areas
Inertial Explorer Xpress centroid circle. (Image: NovAtel)
Inertial Explorer Express provides the same core processing and utilities as the
Waypoint Inertial Explorer software for applications including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and smaller projects.
Inertial Explorer Express will produce centimeter-level position and attitude solutions compatible for lidar, camera and other sensor data with faster processing times and reduced complexity
“We are very excited to be introducing our new OEM7-based and Inertial Explorer solutions at Xponential 2018,” said Neil Gerein, director of product management at NovAtel. “These systems provide robust positioning and accuracy in a compact footprint for UAVs and smaller autonomous projects. An advanced range of software options, including NovAtel’s tightly coupled GNSS+Inertial SPAN technology and Interference Toolkit, provide assured positioning anywhere.”
At least 65 people have been rescued by drones in the last year, according to a new report issued by DJI, a civilian drones and aerial imaging company.
The report gathers accounts from news outlets and public safety agencies around the world, and includes 27 separate incidents on five continents.
The report, “More Lives Saved: A Year Of Drone Rescues Around The World,” is available for download. It highlights how improved drone technology, rapid adoption by first responders, and smart aviation regulations have combined to increase the pace of drone use in critical public safety missions.
dropped buoys to struggling swimmers in Australia and Brazil,
spotted unconscious victims in sub-freezing weather in England and America, and
found stranded people in fields, rivers and mountains.
“Drones allow rescuers a way to find missing people, deliver supplies like food and life vests, and cut search and response times from hours to minutes,” said Brendan Schulman, DJI vice president for policy and legal affairs. “When laws and regulations allow public safety agencies to deploy drones easily, rescuers are able to save time and money, protect their personnel, and most importantly, rescue people from peril.”
More than one person a week was rescued by a drone over the last year on average, the report found, including at least 18 found by thermal imaging cameras that can sense a person’s body heat even in darkness or when hidden by thick brush.
In one case, police in Lincolnshire, England responded to a car crash on a dark rural road on a cold night but were unable to find the driver. A drone with a thermal imaging camera spotted the driver in a ditch away from the crash scene, and captured the dramatic moments when it guided officers to find him. See video below.
Sharper Shape, a provider of unmanned aerial utility inspection solutions, has released the Heliscope 2.0, an onboard payload system that expands the company’s aerial sensing portfolio into the manned helicopter industry.
According to the company, the Heliscope 2.0 integrates multiple sensor systems into a single, lightweight helicopter payload, capable of simultaneously collecting a range of data types required for utility maintenance and vegetation management inspections.
Deployment of the Heliscope 2.0 enables optimized inspection and maintenance schedules, offering potential cost savings in those operational activities by as much as 50 percent.
The Heliscope 2.0 also stands out with its flexible mounting configurations and ability to adapt for mounting on many different helicopter types.
For example, the system can be mounted on most Bell Jet/Long Ranger helicopters using its FAA-approved nose mount, or attached to numerous other typical helicopter models using its unique Glider aerodynamic sled.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) permits mounting the Heliscope 2.0 to helicopters by using the cargo hook found on many helicopter models; this user-friendly method is approved by FAA under a classification for gliders.
“While drones are a very flexible and safe method for performing utility inspections, there are situations where manned helicopters are the preferred vehicle to host sensors during certain utility inspections,” said Mikko Saarisalo, Sharper Shape’s vice president of drones and project lead for the Heliscope 2.0 project. “The new Heliscope 2.0 provides a solution for those situations where we need to operate over greater distances or in harsher environments than the drones can easily accommodate. This system takes our data harvesting efficiency and productivity up to a level unprecedented in the industry.”
CORE includes algorithms to automatically analyze lidar point clouds and quickly generate utility vegetation management reports. Further, its unique automatic issue detection (AID) machine vision software uses artificial intelligence (AI) to eliminate the daunting task of performing frame-by-frame image data inspection, allowing personnel to focus on other aspects of inspection compliance.
CORE applications work equally well with either Sharper Shape’s proven unmanned aerial inspection services, or with the new Heliscope 2.0 manned aircraft solution.
“The fact that the Heliscope 2.0 integrates fully with our CORE software suite is a huge benefit,” said Sharper Shape CEO Ilkka Hiidenheimo. “We can collect all the key inspection assets and measurements in one high-speed pass, and then easily pass these files to our CORE suite for automatic processing. Sharper Shape is the only company on the market that offers this range of options for collecting aerial data and for processing this data automatically into a wide range of digital report formats.”
The Heliscope 2.0 system is now available for immediate contract services in the U.S., South America and Europe.
DroneUp is collaborating with industry leaders and government officials to promote the desired outcomes of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), public safety personnel, and the unmanned systems community by announcing the Responsible Community Pilot (RCP) program.
DroneUp is a drone pilot community focused on safer skies through continuous education and sense of purpose. The announcement was made at the AUVSI Xponential show being held this week in Denver.
The mass proliferation of small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS), specifically those operated by non-commercial pilots, has created nearly unparalleled policy, safety and legislative issues.
To remove confusion and help increase resources available to all pilots, DroneUp is partnering with the International Association of Community Drone Pilots (IACDP) to provide tools and resources to meet the real objectives of improving airspace safety.
By providing free access to a community-based set of guidelines and programming, the RCP program engages drone pilots through training, certification, idea-sharing and community.
DroneUp provides the means and connections with the community to help pilots operate in the national airspace. Some of those free tools include:
Continually updated online courses and exams that improve regulation awareness
Mission-driven experiential exercises that improve piloting skills
An online community for questions and discussion
Mobile apps that verify where it is safe to fly and active advisories nearby
Comprehensive Standards of Conduct
Detailed Safety Guidelines
Advocacy on behalf of the community
“Our efforts to build this community through training and a sense of purpose are having dramatic positive effects on ensuring air safety,” said Tom Walker, Founder and CEO, DroneUp. “We are dedicated to not only continuing our efforts, but to sharing collected data that will prove invaluable to officials as they draft future policies.”
In advocating for both commercial and non-commercial use of small unmanned aircraft systems, IACDP represents commercial, recreational, military and public safety pilots.
“IACDP is motivated by a desire to make a positive impact on the industry,” said IACDP President John Evans. “We are still growing and expanding our training, certification, and advocacy resources. We see organizations like DroneUp as valuable strategic partners for our mission.”
To date, more than 20,000 non-commercial sUAS pilots are active members of DroneUp’s RCP community. Through affiliations with its non-profit partners, this number is expected to increase to more than 100,000 sUAS pilots over the next six months.
Membership in DroneUp’s RCP program requires successful annual completion of the RCP training and examination online.
Upon completion of the certification, RCP participants will receive a certificate with a unique ID number, an RCP badge in DroneUp’s mobile app; they also may request a personalized RCP ID Badge.
According to Phase One Industrial, the iXM 100MP is a high-productivity metric camera with a range of high-resolution lenses. Photo by Allison Barwacz
Phase One Industrial has launched the iXM series, an aerial camera platform driven by its fast medium-format imaging sensor.
Engineered for UAV-imaging missions, the iXM 100MP is a high-productivity metric camera with a range of high-resolution lenses. It is ready for integration with various UAV platforms, including Phase One’s DJI Matrice 600 Pro solution.
The iXM 100MP metric camera incorporates the first medium-format sensor with backside-illumination technology, enabling high light sensitivity and extended dynamic range. Fast, highly responsive, robust and weatherproof (IP53 compliant), the iXM 100MP delivers superior quality aerial imaging and flexible operation to satisfy diverse mapping, surveying and inspection applications, the company said.
In addition, Phase One announced four new specially developed RSM lenses — with focal lengths ranging from 35mm to 150mm — to seamlessly fit the new sensor’s 3.76 μm pixel size and 33 x 44 mm frame size, ensuring image sharpness across the entire FOV. The lenses are available with either fixed-focus or motorized-focus functionality.
The fixed-focus 35mm and 80mm lenses provide superior image radiometric quality, high ground resolution and large coverage, suitable for surveying applications.
The motorized-focus 80mm and 150mm lenses are designed for a wide range of inspection applications, including electricity poles, wind turbines, bridges, and other private-sector or government structures.
Motorized-focused lenses, having no external moving parts, enable a number of new uses for inspection applications where the focusing distance can be predefined based on flight planning, or by the operator, using a wireless remote control. With the motorized lens, the camera captures sharp and highly detailed images of multi-distance or 3D objects.
The cameras’ RSM lenses incorporate a new leaf-shutter technology, which supports 3 fps capture — with a speed of 1/2500 sec — while guaranteeing 500,000 actuations. The lenses are thermally stable to ensure consistent focus over a wide range of temperatures and flight altitudes.
With optics designed to exploit the full benefits of the new sensor technology, the lenses provide with greater productivity, flexibility and reliability, offering superb image quality.
The new iXM platform adds XQD high-speed storage technology to handle the sensor’s extremely fast frame rate. Also on all cameras, HDMI output from actual exposure provides UAV operators simple and outage-free feedback of actual view, exposures, and camera status in overlays.
In addition, the new platform includes USB-C and 10G Ethernet for versatility of connectivity to large UAVs and aircraft.
“Working with our UAV partners, we see a fast-growing market driven by great potential for time and cost savings over traditional inspection and surveying methods,” said Dov Kalinski, General Manager of Phase One Industrial. “With its new technology, design, and capabilities, the iXM 100MP promises to help start a new era in inspection missions with UAVs. Phase One Industrial continues to push technical boundaries to equip drones and larger UAVs with superior imaging technology — engineering advanced systems, cameras, and software — to help achieve that potential.”
The iXM 100MP and iXM 50MP metric cameras are available for advance order from Phase One Industrial partners worldwide with delivery in June 2018.
3DR, makers of the Site Scan drone software platform for construction and engineering professionals, has released 3DR GCP, an Android app enabled by the Trimble Catalyst on-demand GNSS service that makes it simpler for Site Scan users to capture and use ground control points (GCPs) on commercial drone projects.
Now, instead of having to export ground-control-point data files and manually upload them into Site Scan, 3DR customers can use 3DR GCP to quickly capture ground control points and automatically transfer them to their corresponding projects in the Site Scan cloud for georeferencing and processing. According to the company, this makes it easy for any Site Scan user to create accurate drone maps and models of their projects.
3DR GCP is enabled by Trimble Catalyst, a software-defined GNSS receiver and on-demand positioning service for Android phones and tablets. Developed by Trimble, the service uses a small, lightweight, plug-and-play digital antenna to deliver high-quality satellite data to the 3DR GCP app running on the user’s Android device.
The service is available as a monthly subscription, which unlocks a range of precision levels from meter to only a few centimeters. Customers simply go on-site, plug the Catalyst DA1 antenna into their Android device, launch 3DR GCP, and capture ground control points at the level of accuracy enabled by their Catalyst subscription.
“3DR GCP provides our customers an end-to-end, cloud-based ground control point workflow from the field to the office,” said Chris Anderson, CEO of 3DR. “With this app, we’ve closed the loop on ground control points by making one simple, connected workflow from start to finish.”
“Trimble is excited for 3DR to join our ecosystem with the launch of 3DR GCP,” said Gareth Gibson, business development manager for Trimble Catalyst. “With this innovative ground control app, 3DR is making it easier than ever for their customers across the world to create accurate, reliable drone maps and models and better capture their projects.”
3DR GCP can be purchased along with Site Scan subscriptions, and will require a Trimble DA1 antenna and Catalyst subscription.
The AsteRx-i combines Septentrio’s latest compact, multi-frequency multi-constellation GNSS engine with an external industrial-grade MEMS-based inertial measurement unit (IMU). It can deliver accurate and reliable GNSS/IMU integrated positioning to the centimeter level as well as full 3D attitude at high update rates and low latency.
Key benefits for users:
IMU-enhanced GNSS positioning with full attitude: heading pitch and roll
AIM+ interference monitoring and mitigation system
High-update rate, low-latency positioning and attitude
Designed around demanding requirements for size, weight and power consumption, the AsteRx-i is suitable for optical inspection and photogrammetry.
Accompanied by a UAS-tailored carrier board, the AsteRx-i integrates seamlessly into light UAVs. The versatility of design and range of connection interfaces extend the AsteRx-i applicability to automation and robotics and as well as logistics.
The AsteRx-i includes Septentrio’s GNSS+ suite of positioning algorithms to convert difficult environments into good positioning: LOCK+ technology to maintain tracking during heavy vibration, APME+ to combat multipath and IONO+ technology to ensure continued position accuracy during periods of elevated ionospheric activity.
It also features AIM+ interference mitigation and monitoring system which can suppress the widest variety of interferers, from simple continuous narrowband signals to the most complex wideband and pulsed jammers.
“Complementing our GNSS portfolio with an INS offering is a natural evolution of our product range. At Septentrio, we design our GNSS solutions with a focus on reliability and availability. Smart integration of inertial sensors builds on these strengths to make affordable high-precision positioning and orientation solutions possible for ever more demanding applications,” said Francesca Clemente, product manager at Septentrio.
Phoenix Lidar’s Scout System features NovAtel SPAN GNSS/IMU equipment and a pinwheel antenna. Combined with Phoenix’s hardware and software, this lightweight UAV lidar system serves in agriculture, construction and other general mapping applications. Here the Scout is integrated with the DJI M600 Pro UAV. (Photo: Phoenix Lidar Systems)
As a UAV flies, it is subject to roll, pitch and yaw movements, adversely affecting the high-definition imagery that industrial-grade UAVs are designed to collect. Three measures combat unwanted movement: a stabilizing gimbal, a high-quality GPS/inertial measurement unit (IMU) integration, and orthorectification of the data during post-processing.
Imaging applications are driving all sectors of the booming UAV market. The increasing availability and variety of compact, robust, lightweight sensors, employing a range of super-resolution and often multi-spectral and hyperspectral technologies, continuously expand and improve UAV applications.
Three companies exhibiting at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International’s (AUVSI’s) massive Xponential show May 1-3 will showcase recent advances in this arena.
Challenges of Airborne Imaging. Size and weight govern UAV deployment.Imaging sensors must fit compact payload bays. An integrated UAV solution will typically include an imaging sensor, a high-performance GPS/inertial measurement unit (IMU), and a data storage hub to collate streams of data from all connected instruments.
Software geared specifically to flight supplies image orthorectification and manages sensor operation during the mission, enabling users to input GPS coordinates for sensor operation. Outside of defined coordinates, the sensor will not collect data, reducing the amount of data to store or transmit.
Immediate or real-time processing and georeferencing of imaging products has always been key to defense and security applications; it becomes critical for precision agriculture, cartography, civil engineering, remote monitoring and surveillance, intelligent inspection, disaster preparedness and risk study, newsgathering, cinematography, tourism and even commercial advertising. A multisensor landscape view can improve a UAV’s ability to react intelligently without operator input.
Integrated GPS/INS exhibitors at the Xponential show include:
NovAtel (Booth 3219). The company uses a flexible technology platform and diverse OEM products, which include SPAN technology: tightly coupled GNSS receivers with IMUs for reliable, continuously available, position, velocity and attitude, to deliver its vision of assured positioning — anywhere.
NovAtel offers TerraStar Correction Services to provide accurate real-time sub-meter or decimeter positioning around the world, anytime. Its Waypoint Inertial Explorer Xpress post-processing software provides the same core processing and utilities as Inertial Explorer along with simplified functions and workflows tailored for UAV markets and small project areas.
VectorNav (Booth 2214). Engineers at Octopus ISR integrated the VectorNav VN-200 GPS/INS directly into the optical bench of a gimbal to deliver positioning accuracy under flight conditions such as high vibrations, accelerations and temperature fluctuations. The device flies aboard the UAV Factory’s miniature Epsilon series of gyro-stabilized gimbals, enabling the Precision Geo-Lock feature, which combines a GPS-aided inertial navigation system with dedicated software algorithms and payload operator software.
The VN-200 features 16g accelerometers and 2000°/sec gyros in a postage-stamp-sized surface-mount device and a rugged package. Epsilon gyro-stabilized turrets are available with both VectorNav’s VN-200 single GPS-based INS solution and the VN-300 dual GPS-based INS.
SBG Systems (Booth 2535). The company developed specific calibration procedures to provide reliable heading even when UAVs tilt. Magnetometer calibration can be processed in 2D on the ground, or in 3D in flight. Qinertia software enhances inertial navigation systems performance by post processing inertial data with raw GNSS observables.
SBG Systems’ Ellipse 2 Micro high-performance inertial sensors reduces size and costs and for volume projects. It is available as an inertial measurement unit (IMU), or as an attitude and heading reference system (AHRS) or inertial navigation system (INS) running an extended Kalman filter, connected to an external GNSS receiver.
As the days tick down towards the coming AUVSI Xponential convention in Denver April 30 to May 3, new UAV/UAS developments and applications continue to appear, indicating that this industry could be moving from startup into the beginning of a growth phase.
Skycatch and DJI high-precision drones for Komatsu
The construction industry has always been one of the preeminent areas that require medium- to high-precision surveys. And Komatsu has become one of the world’s leaders in machine automation for the construction site.
Now Komatsu has committed to the automation of site surveys using drones, which ultimately appears to be packaged as a turnkey service for construction companies.
Komatsu aims to show up at a site with all the necessary automated construction machinery and a small staff of automation experts. The experts will survey the site using Skycatch drones and manage the construction for the contractor.
Skycatch drones will survey construction sites with existing RTK networks. (Photo: Skycatch)
Skycatch, based in San Francisco, California, has teamed with Komatsu, who has apparently invested financially in the company and purchased around 1,000 Explore1 drones manufactured by DJI from Skycatch.
Explore1 is actually a modified Matrice 100 DJI drone with special additions. A Skycatch onboard computer links GPS real-time kinematic (RTK) high-precision positioning with a gimbal-mounted 20-megapixel high-resolution camera and the flight computer, resulting in centimeter-level geocoded data.
The big deal is that the system uses existing RTK networks.
Komatsu has been using Skycatch systems for more than three years. The Explore1 system is a combination of all the lessons learned on ease of use and time to collect usable data. Explore1 is used to digitize construction sites during planning, construction and completion.
NASCAR drone protection
It’s unfortunate, but nowadays there always seems to be heightened awareness that events where lots of people gather may present ideal opportunities for possible terrorist attacks. And there has been much made of the possibility that UAVs may be included in the next wave of offensive means for terrorists to inflict civilian casualties on the Western world.
So it’s comforting to hear that for the recent NASCAR race in Fort Worth, Texas, a number of security organizations decided to take the precaution of installing drone countermeasures for the event.
DroneGun, part of the DroneShield anti-UAV system. (Photo: DroneShield)
At the Fort Worth race, the Texas State Department of Public Safety, the Denton County Sheriff, the Fort Worth Police Department, the Texas Forest Service and the Texas Rangers used DroneShield anti-drone systems for the protection of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at the Texas Motor Speedway on April 8.
DroneSentinel for drone detection, DroneSentry used for integrated detection and defeat, and DroneGun drone interception were all deployed to determine where drones may be operating and to intercept them if required.
This appears to have been the first known live operational use of all three products by U.S. law enforcement to provide “peace of mind in the aerial domain,” as expressed by an officer about the event.
No bees? Just call for a drone
I’m always frustrated by the fruit tree in my backyard — it absolutely insists on flowering in March when there seems to be more high winds than at any other time of the year, so most of its blossoms are blown to the ground. It’s a mature tree, and you would imagine that it should have learned by now.
But when it is calm and warm, only a few butterflies and birds seem to show any interest. I hardly ever see any bees buzzing around and doing their pollinating thing, and so fruit is hard to come by later in the year.
I’ve thought of borrowing my wife’s make-up brush and dabbing my way round the flowers, but the neighbors, or my wife for that matter, might see me and call the cops to get me taken away…
So I was quite interested when I saw that an outfit called DropCopter, based in Corning, California, is setting about pollination using customized drones. DropCopter basically supplements lost bees by flying over flowering fruit trees and dropping pollen on their blossoms using a drone.
This UAS start-up has initiated a drone pollination service which uses automated multi-rotor drones to dust almonds, pistachios and cherries, boosting crops by up to 15 percent! It seems that fruit producers can rent bees when it comes to pollination time, but bee-rental costs have apparently soared recently. Growers may have been paying up to $180 for one hive to be relocated among their fruit trees. These costs have been cutting into margins and raising the price of fruit at the store.
Enter DropCopter to alleviate pollination problems and restore profit margins for the growers.
DropCopter is using some funding provided by GENIUS NY sponsorship to operate its patent-pending pollination system during nighttime over local New York orchards. Bees don’t like the colder night temperatures, so DropCopter can double the pollination time by operating at night while the bees work the day shift.
But where the heck does DropCopter find all the pollen necessary to fill its pollen distribution containers on its drones? The mystery of fruit pollination still puzzles me.
Range of novel UAV applications grows
So, it’s quite a range of interesting drone applications: automated site survey using drones and a suite of Skycatch processing and data-delivery software; anti-drone protection systems becoming commonplace at larger events; and nature getting a helping hand from pollinating drone systems… Who would have ever thought we’d be seeing these novel, innovative drone solutions?
But, then again, who would have ever expected in the pre-2000 timeframe all the applications that GNSS alone has managed to open up?
Xsens has expanded its MTi product portfolio with the introduction of the MTi-7, a miniature inertial navigation system (INS) module that uses input from an external GNSS receiver to provide an accurate, real-time position, velocity and orientation data stream.
The module has a compact 12 x 12-millimeter footprint, weighs less than 1 gram and consumes under 100 milliwatts, making it suitable for use in space- and power-constrained devices such as drones, as well as autonomous or remote-controlled mapping and imaging equipment.
Image: Xsens
Operating at output data rates up to 800 Hz, the MTi-7 achieves very low latency of 2 milliseconds, allowing for real-time operation of dynamic functions such as flight control and camera stabilization, the company said.
The module also offers a position and velocity output suitable for the navigation of autonomous ground vehicles in sectors such as smart farming and robotics.
The high performance of the MTi-7 is due to the advanced sensor fusion algorithms developed by Xsens to synchronize the inputs from the module’s onboard accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer with the signals from an external GNSS receiver or barometer.
The raw sensor signals are combined and processed at high speed in the MTi-7 module to produce a real-time data stream showing the device’s horizontal and vertical position, velocity, roll, pitch and yaw. This user-friendly data stream may be supplied to a host processor via a standard I2C, SPI or UART interface.
Based on the design of the successful MTi 1-series, the MTi-7 offers a straightforward upgrade path for current MTi-1 users on the same form factor. It is also able to provide heading, positioning and orientation accuracy more commonly found in much larger, heavier and higher power devices.
Image: Xsens
:We are seeing exploding demand for accurate control of autonomous or computer-guided equipment such as drones and smart farming ground vehicles,” said Hein Beute, director of product marketing at Xsens. “With its tiny footprint, light weight and low power consumption, the MTi-7 provides the industry’s best solution for any such application that is limited in terms of space or power but that needs a high degree of accuracy and precision in position and orientation data.’
The MTi-7 module is supported by an Arduino-compatible development kit (the MTi-7-DK), which provides access to the module’s I2C, SPI and UART interfaces via micro-USB connections.
Developers can configure the operation of the MTi-7 via the freely available Xsens MT Software Suite. The MT Software Suite includes a GUI for PCs operating on the Linux or Windows platforms, as well as a full Software Development Kit including example source codes and complete documentation.
The HA32 is a high-performance antenna that supports GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, Hemisphere’s own Atlas L-band correction service. It was designed specifically for UAVs, GIS, surveying, real-time kinematic (RTK) and other applications requiring high-precision positioning and navigation.
