GPS World

Tag: UAV

  • Delair offers advanced UAV for aerial surveying and mapping

    Delair offers advanced UAV for aerial surveying and mapping

    Delair, a supplier of drone solutions for commercial industries, has introduced the next-generation of its high-performance DT26X Lidar UAV.

    The DT26X is a long-range fixed-wing drone that combines highly accurate lidar sensing capabilities with an integrated high-resolution RGB (red, green, blue) camera, dramatically increasing the precision, efficiency and cost effectiveness of surveying and 3D mapping.

    The Delair DT26X lidar drone combines lidar sensing with RGB camera data to enable highly accurate and high-resolution 3D representation and measurement over large areas with minimal flights and in challenging environments. (Image: Delair)

    Details of the new model, which builds on Delair’s proven expertise in long distance, beyond visual line of sight UAV operations, were revealed at the International Lidar Mapping Forum in Denver.

    Aerial-based lidar allows for extremely detailed and accurate collection of elevation data of the ground, even in large and vegetated areas, but is typically performed with specialized, single function platforms or expensive manned aircraft surveys with long lead times.

    Camera-enabled drones offer a complementary solution for collecting imagery that can augment the lidar-based models. Most projects therefore require multiple mapping flights and separate UAVs, with initial missions using lidar sensors and subsequent flights equipped with RGB-cameras to enhance the digital rendering.

    The Delair DT26X lidar’s combined payload of a lightweight sensor and integrated camera allows the acquisition of lidar and photogrammetry data in a single flight, which drastically reduces cost and immediately provides an extremely detailed digital model of the inspected assets.

    The lidar sensor is specifically designed for UAV use, adding little weight or bulk to the Delair frame. The fully-integrated smart RGB camera enables real-time camera sensor control and in-flight photo review with automated quality checks.

    The new platform delivers increased accuracy in 3D mapping and modeling of terrain and corridors in challenging physical environments (e.g. mountainous, inaccessible by road or foot, dense vegetation) and with difficult visibility, lighting or weighting conditions.

    Its long range flying capabilities — allowing coverage of up to 2,400 square acres, communication range of 30 kilometers and 100 minutes of flight time — improve the efficiency of aerial mapping operations over large areas. As a result, the Delair DT26X lidar is well suited for uses such as environmental and land surveys, forestry monitoring, infrastructure surveillance, powerline and pipeline inspections, and road and rail construction.

    “The combination of a sophisticated lidar sensor and an industrial grade RGB camera removes the ‘either/or’ decision of choosing between lidar and imagery data acquisition for geospatial professionals,” said Chase Fly, geospatial product manager at Delair. “This is the most versatile and cost-effective UAV solution for large area, long range mapping and surveying where accuracy and detail are required. It provides the precision and visibility required by the most demanding use cases and allows data acquisition and advanced digitization not possible through terrain-based or satellite 3D mapping techniques, or with limited short-range UAVs. With this configuration, users can acquire all the data required for a colorized point cloud from a single flight, which eases the point cloud classification process back in the office, saving significant time and money.”

    New lidar sensor for more accurate mapping. The Delair DT26X lidar fixed-wing UAV incorporates the new RIEGL miniVUX-1DL lidar sensor, a specially designed device for the needs of UAV use.

    The small form factor sensor includes a downward looking and optimized field of view specifically geared for corridor mapping tasks. The wedge prism scanner construction produces a field of view of 46 degrees, and the circular scan pattern provides a very high point density and point distribution.

    It offers a high scan speed of up to 150 scans per second and a measurement rate of up to 100,000 measurements per second. It is effective in penetrating poor lighting conditions or dense foliage. The lidar sensor makes use of RIEGL’s Waveform-lidar technology, allowing echo digitization and online waveform processing. It supports multiple-target resolution of up to five target echoes per laser shot.

    “The new Delair UAV is typically the type of drone RIEGL had in mind when designing the RIEGL miniVUX-1DL, and represents another step toward completing our UAV lidar equipment product portfolio. The scanner’s specific wedge prism scanning mechanism generates a circular scan pattern, resulting in high point densities and therefore is especially well suited when deploying the scanner from fast moving acquisition platforms such as fixed-wing UAVs. The FOV (field of view) of the miniVUX-1DL is 46deg, resulting in optimized efficiency for downward-looking, linear acquisition set-ups like corridor mapping applications, for example. We are pleased to have such an innovative company like Delair as an esteemed OEM integration partner, bringing our sensing technology to key market sectors that require a flexible lidar solution,” commented Michael Mayer, managing director, RiCOPTER UAV GmbH.

    RiCOPTER UAV GmbH is a subsidiary of RIEGL Laser Measurement Systems GmbH, an international provider of technology in airborne, mobile, terrestrial, industrial and unmanned laser-scanning solutions. RiCOPTER UAV GmbH commercializes RIEGL’s turnkey lidar UAV solution and laser-scanning payloads dedicated for UAV integration.

  • Sentera adds elevation maps to AgVault platform

    Elevation variance maps are now available within the Sentera AgVault platform, offering agronomists, crop consultants and growers additional field insights.

    Topography and elevation data helps agriculture professionals increase operating efficiencies when building variable rate prescriptions, creating drainage or land-leveling plans, and designing subsurface drainage.

    Elevation maps are ordered within AgVault and are delivered as both a color-mapped topographic map image and a set of industry-standard shapefiles.

  • Mayflower delivers anti-jam antenna systems to U.S. Air Force

    Mayflower Communications Company has delivered its Multi-Platform Anti-Jam GPS Navigation Antenna–Federated (MAGNA-F) to the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) in August 2017.

    Mayflower’s MAGNA-F anti-jam antenna system.

    Mayflowers’ GPS anti-jam system (MAGNA) provides protection for multiple military GPS receiver types (C/A and SAASM).  The AFSOC platform has been proven in an operational environment.

    MAGNA-F can provide protected GPS signals to different receivers simultaneously. It protects critical mission systems on the platform and provides unwavering position, navigation and timing (PNT).

    The MAGNA-F system provides the fixed-wing platform with unsurpassed high-performance anti-jam capability.

    “The MAGNA-F is easy to install as a drop in FRPA replacement, provides high-performance GPS anti-jam, and is very reliable,” said Joe Thomas, director of government programs for Mayflower.

    The integration and testing of the MAGNA-F began in late January and February of 2017 and was led by the U.S. AFSOC Program Team at U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM).

    The flight testing proved the Mayflower MAGNA-F provides the highest level of PNT assurance for size, weight and performance (SWaP) constrained fixed-wing and UAS platforms.

    The MAGNA-F is built on an open systems architecture and can be used with multiple military or civilian GPS receivers.

    The MAGNA-F enables growth capabilities across a variety SWaP constrained platforms including rotary wing, fixed wing, and small to large unmanned aerial systems (UAS). The MAGNA AJ systems are also adaptable for U.S. Army ground vehicle AJAS requirements.

    Over the past five years, Mayflower has delivered anti-jam systems across multiple aircraft (fixed wing, UAS) and U.S. Navy strategic-level submarine platforms.

    The Mayflower family of anti-jam systems have a wealth of military live tests (flight and ground) and “real-world” operational experience. The Mayflower SAS (NavGuard 500), SAGE (NavGuard 501) and MAGNA-F (NavGuard 502) assures a Technology Readiness Level (TRL 8/9) product. Each of these systems are software upgradable with capabilities such as direction of arrival, jammer characterization, and operational with U.S. Army pseudolites.

  • SBG Systems offers industrial-grade IMU for high-volume projects

    SBG Systems has released the Ellipse 2 Micro series, a new product range designed to reduce the size and cost of high-performance inertial sensors for volume projects. The Ellipse 2 Micro series 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.

    The new Ellipse 2 Micro is available as an IMU for calibrated sensor data, or as an AHRS/INS delivering accurate orientation and navigation using an external GNSS receiver.

    The Ellipse 2 Micro series provides excellent navigation data when connected to an external GNSS receiver. The INS fuses in real-time inertial and GNSS information to maintain the vehicle position in air, marine or land applications. For automotive projects, the inertial sensor comes with CAN protocol and connects to the odometer for higher performance in harsh environments, such as tunnels and urban canyons.

    “With the Ellipse 2 Micro, integrators benefit from SBG Systems high expertise in motion sensing and positioning in the smallest package,” said Alexis Guinamard, CTO of SBG Systems.

    The high-quality micro IMU is calibrated from -40 degrees to 85 degrees Celsius.  Combining state-of-the-art MEMS-based gyroscopes, accelerometers and magnetometers, the new Ellipse 2 Micro series is fully calibrated in temperature to eliminate measurement errors such as sensor bias, gain, linearity, alignment and g-sensitivity to provide a constant behavior in all conditions.

    Weighing 10 grams, the Ellipse 2 Micros provide a 0.1 degree accurate attitude and connects to external GNSS for navigation, offering a remarkable weight/performance ratio to integrators.

    All Ellipse 2 Micro models are now available for order. Product and pricing information is available from SBG Systems representatives and authorized dealers.

  • Ask an artificially intelligent question…

    There was plenty for a philosophy major to sink his teeth into at ION’s January workshop on Cognizant Autonomous Systems for Safety Critical Applications (CASSCA).

    What is knowledge? What is meaning? What is understanding? What is intelligence? What is learning? What is thinking?

    These questions excited Plato and Kant, Buddha and Descartes, perhaps out of intellectual or spiritual curiosity. Who’s to say? But the people asking them now are driven, quite literally, by practicalities. They have come to realize that we cannot ride in driverless cars or fly in pilotless plane-taxis, we cannot live in an autonomous, artificially intelligent environment without knowing a bit more exactly what knowledge is, in this brave new world.

    Without thinking about what thinking may be, for a machine.

    Why does this matter to a GPS/GNSS/PNT readership? Because as positioning and navigation engage more deeply with artificial intelligence (AI) generally, and with autonomy in particular, these issues emerge as part of the environment that such solutions explore, and in which they must verify and validate themselves.

    Welcome to the future, it’s yours. Now think about it.

    Culture Club. Some of us may have believed that only technical obstacles remain in the path of a driverless car and an otherwise automated society, salted with a few regulatory wrinkles to iron out. But as build-a-robot R&D projects transform into full commercial partnerships, cultural challenges jump up as well: inertia, instability of requirements, unanticipated expectations, magical thinking (the development of empathetic attitudes towards robots), misplaced trust and misplaced distrust. All this according to Signe Redfield, roboticist and mission manager at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.

    Joao Hespanha, professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara, outlined three key concepts for AI development: computation, perception and security. The critical questions for the first named are, how much computing will be done onboard the platform, how much learning will be done onboard, and how much of each process will be distributed to offboard computation. Perception, a crux for autonomy, is closely bound in a feedback loop with control. The platform must gather data to make autonomous decisions (control), and those decisions must maximize the gathering of information (perception).

    Amply consider security. All safety-critical systems must provide for — and prevent where possible — decisions based on compromised measurements, which may stem from system or environmnetal noise, sensor faults, hacked sensors, or other corruptions.

     Second Wave. We are in the second wave of AI, according to Steven Rogers, senior scientist for sensor fusion at the Air Force Research Laboratory. In the first wave, 60s and 70s, large and complex algorithms, relatively low on data, drove new developments — but they hit real-world problems, hard. Since the mid-80s, we have been in the “classify” stage with relatively simpler programs generating and consuming lots of data. Intense statistical learning will eventually lead to the third wave of AI: Explain.

    On a timeline yet to be determined, contextual adaptation will give rise to “explainable” AI, capable of answering unexpected queries. That is, it will have learned how to teach itself.

    Some of this stuff gets pretty scary.

    Most future knowledge will be machine-generated.

    Let’s run through that one more time.

    “Most future knowledge on Earth will come from machines extracting it from the environment,” said Rogers. “Machine generation of knowledge is key for autonomy.”

    Here’s where the thought processes really started to levitate. “Current sense-making solutions are not keeping pace, not growing as knowledge is growing,” Rogers asserted. And he challenged us with the questions posed at the beginning of this column: in AI, the context we will use to explore much of the future, what is knowledge? What is meaning? And so on.

    He gave us one of his answers: “Knowledge is what is used to generate the meaning of the observable for an autonomous system. Correspondingly, machine-generated knowledge is what is used to turn observables into machine-generated meaning.”

    Slide from Steven “Cap” Rogers’ presentation at CASSCA.

     

    He suggested a book by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson, Metaphors We Live By. Pretty heady stuff for a room full of engineers. I don’t know about you. I’m headed down to the library to check it out.

    Requirements, Simple/Not. We got back to earth with some technical challenges we could actually chew on with David Corman, program manager for Cyber-Physical Systems and Smart and Connected Communities at the National Science Foundation. Seemingly simple requirements for safety-critical applications break down into hundreds of requirements that no one has really thought about, Corman said, as he displayed a chart of “Some Example Research Problems.”

    Precision agriculture and environmental monitoring are two sectors where he thought autonomous operations come closest to being full realization, because their operational environments are structurally defined enough. In such constrained niches that we more fully understand, we can implement autonomous operations. Elsewhere, “we don’t know how to specify what we want, so that we get only ‘good results’ and no ‘bad results.’ ”

    He identified a looming Cambrian explosion in AI, analogous to that for plants and animas following the dinosaur extinction, in which systems interact, gather data, sense the environment, learn, improve and multiply. He suggested we browse “The Seven Deadly Sins of Predicting the Future of AI,” an essay by Rodney Brooks.

    The afternoon’s workshop talks followed, from experts in autonomous flight software, legal and insurance aspects of autonomy, the Ohio State University’s Center for Automotive Research, and the U.S. Department of Transportation. But I tell you, this morning done my brain in.

    Before folding up, I must mention a short video on autonomous flying taxis displayed by Paul DeBitetto, VP of software engineering at Top Flight Technologies. It depicts Pop.Up, a modular ground and air passenger vehicle for megacities of the future. Check it out.

    The CASSCA workshop was organized and moderated by Zak Kassas, an assistant professor at the University of California, Riverside and director of the Autonomous Systems Perception, Intelligence & Navigation (ASPIN) Laboratory. He is also co-author of two cover stories in GPS World, “LTE cellular steers UAV” and “Opportunity for Accuracy.”

    ION president John Raquet expressed the hope that we may see a fully fledged conference on this topic in the near future: CASSCA 2019, perhaps, to join the rotating repertory of ION annual meetings.

    Agreed. We need to think more.

    Don’t look back, the machines may be gaining on us.

  • South Korea defense agency selects SimActive's Correlator3D

    The Republic of Korea Agency for Defense Development (ADD) has selected SimActive’s Correlator3D software. The agency’s use of the software will include processing UAV and satellite imagery.

    SimActie-Correlator3DThe transaction was facilitated through a SimActive partner in the region, GeoFocus Inc.

    “The software was originally developed for military clients, which is reflected in the processing speed and rigorous mapping standards the technology adheres to,” said Philippe Simard, president of SimActive. “We are proud to welcome ADD as they join governments worldwide using Correlator3D.”

  • Unmanned taxis, solar-powered UAS in development

    This month’s highlights from the UAV industry include:

    • more on the potential for unmanned airborne taxis,
    • a drone recovery system aimed at satisfying FAA requirements for flying over people,
    • a temporary stumble for camera supplier GoPro as it withdraws from the UAS end-product business, and
    • a possible commercial re-emergence of the high-altitude, solar-powered drone.

    Passenger drone tested in UK

    Y6S passenger-carrying drone. (Photo: Autonomous Flight)

    If a passenger-carrying drone could cost about the same as a regular passenger car, like those used by taxi and Uber drivers, then the economics might work. So it’s interesting that an outfit in the United Kingdom — Autonomous Flight — is talking about building passenger-carrying drones for around $25,000.

    Autonomous Flight says has a prototype up and running, testing the concept in Southern England;  testing with passengers is expected to get underway this year. The YS6 is battery-powered with multiple redundant systems for safety and is designed to fly at 70 mph, with a range of 80 miles at 1,500 ft.

    This happens to meet a design goal of covering a distance from Heathrow Airport to Charing Cross train station in 12 minutes, a journey that would normally take around an hour by car in London traffic. There are similar “hops” that could save a massive amount of time in almost every city in the world.

    But don’t hold your breath. It could take more than five years to get regulatory approval for the vehicle and for the initial routes over cities — never mind the time needed to get this particular concept into large-scale production to achieve the target price. But it’s nevertheless a good sign with good prospects for the future.

    Drone Recovery System

    While the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) considers the regulations for drone flights over people, in the meantime several applications have been developed for people-overflight with drones equipped with parachutes.

    Presumably, a drone would be safer if lowered by parachute in the event of equipment failure, but apparently such applications that rely on parachutes for risk mitigation have all been turned down by FAA. University of Alabama and Virginia Tech research has indicated a 70 percent chance of significant injury or death when a drone the size of an 8.85-pound DJI Inspire 2 fails and falls onto people.

    Indemnis in Anchorage, Alaska, has been working with the FAA and other interested stakeholders to draft the regulatory standard for flight over people and has now gone on to develop its Nexus ballistic drone recovery system, which it plans to have on the market by next summer.

    With a retail price of between $1,700 and $2,500, the system is expected to satisfy these coming FAA regulations for UAS flight over people and in urban areas for Part 107 commercial operations, but would seem to be quite expensive for smaller recreational drones.

    The system is scalable for drones from eight pounds to “several thousand” pounds. The Nexus system is designed to automatically deploy within 30 milliseconds of detecting a failure on the drone or of entering unrecoverable flight, and the system is capable of determining normal flight or a failure to within six feet of vertical movement.

    According to Indemnis, more than 10,000 requests for flight over people have been received by the FAA in the last 14 months, but all those that rely on parachutes for risk mitigation have been refused. This is apparently because conventional parachute systems have a tendency to become tangled with the aircraft or manual deployment is required. It is also said that current quadcopter drone safety systems — which cut power to an engine to prevent tumbling and which slow descent by adding power to the remaining engines — are inadequate for flying over people.

    The Nexus system automatically detects failure, cuts engine power, and deploys an aircraft parachute within 30 milliseconds, slowing vertical speed to around 7 mph. This should be slow enough to allow the operator to catch up with the vehicle before it hits the ground. However, reducing vertical speed is only half the solution, as a vehicle under parachute will still travel horizontally due to wind velocity. So Indemnis is testing their parachute system with an airbag on a 33.29-pound DJI M600 drone. The airbag turns the drone “into a giant pillow” once the chute deploys.

    The expected FAA standard is anticipated to require 45 tests in two failure modes — critical motor failure and full motor failure — at full flight speed, hover, and in automatic and manual deployment scenarios. Tests with a DJI Inspire 2 cutting one motor, two motors or four motors have pitched the drone violently just before it enters a slow roll — at 60 mph, it will roll quickly and violently.

    This drone safety and recovery system is expected to be on the market within the next few years, following release of the projected FAA standards.

    GoPro Karma hits the dust

    In what would seem to be an unusual turn of events in a rapidly expanding market, GoPro has decided to exit the UAS vehicle business. GoPro cameras are still a favorite on a wide range of UAVs, but the company has chosen to get out of the business of making end-item unmanned vehicles, despite reaching second place in market share in 2017 for its price range.

    At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Jan. 9-12 in Las Vegas, GoPro explained that its decision was based on inadequate returns versus the investment required to support their single-product UAS business.

    However, Karma’s demise was apparently brought on not only by an expensive initial product recall, but also by the apparent additional financial pressure of poor Hero5 camera sales.

    Nevertheless, GoPro still feels that the “action-camera” market has the legs to sustain growth, so it’s likely UAV manufacturers will not have to go looking for another reliable video camera source any time soon.

    Joint venture for solar HALE UAS

    The solar-powered Helios in flight.

    In late 1990s/early 2000s, NASA contracted with AeroVironment to develop a high-altitude solar-powered UAS for NASA’s Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology, or ERAST, program.

    In August 2001, the Helios prototype reached a world-record altitude of 96,863 ft., and in 2002 the Pathfinder Plus prototype provided from 65,000 feet high-definition television (HDTV) signals; third-generation (3G) mobile voice, video and data; and high-speed internet.

    AeroVironment has now formed a joint venture with Japanese SoftBank Corporation to develop a solar-powered high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) UAS for commercial operations that may include applications such as high-altitude pseudo-satellites.

    The joint venture — known as HAPSMobile — is a Japanese corporation in which AeroVironment holds minority ownership but is still able to directly exploit commercial and military opportunities outside Japan.

    Summary

    It’s encouraging to see another airborne taxi initiative joining the folks who were demonstrating prototypes in Dubai back last September. If the market is there, more entrants should help make this option a reality.

    It’s also good news that a company already has a drone recovery system in the works that could reduce the potential for injury in the event one falls out of the sky. This might start to reverse adverse public opinion about drones and help the FAA move forward with regulations allowing wider usage.

    Meanwhile, it’s sad but true that new industries inevitably see some entrants pull back and even leave in the early stages. It’s fortunate that popular drone camera supplier GoPro still has the ability to retrench and fall back on its existing business.

    Finally, the promise of high-altitude solar-powered drones would seem to be still alive. If it could be possible to hang TV and other comms systems on these high-altitude loitering vehicles, there might be a much less expensive way of getting transmitters into very high altitude orbits without the cost of a space launch. Then many areas around the world could benefit from low-cost signal distribution that might not otherwise work commercially.

  • AeroVironment launches joint venture for solar high-altitude long-endurance UAS

    AeroVironment launches joint venture for solar high-altitude long-endurance UAS

    AeroVironment Inc., a maker of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for defense and commercial applications, has formed a joint venture to develop solar-powered high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) UAS for commercial operations.

    This category of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) is also referred to as high-altitude pseudo-satellites, or HAPS.

    The joint venture will fund the development program up to a net maximum value of $65,011,481.

    The joint venture, HAPSMobile Inc., is a Japanese corporation that is 95 percent funded and owned by Japan-based telecommunications operator SoftBank Corp. and 5 percent funded and owned by AeroVironment.

    The solar-powered Helios in flight.(Photo: NASA)

    AeroVironment is committed to contribute $5 million in capital for its 5 percent ownership of the joint venture, and has an option to increase its ownership stake in HAPSMobile up to 19 percent at the same cost basis as its initial 5 percent purchase.

    “This is a historic moment for AeroVironment. For many years, we have fully understood the incredible value high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft platforms could deliver to countless organizations and millions of people around the world through remote sensing and last mile, next generation IoT connectivity,” said Wahid Nawabi, AeroVironment chief executive officer.“We were searching for the right strategic partner to pursue this very large global opportunity with us.Now we believe we are extremely well-positioned to build on the decades of successful development we have performed to translate our solar UAS innovations into long-term value through HAPSMobile Inc. Our entire team is excited, and we look forward to transforming this strategic growth opportunity into reality.”

    AeroVironment pioneered the concept of high-altitude solar-powered UAS in the 1980s, and developed and demonstrated multiple systems for NASA’s Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology, or ERAST program, in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

    In August 2001, the AeroVironment Helios prototype reached an altitude of 96,863 feet, setting the world-record for sustained horizontal flight by a winged aircraft.

    In 2002, the AeroVironment Pathfinder Plus prototype performed the world’s first UAS telecommunications demonstrations at 65,000 feet by providing high-definition television (HDTV) signals, third-generation (3G) mobile voice, video and data and high-speed internet connectivity.

    Multiple U.S. government agencies funded the development of the hybrid-electric Global Observer unmanned aircraft system from 2007 through 2011. Global Observer represents a solution for extended operation over high northern and southern latitudes during local winters, when the sun’s energy is insufficient to maintain continuous solar aircraft operation at high altitude.

    SoftBank Corp. and AeroVironment, Inc. have agreed to license certain background intellectual properties to HAPSMobile, which will own the newly developed UAS intellectual property and possess exclusive rights for commercial applications globally, and non-commercial applications in Japan.AeroVironment will possess exclusive rights to the resulting intellectual property for certain non-commercial applications, except in Japan.AeroVironment will also possess exclusive rights to design and manufacture all such aircraft in the future for HAPSMobile, subject to the terms of the Joint Venture Agreement.

    For additional information, please see AeroVironment’s Form 8-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Jan. 3.

  • Drone completes 100-km flight for oil and gas market

    SkyX Systems Corporation has successfully completed an unmanned data-collection flight of 100 kilometers (km), one of the longest journeys in its class.

    The firm flew its SkyOne unmanned aerial system (UAS) on an autonomous data mission over more than 100 km of gas pipeline in Mexico. The robotic flight was programmed and monitored remotely from the company’s Greater Toronto Area SkyCenter mission control, with a support crew of engineers on the ground in Mexico.

    Using high-resolution imagery, the longest of multiple flights identified more than 200 potentially significant anomalies along the remote pipeline, ranging from unauthorized buildings and cultivation, to a fissure possibly caused by seismic activity.

    More than $38 billion is spent annually monitoring oil and gas pipelines using less efficient means. The SkyX System flight gathered data in a little more than an hour that would have taken a person well over a week. It identified more than 200 georeferenced anomalies the customer was unaware existed, pinpointing precise coordinates for rapid investigation and remediation.

    The SkyX System consists of a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drone, the SkyCenter control room, which allows for real-time and secure mission monitoring from remote locations, as well as the company’s proprietary SkyBoxes that enable SkyOne to recharge and continue long-range missions without having to return to home, a factor that limits many drones.

    Using the system, a client doesn’t need a trained pilot to operate a remote-control unit — the entire mission is programmed and carried out autonomously, from takeoff to landing. Plus, the VTOL drone eliminates the need for runways, launchers or capture devices.

  • Aeronyde to develop infrastructure for autonomous flying cars

    Aeronyde has received $4.7 million in seed financing to develop its end-to-end infrastructure for self-flying vehicles.

    Aeronyde is an aerial systems company aimed at enabling safe autonomous urban flight. The company is working to integrate artificial intelligence and augmented reality into a full-service system for the safe and secure operation of commercial drones.

    The investment was led by Korean electronics manufacturing giant JASTech Co. Ltd, best known for flexible OLED/QLED display. Aeronyde is applying the strategic investment to the development of hardware and systems software for autonomous fleet management.

    “In the 21st century, drones will shape global transportation and distribution and redefine the urban landscape, however we’re not there yet,” said Edgar Muñoz, CEO of Aeronyde. “Adoption of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) platforms depends wholeheartedly on the public’s acceptance of the technology. As an industry, we must ensure public safety is addressed prior to the commercial unmanned aerial system (UAS) industry boom. This is what Aeronyde is working on.”

    Through data collection and partnerships with national, state and private stakeholders, Aeronyde aims to deliver a turnkey UAV service for emergency responders, disaster relief and commercial transportation and logistics in urban areas.

    “The market is growing rapidly as more countries are looking at developing UAS regulations,” said Jason Chung, Chairman of JASTech. “We are excited to invest in Aeronyde, a leader in this revolution, as they innovate UAS technology. Aeronyde is helping to build the future of Autonomous Aerial Systems with software and hardware that ensure the responsible management of drones in urban environments.”

    Other Partnerships

    The Aeronyde team is also working with U.S. regulators and international associations to define standards and protocols for the safe implementation of commercial drone technology. Key partnerships include:

    • IBM Watson: Aeronyde is conducting rigorous testing, working with IBM Watson to run millions of flight simulations, and collecting data on the security of the system.
    • Leading technology, systems and regulatory partners: Unifly, the Police Foundation, iSENSYS and the Global UTM Association (GUTMA), a consortium of public and private entities working on unmanned traffic management (UTM) technology.

    The Aeronyde system provides flexible infrastructure for aerial logistics, transportation and data collection including:

    • real-time data analysis to contextually apply sequencing, tasking, local environment, and weather.
    • machine learning to build situational awareness.
    • live flight and testing in Aeronyde research and development centers.

    The end-to-end Aeronyde hardware and software system includes:

    • autonomous flying vehicles and processors
    • airspace and flight path management
    • unmanned traffic management (UTM)
    • user interface and training programs

  • Air-directed UAV completes first flight trials

    BAE Systems and the University of Manchester has successfully completed the first phase of flight trials with MAGMA — a small-scale unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that uses a blown-air system to maneuver. The UAV design paves the way for future stealthier aircraft designs, according to BAE Systems.

    The new concept for aircraft control removes the conventional need for complex, mechanical moving parts to move flaps that control the aircraft during flight. The new design could provide greater control as well as reduce weight and maintenance costs, allowing for lighter, stealthier, faster and more efficient military and civil aircraft.

    The two technologies to be trialed using the jet-powered MAGMA, are:

    • Wing Circulation Control, which takes air from the aircraft engine and blows it supersonically through the trailing edge of the wing to provide control for the aircraft.
    • Fluidic Thrust Vectoring, which uses blown air to deflect the exhaust, allowing for the direction of the aircraft to be changed.

    The flight trials are part of an ongoing project between the two organizations and wider long-term collaboration between industry, academia and government to explore and develop innovative flight-control technology.

    Further flight trials are planned for the coming months to demonstrate the flight control technologies with the ultimate aim of flying the aircraft without any moving control surfaces or fins. If successful, the tests will demonstrate the first use of such circulation control in flight on a gas turbine aircraft and from a single engine, BAE Systems said.

    “The technologies we are developing with the University of Manchester will make it possible to design cheaper, higher performance, next-generation aircraft,” said Clyde Warsop, engineering fellow, BAE Systems. “Our investment in research and development drives continued technological improvements in our advanced military aircraft, helping to ensure UK aerospace remains at the forefront of the industry and that we retain the right skills to design and build the aircraft of the future.”

    “These trials are an important step forward in our efforts to explore adaptable airframes. What we are seeking to do through this programme is truly ground-breaking,” said Bill Crowther, a senior academic and leader of the MAGMA project at The University of Manchester.

    Additional technologies to improve the performance of the UAV are being explored in collaboration with the University of Arizona and the NATO Science and Technology Organisation.

  • Harxon releases frequency-hopping OEM modem

    Harxon has launched the HX-DU2017D, a frequency-hopping OEM modem designed to provide strong anti-jamming and signal receiving capability for complex data-intensive applications.

    HX-DU2017D is a miniature, dual-frequency, software-selectable 840 MHz and 900 MHz data link modem. It provides a power switching of 0.5 W, 1 W and 2 W, 20 ms/30 ms/40 ms/50 ms/ frequency hopping interval, and supports point-to-point, point-to-multipoint network.

    Its full duplex mode ensures secure data transferring and stable long-range communication, the company said.

    HX-DU2017D also provides short latency of data transmission and communication recovery in millisecond level.

    According to Harxon, HX-DU2017D allows fast and secure, simultaneous data communication for mission-critical applications, especially in the fields of precision agriculture and UAVs, including unmanned plant surveys, UAV plant protection and automatic mowers.

    It could easily be placed on a UAV with its extremely small footprint for tight OEM integration and design flexibility. Meanwhile, its frequency hopping transmission ensures the data security and flight stability.