Heisha, a drone-charging solution and unattended drone system provider, has launched a new drone-in-the-box hardware platform, D.NEST.
D.NEST is an automatic drone-in-the-box hardware platform compatible with DJI drones, open-source project drones and vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft.
Based on Heisha’s third-generation charging pad C500, D.NEST is a reliable and stable automatic drone charging solution. Equipped with a built-in AI computer, remote-control base and local router, D.NEST is easy to maintain and redevelop, according to the company. Additionally, the hardware platform can be a data center and control center for different robots.
Heisha operates an open-source interface API and SDK, making it flexible. Designed for use with the DJI Mavic and Phantom series, D.NEST can also be customized for use with the M200, M210, M300, M600, open-source UAVs and VTOL fixed-wing UAVs.
Equipped with the 5-in-1 PCB control K100 and industrial-level materials, Heisha also provides a useful, stable and cost-effective drone-charging platform.
A roundup of recent products in the GNSS and inertial positioning industry from the September 2020 issue of GPS World magazine.
OEM
Inertial sensors
Includes four models
Photo: SGB Systems
The third-generation Ellipse series has a 64-bit architecture, allowing high-precision signal processing. All of the INS/GNSS devices now embed a dual-frequency, quad-constellation GNSS receiver for centimetric position and higher orientation accuracy. The Ellipse-A is a motion sensor; Ellipse-E provides navigation with an external GNSS receiver; Ellipse-N is a single-antenna RTK GNSS/INS; and Ellipse-D is a dual-antenna RTK GNSS/INS. With its new 64-bit architecture, the third-generation Ellipse series enables the use of high-precision algorithms and technology used in high-end inertial systems such as rejection filters and FIR filtering.
The PNT-6220 Assured Reference combines low-Earth-orbit (LEO) signals, GNSS, terrestrial, wireline and atomic clock services in one small solution for critical infrastructure applications. The PNT-6220 seamlessly combines concurrent L1, L2, L3 and L5 GNSS reception with a LEO-based Satellite Time and Location (STL) timing receiver. It also includes terrestrial receivers and PTP/IEEE-1588 edge grandmaster and PTP/IEEE-1588-slave capability. It provides assured PNT for critical infrastructure applications such as those described in the directives of Presidential Executive Order 13905. It can serve as a timing reference for 5G equipment, an ePRTC-capable reference, or a high-performance disciplined reference that supports PTP/IEEE-1588, STL, RF distribution and multi-frequency GNSS capability. The PNT-6220 can automatically select the most optimal UTC reference input and switch over among its numerous reference inputs if one or more are jammed or spoofed, as well as average several references for additional stability and accuracy.
Jackson Labs Technologies, jackson-labs.com
GNSS Receiver
Integrates correction service
Photo: Septentrio
The AsteRx-m2 Sx OEM board provides a GPS/GNSS receiver with always-on sub-decimeter accuracy without the need for additional correction service subscriptions. GNSS corrections are automatically streamed to the receiver. The integration enables plug-and-play positioning with high accuracy available out of the box. The AsteRx-m2 Sx is an efficient positioning solution for small robots, aerial drones and automation applications. Advanced anti-jamming technology AIM+ ensures robust and reliable operation in challenging environments, even in the presence of RF interference.
The xOEM v3 inertial navigation system includes the architecture from the company’s IP65-encased xNAV v3 as well as a full range of software interfaces, providing integrators maximum configuration flexibility, real-time monitoring, post-processing and analysis. Software interfaces can be customized using the OxTS NAVsuite. Plugins can be created using the company’s NAVsdk, allowing the xOEM v3’s software to be easily packaged and included as part of a product.The high-grade MEMS inertial sensors and real-time kinematic (RTK)-capable GNSS receiver within the xOEM v3 board set deliver high performance capabilities. The board set provides 0.1° heading accuracy, 0.05° pitch/roll accuracy and 2 cm global position accuracy. The board set is compact at 150 grams, which enables manufacturers to seamlessly integrate and build a high-performance INS into their products, such as commercial mapping applications on land and in the air. Its light weight means more payload capacity for other critical components. An add-on lidar georeferencing software package is also available with a sophisticated boresight calibration tool.
The M300 Plus GNSS receiver is designed to supplement the company’s M300 Pro, which is aimed at clients who need a more economical version for their CORS networks. The M300 Plus is also designed for monitoring projects and other applications. By using a powerful, adaptive detecting and canceling technology, the M300 Plus provides enhanced anti-jamming capability, which is critical for a reference station providing reliable GNSS data. Its built-in web server provides remote control of receiver configuration, status, firmware update and data download. It uses a 4G module as an internet backup, enhancing the stability of data connections.
The MQ-8 family — 3D lidar sensors and perception software — are part of Quanergy’s Flow Management platform. Designed with a new smart beam configuration, the MQ-8 solution delivers up to 140 meters of continuous tracking range, enabling up to 15,000 m2 of coverage with a single sensor. It is suitable for flow management applications such as security, smart city, social distancing and smart space industries.
Cesium OSM Buildings expands the company’s suite of Global Base Layers including worldwide terrain, aerial imagery and streetmaps already available. With the new layer, 3D buildings can be visualized, styled and analyzed in an efficient and interoperable manner using 3D Tiles, the open standard developed by Cesium to stream massive 3D geospatial datasets. The layer gives geospatial developers urban context to 3D applications. The buildings are created for efficient visualization and are streamable to any device with 3D Tiles.Cesium OSM Buildings are derived from OpenStreetMap. Buildings are also regularly updated, firmly clamped to terrain, and individually selectable and styleable.
Version 2.1 of Global Mapper Mobile provides updates to both the free and Pro versions. The iOS and Android applications are designed for viewing and collecting GIS data, and provide situational awareness and location intelligence for remote mapping projects. A complement to the desktop version, the mobile app can display all supported vector, raster and elevation data formats. The release improves vector feature styling, terrain layer support and layer transparency setting. In the Pro version, it introduces advanced GPS support, allowing users to connect to external, high-accuracy Bluetooth GPS devices from vendors such as Eos Positioning and Bad Elf. It also allows access to detailed information including the satellite constellation, precise location information and the raw NMEA stream.
The AiRXOS Enterprise Energy Solution provides digital compliance, situational awareness of airspace and assets, inspection, emergency response/disaster recovery capabilities, analytics and asset performance tools in a connected platform. It runs on AiRXOS’ Air Mobility Platform — a secure, cloud-based, extensible platform that enables integration of an energy organization’s current applications and other UAS service suppliers. It brings all UAS lifecycle operations into one view, including infrastructure inspection, asset and crew management, and emergency operations after a natural disaster.
The Xeno FX is a fixed-wing platform optimized for efficient and cost-effective area survey and monitoring missions. Users can program the flight plan before launch to ensure thorough coverage of a target region. The fixed-wing design allows for efficient cruise and maximum time aloft. The Safe Launch protective feature means the propeller starts spinning only after the airframe has been safely hand launched. A quick-change modular payload system allows users to reconfigure their data-acquisition hardware for multiple missions. Constructed of Multiplex’s resilient Elapor foam, the folding wings make for compact storage and easy transport.
uAvionix has announced pingRX Pro, a detect-and-avoid ADS-B receiver for professional unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). PingRX Pro is expected to be available in the fourth quarter of this year.
pingRX Pro detects private and commercial aircraft operating on 978 MHz and 1090 MHz. The received aircraft’s identity, position and altitude are visualized on a moving map in real time, allowing the UAS operator or autopilot to remain well clear.
The new pingRX Pro continues uAvionix’s lineage of easy to integrate receivers with direct support for popular Ardupilot-based autopilot systems. By adding the protection of an aircraft-grade aluminum case and detachable remote mount antenna, pingRX Pro provides an ADS-B receiver for professional UAS operators who need performance, quality and flexibility for limitless UAS applications.
“UAvionix has led the way in ADS-B solutions for unmanned aircraft since our founding.” said Christian Ramsey, president of uAvionix. “Industry leaders and BVLOS operators continually choose ADS-B receivers as their primary detect-and-avoid solution. pingRX Pro now offers manufacturers and integrators the installation flexibility they need for their enterprise aircraft. ”
Weighing less than 8 grams, pingRX Pro features uAvionix ping ADS-B, proven in over a half-million ADS-B solutions worldwide, from UAS to airport vehicles to certified general aviation solutions.
PingRX Pro offers an external antenna, allowing operators to install it anywhere on the airframe. UAS are often designed from materials that can block radio frequencies and impair radio performance. By providing an external remote mounted antenna, performance can be maximized while providing critical protection of the receiver mounted inside the fuselage.
ADS-B Out
Diagram: uAvionix
ADS-B uses precision GPS information to broadcast the position of an aircraft in real time. The technology allows aircraft to share the skies more efficiently by telling each other where they are.
With ADS-B already widely adopted by manned aircraft, the task of detect and avoid is eased because the manned aircraft are broadcasting their position directly to the drone operator with no intermediary. While many aircraft not yet equipped with ADS-B OUT, nearly all large commercial operators are equipped.
The United States requires ADS-B OUT on all manned aircraft with an engine-driven electrical system operating near medium and large cities from the surface to 4,000 feet above ground.
Given the likelihood of ADS-B OUT on manned aircraft, and the density in these prime areas for inspection and package delivery, pingRX Pro ADS-B IN enables drone operators to meet their requirement to remain well clear of surrounding aircraft.
PingRX Pro tracks 100 simultaneous aircraft at ranges exceeding 150 miles, all at nearly 200% less power consumption of the alternatives.
As the world goes in quarantine and social-distancing has become a necessity with COVID-19 pandemic, various measures have been taken to fulfill basic needs of humans. The medical sector is facing a lot of troubles as the number of cases has been increasing day by day and keeping up with the enough supply of necessary equipment and medicines is becoming difficult. Among various measures taken by hospitals and government, utilizing drone payloads for supplying medicines, transferring tests and specimens, and spreading disinfectants has become a new way to facilitate operations. From India to Canada and the U.S., the governments and tech firms have been developing drones that can carry loads and travel up to certain distance to speed up medical and healthcare processes. The market for drone payload is gaining momentum. According to the report published by Allied Market Research, the global drone payload market is expected to generate $7.01 billion by 2022. Following are some of the activities taking place across the world.
On the verge of COVID-19 outbreak, various measures have been taken by governments to control the spread and eliminate completely. Among the measures taken by various governments is disinfecting the cities. Bengaluru, a city from Karnataka, India has been disinfected with the help of drones. Six hexacopter drones have been deployed. They are equipped with 15 liters of disinfectants for various localities of the city. These drones have been developed by startups Alpha drones and Multiplex. It has five kilometer range and has ability to fly for 25–30 minutes based on the payload. The pre-set speed of drones is at 6 meters per second. Nearly 10–15 meters of area is covered based on the altitude. The cetrifuger automiser pump technology is utilized for spreading the disinfectant in air and on lands. Highly crowded areas such as markets, bus stops, railway stations, and others will be covered and drones will be operated for 6–7 hours each day.
Along with spreading disinfectants, there have been another medical uses. Urban drone stations have been utilized for logistic medical payload exchange in hospitals. The Matternet Station at Mountain View, California, is a structure that can be mounted on ground or rooftops. It is three meters in height and offers personal safety. Hospitals can utilize the stations for transferring pathology specimens, blood diagnostics, and medicines to other facilities and suppliers. It also offers fast, secure, and predictable aerial delivery.
Each Station is equipped with its own automated aerial deconfliction system for management of drone traffic at the Station. The Station enables Matternet M2 drones to carry out a precision landing. Then the drone is locked in the particular place and executes swapping of payload and battery. There is a Matternet Cloud that directs flight directors an ability to control and track operations. Moreover, an integrated authentication system enables only authorized personnel to insert or take out payload through scanning of hospital identification badge. Then there is a tracking of payload at each touch point for maintenance of strong custody. Ideally, it can hold four boxes of payloads that are held at the controlled temperature for maintaining integrity of specimen. Andreas Raptopoulos, CEO of Matternet, outlined that the technology platform will be utilized for rapid, point-to-point, and urban medical deliveries. This way, hospital systems are able to reduce patient waiting times and carry out savings of millions of dollars each year.
Another company has taken measures to contribute to countering the outbreak of COVID-19. Drone Delivery Canada (DDC) would bring its own drone delivery system by the mid April for delivery of blood test, blood samples, and medicines. Michael Zahra, president and CEO of DDC, outlined that it is a necessity to bring an automated and unmanned delivery system of drones to supply medical necessities to the right people at rapid pace. The company possesses the drone that can take off from the starting point, reach destination, drop the cargo and return.
Zahra have been encouraging hospitals, communities, pharmacies, healthcare centers, and others to build a case for the support from government. He added that logistics differ in each scenario, however, the basic setup can be achieved. There is a minimum required infrastructure available at the starting point. On the other hand, there is no infrastructure at the destination point.
Its Sparrow drone can carry nearly 10 pounds of payload in a single trip and can travel up to 30 kilometers. The company has a portfolio of two drones. First is Robin, which carries the payload of 25 pounds with a travelling distance capability of 35 kilometers. Another is Condor, which have capability to carry 400 pounds and go up to 200 kilometers. With the Special Flight Operations Certificate, the company’s drones can navigate throughout Canada without the need to outline flight plans regarding routes prior to trips. Once it obtains the permission and support from government to implement drones for medical purposes, it would implement its model and accelerate the supply in this grave situation the world has been facing.
Pratik Kirve holds a bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering. He is currently a senior specialist — content writer at Allied Analytics LLP. He has avid interest in writing news articles across different verticals.
The contest targets the design and development of drone-based applications or services, using a Galileo-enabled receiver, to address the European Union’s (EU’s) key priorities such as the Green Deal, and support the EU Recovery Plan for Europe.
Initial ideas should be submitted by Aug. 31. Wide participation from all EU Member States is expected.
According to ESA, the MyGalileoDrone competition seeks to tap into the EU’s innovative spirit to deliver applications and services to boost Europe’s competitiveness, resilience and sustainability. Applications should leverage and demonstrate Galileo’s added value, such as increased accuracy, availability and robustness of position, as well as integrity for a solution based on drone operations.
The market related to drone applications and services is growing rapidly, and European drone service revenues are expected to reach EUR 250 million by 2025. The European demand is estimated to reach EUR 10 billion annually, in nominal terms, to 2035 and over EUR 15 billion annually to 2050, creating more than 100,000 jobs.
With GNSS receivers implemented on almost all new commercial drones, Galileo’s and EGNOS’ added value is pivotal for the development and growth of drone services and applications.
In addition to designing and developing the application, contestants should prepare their drone- based application or service for commercial launch.
The solution should leverage Galileo to provide a position fix. The use of EGNSS is understood in the broad sense, and Galileo can be integrated in the flying platform, the ground control station, or in other devices supporting the operation, such as a smartphone or even in the frame of U-Space services.
“GNSS is a key enabling technology in this segment, ensuring robust navigation and reliability for a wide range of applications. The MyGalileoDrone competition aims to bring oxygen to European SMEs and entrepreneurs driving innovation. It will create jobs and growth in this promising market,” said Pascal Claudel, acting executive director at the GSA.
Focus on EU priorities
In times of post-COVID recovery focus, submissions should target applications and services that support key EU priorities, but the sky’s the limit. The GSA is looking for trailblazing ideas in applications such as smart mobility, sustainable agriculture or environmental protection, or solutions that exploit synergies between 5G and space data, or support the internet of things, or whatever might be the next big thing.
Deadlines and Prizes
The first prize in the MyGalileoDrone competition amounts to EUR 100,000, with EUR 60,000 for second, EUR 40,000 for third, and a fourth prize of EUR 30,000.
After Aug. 31, projects selected to advance to the development phase of the contest will be announced on Sept. 15. Participants will have until Nov. 30 to develop a demo version of their proposed application or service.
In the finals, the selected teams will perform a live demonstration and pitch their ideas to investors. During the development process, the applicants will receive mentoring and coaching from recognized experts in the drone market. These experts will accompany them as they build their application, develop tests and get ready from the business perspective to attract investors and move to market.
To register or for more information, visit the competition page on the GSA website.
UAV Navigation has launched the VECTOR-400, a compact autopilot designed specifically for unmanned aerial targets (UAT). It features a robust enclosure and a military-grade connector designed to withstand the harshest environments, in accordance with MIL-STD 810 and MIL-STD 461.
“We wanted to develop a solution specifically for manufacturers of aerial targets,” said Tobias Webster, managing director of UAV Navigation. “That is why it was important for the autopilot to have the features required by this kind of UAV, such as sea-skimming (extremely low-level flight) or the capability to navigate without a GNSS signal.”
Thanks to its physical and logical redundancy, the VECTOR-400 is able to continue a mission in case of individual sensor failure and even when subject to jamming, maintaining accurate estimations of attitude and position. It features advanced algorithms for stall prevention and the ability to carry out an efficient gliding maneuver in case of engine failure.
The VECTOR-400 uses an air data attitude and heading reference system (ADAHRS) and inertial navigation system (INS) developed by UAV Navigation, which provides high precision attitude information and which allows reliable navigation even under the most demanding circumstances.
The ADAHRS gives the VECTOR-400 the capability to operate in GNSS-denied environments (less than 30 m/min drift) and also to execute highly dynamic maneuvers.
“The VECTOR-400 is not a product in isolation, rather it forms part of our global strategy. Some of its main features, such as the execution of completely automatic functions or its compact and easy to integrate software, which also allow it to be operated in case of data-link failure, are already used in other products in our autopilot family, such as the VECTOR-600” explained Webster.
In addition to its advanced technology, the VECTOR-400 benefits from the same stringent quality standards that UAV Navigation insists upon for all of its products. The company carries out rigorous calibration processes and acceptance testing on every single unit before it ships, together with its individual certificate of conformity.
UAV Navigation has designed the VECTOR-400 to meet MIL-STD 810 and MIL-STD 461 standards. The design and development of its software and hardware has been carried out in accordance with DO-178C, DO-254 and also ASTM F3201-16 — a certification available for unmanned aerial systems.
“Not all autopilots are able to control highly dynamic platforms; even fewer are able to carry out advanced, high-speed maneuvers and low-level flight such as sea-skimming,” Webster said. “That is why we are extremely pleased with this new product, which we believe meets a requirement in the market that had yet to be covered.”
UAV developments are taking flight across the globe.
In one development, older technology might enable new capabilities for a pseudo-satellite UAV. Meanwhile, new technology adds significant landing capability to an Air Force drone. Finally, further trials are expected to help develop drone operational procedures and regulations in India.
Spain’s Skydweller moves to Oklahoma
An unmanned aircraft builder from Spain — Skydweller — is setting up operations in Oklahoma. This latest outfit to relocate is establishing its headquarters in Oklahoma City to develop a pseudo-satellite vehicle with a large payload capability.
For anyone who has kept tabs on the Airbus Zephyr, the UAVOS ApusDuo, The Aurora/Boeing Odysseus, or the Softbank/AeroVironment Hawk30 high-flying drone programs, you might have noticed that the stratospheric pseudo-satellite business is not easy. None have yet made it to true operational status — loitering for months at +60,000 feet and living off only sunlight, while carrying significant payloads to provide communications services. That said, some trials to date have apparently been quite successful.
All those existing UAVs are huge, flimsy, flex-wing aircraft that take an inordinate amount of care to handle in the difficult phases of take-off and landing. Airbus’ second prototype crashed in Australia in October 2019, and several other companies’ earlier prototypes have crumpled somewhat when they inadvertently contacted the ground.
Now enter Skydweller. Skydweller is designed to carry a relatively large payload and fly persistently in the stratosphere.
The payload includes one or more communications relays: 4G/5G cellular, day/night full-motion video, satellite communication, and imaging radar. This looks like it could be one capable vehicle. The makers hope to capture business in commercial and government telecommunication, geospatial, meteorological and emergency operations. Skydweller has apparently been around since 2017 and has a lot of capability, so let’s see how they do with their new venture in Oklahoma.
If you were wondering where this technology came from, it is today’s carry-over of the famous around-the-world flight by the Solar Impulse aircraft from 2016, which circled the globe without fuel, using electrical power generated by solar cells on its wings.
GA Makes Improvements with Reaper
In another life, I was quite attuned to what it took to “automatically” land a passenger jet, so a recent release from General Atomics (GA) about improving the auto-landing system on Reapers (new-generation Predators) caught my eye. GA has a U.S. Air Force contract to update these unmanned reconnaissance/attack drones with the latest and greatest, so making a working system better is one of those improvements.
Actually, GA made three changes. The first enables the drone to divert to an alternate landing zone if the planned landing area is compromised — another word to express the possibility that hostile action or weather forced home base to send the vehicle elsewhere. Quite clever, in that the alternate site might not have a ground control station, along with someone who can fly the aircraft.
MQ-9A Reaper drone, (Photo: USAF)
The ground pilot at home base has to either enter coordinates for the new alternate landing zone and the aircraft flies there and lands itself, or he needs to overfly the landing zone so that the Reaper can collect its own waypoint with which it can automatically align and land.
The second improvement has increased the speed limit of the cross wind in which the drone can land
The third enhancement allows the drone to land heavier than previously — both essential elements of being able to divert in an emergency, when weather may be poor and the aircraft could be carrying unused ordnance and fuel.
All this is a far cry from landing civilian air transports with GPS-based guidance, which is much more restrictive and with a whole mess of mathematical probabilities of the unlikeliness/likeliness of failure. Not so much for a Reaper drone on a mission during a “time of unrest.”
Home Deliveries in India
For those of you eagerly waiting for Amazon to start speedy deliveries of your online orders by drone, or Grubhub to drop in with an order of curry in a package dangling from a friendly unmanned air vehicle in your yard, there may be hope… especially if you live in India.
Following our earlier report of anticipated food deliveries by drone in India, more trials are leading to regulations and control systems. Altitude Angel from the United Kingdom has teamed with Indian Sagar Defence Engineering for a series of beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) drone trials.
Altitude Angel’s GuardianUTM platform will be used to monitor and control these flights through real-life scenarios. Scenarios include medical and cargo transport, surveillance operations, survey and mapping, and search-and-rescue operations. Sagar will operate the cargo carrying drones; feedback from the GuardianUTM system will enable the BVLOS flights.
While the Indian government has begun to grant permission for some commercial UAV undertakings, the intent is apparently to use the output from the Sagar/Altitude Angel BVLOS trials, taking place August through October, to help develop regulations for safe operation of drones over increasingly longer distances in Indian airspace.
To sum up, intellectual property from an around-the-world photo-voltaic airplane may become a substitute for low-cost satellite TV and Wi-Fi, while auto-land is old hat for a Predator cousin and the Air Force has gained even greater landing flexibility for a principle recon/attack drone.
Finally, we can expect at least one continent to get to regulations that allow drone deliveries to become a reality at last. As usual, there is a lot cooking in drone-land….
Latest inertial navigation system serves new customer requirements in autonomous vehicles, mobile mapping, surveying and more
Photo: Honeywell
Honeywell is introducing the HGuide n380, an inertial navigation system (INS) that communicates position, orientation and velocity of an object — such as an autonomous vehicle or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) — even when global navigation satellite signals are unavailable.
Smaller, lighter and lower priced than previous Honeywell inertial navigation systems, the HGuide n380 is built using Honeywell’s rigorous design standards to withstand harsh environments in the air, on land or at sea.
“We recognized a need for a small, high-performance inertial navigation system in areas like 3D mapping, surveying and other applications where space is at a premium and performance cannot be compromised,” said Chris Lund, offering management senior director, Navigation and Sensors, Honeywell Aerospace. “We responded by developing the HGuide n380 inertial navigation system, which provides our customers with proven, cost effective inertial sensor technology, created for aerospace applications, but that can be integrated into almost any architecture.”
The new inertial navigation system is composed of Honeywell’s HGuide i300 inertial measurement unit (IMU), a GNSS receiver and Honeywell’s proprietary sensor-fusion software, which is based on the algorithms used for navigation on millions of aircraft every day.
Inputs from these components are fused together to determine position, orientation and velocity to deliver critical navigation information even in areas where a satellite signal is degraded or altogether unavailable, such as canyons, bridges, tunnels, mountains, parking garages or dense forests.
“As the industry evolves, Honeywell’s HGuide suite of IMUs and navigators will be a key enabler of emerging segments like autonomous vehicles, mobile mapping, precision agriculture, robotics and surveying,” Lund said.
During its development, the new product was placed in extreme environments to test ruggedness and was exposed to extensive factory calibration and compensation procedures that help ensure measurement accuracy and performance.
Honeywell has extensive experience in designing and building high-end inertial sensor and navigation systems and has used that expertise to develop a lower-cost portfolio of HGuide offerings to serve new markets and customer requirements.
To date, Honeywell has delivered more than half a million high-performance inertial sensors to serve as navigation aids on an extensive list of manned and unmanned vehicles, which include many air and spacecraft in use today.
As part of the effort to combat the spread of COVID-19 in the United States, UAV company Draganfly has partnered with Australia’s Department of Defense (DOD), the University of South Australia (UniSA) and Vital Intelligence, a company that collects and analyzes healthcare data, to remotely detect and monitor people with infectious and respiratory conditions.
Draganfly’s UAVs will be fitted with a specialized sensor and computer vision system that can monitor people’s temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate, as well as detect people sneezing and coughing in crowds. The collaboration, called The Vital Intelligence Project, utilizes technology developed with help from the DOD’s Science and Technology Group. Draganfly was selected as the exclusive integration partner on March 25, with an initial budget of up to $1.5 million to commercialize and deploy the technology.
The UAV uses u-blox LEA-M8S GNSS modules integrated into the company’s own interface printed circuit boards.
In late January, recalled Draganfly’s CEO Cameron Chell, the company began to consider what kinds of health data it could collect and analyze that could help public officials and private-sector managers flatten the pandemic’s curve. It then contacted Javaan Chahl, a UniSA researcher who had been a customer for 20 years, to discuss the use of UAVs for this mission.
The technology was originally designed to be deployed on helicopters in disaster relief operations, to measure the vital signs of survivors. It was then adapted to measure the health of wildlife populations, such as herds migrating or threatened by drought or fire, and in hospital neonatal wards to monitor the vital signs of newborns.
To provide core temperature readings as well as measurements of heart rate and respiratory rate, the technology uses RGB and thermal cameras, both fixed and mounted on UAVs. “The public sector and the private sector are both interested in this technology, but are approaching it very differently,” Chell said.
The system’s capabilities include detecting people who are coughing, not wearing masks, or clustering in violation of social-distancing rules. The objective is to provide population health information to public agencies to help them make better decisions by measuring the effectiveness of their COVID-19 policies in real time, rather than react to past information. The system, Chell stressed, does not record data on individuals but reports such figures as “84% of the people are socially distancing 24% of the time.”
“Based on what I see unfolding with the measurement and data industry as it relates to health technology,” Chell said, “six or eight months from now you are likely to see health measurement reports the same way that you see weather reports. Eventually, it will be broadcast to the consumer. That is our objective.” People, he predicts, will use these reports to make decisions about where and when to travel.
To obtain accurate core temperatures, Draganfly’s thermal sensor needs to be about 20 feet away from its subject, and uses software to zoom in on the tear ducts. To obtain heart and respiratory rates requires about 25 seconds of footage with at least a 4K camera, magnification to detect body micromovements, and machine vision to detect skin tone biometric measurements. The system also picks up movements — such as of the shoulders, lumbar area and upper torso — that indicate coughing, Chell points out. “The results certainly have been promising in terms of having real quantitative data,” he said.
The scenario is somewhat different in the private sector, which typically relies more on fixed-based cameras for entranceways — for example, to monitor workers entering a warehouse, a factory or a shipyard to guard against people who are infectious or have a respiratory disease. “We have seen several announcements by companies that they are using thermal cameras to do this,” Chell said. People pass through the company’s fixed system, which uses both thermal and RGB cameras, in less than three seconds, according to Chell, which is good for such facilities as parks, office buildings and convention centers. Private organizations can then ask people who exhibit certain symptoms to consent to a secondary screening in exchange for access.
Additionally, Draganfly will provide UAV services for disinfecting outdoor facilities.
Find out how more companies are helping fight COVID-19.
Lidar series paired with professional drone provides multi-platform, high-accuracy 3D laser scanning for geospatial and mapping professionals
CHC Navigation (CHCNAV) has launched the multi-rotor BB4 drone and AlphaUni 300/900/1300 lidar.
Photo: CHCNAV
The combination of the AlphaUni 300/900/1300 lidar and BB4 UAV solutions creates a comprehensive and versatile range for 3D mapping and geospatial data acquisition in land, air and marine applications.
“The purchase of a 3D mobile mapping system is too often constrained to a specific purpose, such as airborne or ground survey,” said George Zhao, CEO of CHCNAV. “A lot of our customers expressed the need to have a professional lidar solution that can be used in different scenarios, offering optimal adaptability to their current and future needs.
“With our AlphaUni series, we are now introducing an innovative response with a multi-platform lidar system that can be used with an aerial or marine drone, on a vehicle or carried as a backpack,” Zhao said. “In addition, the long flight autonomy of our new BB4 UAV allows missions over large areas in a single flight for exceptional productivity.”
AlphaUni lidar series
Photo: CHCNAV
The new AlphaUni series enhances CHCNAV’s Alpha Mobile Mapping family with a light, versatile long-range laser scanner systems available on the high-end market.
The series provides optimized data sets powered by advanced GNSS/inertial navigation system (INS) sensors and long-range Riegl scanners.
AlphaUni’s design adapts to a variety of applications and can be installed on a variety of platforms, including multi-rotor UAV, fixed-wing vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) UAV, vehicles, rail trolleys, backpacks, boats and more.
BB4 UAV
The BB4 UAV is a high-end multi-rotor drone optimized for the CHCNAV AlphaUni 300/900/1300 lidar series. Its modular design simplifies deployment in just a few minutes.
Its 7-kg payload breaks the capacity barrier, and more than 45 minutes of flight time increases the airborne lidar survey ability.
The redundant CHCNAV and DJI inertial measurement unit (IMU) and GNSS units provide reliable centimeter real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning, meeting the demand for high accuracy in the geospatial and mapping industry.
GeoCue Group has released the True View 615 and True View 620 UAS lidar 3D imaging systems. The True View systems are compact, survey-grade 3D imaging sensors designed for small unmanned aerial systems.
True View 615 and 620 are equipped with Riegl’s miniVUX-2UAV laser scanner integrated with dual photogrammetric cameras. Position and orientation is provided by an Applanix APX-15 (True View 615) or extreme accuracy APX-20 (True View 620).
All True View 3D imaging systems are bundled with Applanix POSPac, True View EVO post-processing software and True View Reckon data management solution.
The Riegl laser scanner and dual photogrammetric cameras have been carefully configured to provide a fused lidar/imagery field of view of up to 120°. The system includes full post-processing software that generates a stunning ray-traced 3D colorized point cloud and geocoded images.
An upgrade path will be available to promote a True View 615 to a True View 620 by adding the Applanix APX-20 external inertial measurement unit.
The True View product line gives mappers and surveyors the ability to deliver high-quality analytic data with exact accuracies. These deliverables are generated using workflows and tools within GeoCue’s post-processing software, True View EVO. Examples of derived products include bare Earth models, profiles, cross sections, topographic contours, volumetric analysis and more.
“Our Quanergy-based True View 410 has rapidly become the standard for general purpose drone 3D Imaging, where moderate vegetation penetration and accuracies of 5 cm RMSE are adequate,” said GeoCue’s President, Lewis Graham. “The True View 615/620 provides a solution for situations where deeper vegetation penetration, wire extraction and extreme accuracy are required. These are great new additions to the True View product line.”
The True View 615/620 will be available for shipment late June.
A drone-versus-piloted attack aircraft, deliveries of medical supplies in North Carolina, unmanned meal deliveries in India and anti-drone protection for the Kennedy Space Complex are just a small sample of unmanned air vehicle news this month.
Even the U.K. BBC TV network picked up the news over the weekend that the U.S. Air Force (USAF) plans to pit an unmanned drone against a manned fighter aircraft, maybe even as early as July next year. The candidate fighter drone is thought to come from the USAF’s “Skyborg” research program — a wide ranging initiative aimed at incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into unmanned vehicles which can out-think and out-fight the opposition.
The logic seems to be that if you could somehow ‘can’ all the experience of today’s pilots – somehow distill all their knowledge and stuff it into electronic memory and have AI use this data-base – then an unmanned fighter drone would somehow do better in combat against a hostile, manned aircraft. Probably a good idea, but how could it be made to work?
The Loyal Wingman in its first test flight. (Photo: U.S. Air Force 88th Air Wing Public Affairs)
And the prime candidate to try all this is out could be the “Loyal Wingman” which was recently rolled out by its manufacturer Kratos. With a target price-tag of only $2 million each (for qty 100), USAF apparently foresees a future with lots of these “disposable’”guys accompanying the manned F-18, F-35, F-22 and future fighters into battle. Perhaps the airborne pilot could even coach his unmanned colleagues through an upcoming dogfight, augmenting the onboard knowledge carried by the drone? Seriously Si-Fi sounding stuff, but its apparently already well on its way.
And would current day autonomous drone operations count as using AI? Well such a drone uses a GNSS nav system and an operator pre-programs a route prior to launch, which the drone then refers to when airborne — even dropping off a package on cue when it arrives at destination, and turning round to fly the same route back home. So referring to an on-board waypoint data-base and executing a beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flight on its own — its somewhat limited AI, but the drone is independently doing a task once instructed.
Which brings us to the recent pandemic-related operations that operator Zipline has just begun running out of Kannapolis, North Carolina – from a vacant lot near a Novant Health logistics center — to the Huntersville Medical Center. With only regular capability to operate in accordance with Part 107 regulations, Zipline applied for a waiver to not only fly around population centers, but also to fly beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS). The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted emergency authorization for Zipline to support Novant’s hospital and clinic COVID-19 response.
Fortunately, Zipline is coming off over four years of proven medical drone delivery operations in Rwanda and Ghana, so they have very credible capability to perform similar deliveries in North Caroline. Its possible that FAA took this excellent operational record into account in granting this Zipline waiver.
Nevertheless, Novant and Zipline plan to continue with their efforts to gain full FAA Part 135 authorization to regularly operate this medical package delivery service to Hospitals and Clinics in North Carolina. Meanwhile, this first of a kind long-range BVLOS service in the U.S. will continue to gather more airborne miles each day and demonstrate good confidence in safety and reliability. With over 1.8 million miles already flown during their African medical delivery service, Zipline is apparently coming from an established baseline capability.
In India — a country which has been testing drone services for the express deliveries of food to people’s homes — looks like they are ready to see if drones can be given the OK to operate all the time. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has authorized a consortium of 13 companies to test drones flying BVLOS over longer distances to complete deliveries. DGCA apparently may have also been motivated to speed up shipments during the COVID-19 pandemic and SpiceXpress, one of the consortium members, will initially focus on delivering medical emergency/essential supplies after the trials are complete.
But overall, the objective for most consortium members is to get approval for meal deliveries by drone to become common practice in India. This will depend on the reports which the trial participants are required to submit to Airport Authority of India by September 30, 2020 from at least 100 hours of flight operations — hopefully without any serious incidents.
Not sure if everyone watched the SpaceX/NASA Demo-2 launch of the manned Dragon capsule on May 30, but I was glued to the NASA TV broadcast throughout. A truly significant event with not only a manned launch to the ISS by a commercial company, but a launch from Kennedy Space Center pad 39A — the first in nine years from U.S. soil.
Turns out we managed to get a ‘drone’ angle into the launch — or actually an absence of pesky drone interlopers at the launch site. Kennedy has been operating an anti-drone system for several previous launches — detecting and alerting any drone activity within the restricted airspace volume around pads 39A &B.
A mobile, all-weather Moog “Gauntlet” detection/alert system has been deployed for some time at Kennedy, watching for anything drone like within the confines of the launch area. The system is apparently visual, records evidence and provides alert indications over a secure VPN network, presumably to launch control and Kennedy security.
So this month we have news of a potential UAV-manned aircraft showdown, long-range drone deliveries of medical supplies in the U.S., Indian delivery drone qualification, and a drone detection system in use to protect the recent SpaceX crewed launch to the ISS. There is a lot going on, with high levels of complexity and good news in the fight against the pandemic for at least one hospital group in North Carolina.
