GPS World

Tag: UAV

  • UAV sensor package detects methane

    Pergam gas sensor aboard the Microdrones md4-1000 UAV.

    The professional aerial methane detector mdTector1000 CH4 from Microdrones makes it easy to detect methane gas via a fully integrated aerial package for professionals responsible for methane gas infrastructure.

    The mdTector1000 CH4 has a Pergam gas sensor, mounted and integrated with the Microdrones md4-1000 UAV. In real time, users can see aerial shots of detection with the laser sensor, the company said. The carbon-fiber built UAV goes into dangerous areas unsuitable for workers.

    The mdTector1000 CH4 can be used for natural gas line surveys, tank inspections, gas well testing, plant safety and landfill emission monitoring.

    The mdCockpit Android App allows users to maintain visualization in flight. A special mdTector app allows users to visualize and present all post-flight data on one map.

  • Drone platform guides earthworks projects

    Drone platform guides earthworks projects

    Kespry now offers a suite of capabilities that extends the value of aerial intelligence to the full life cycle of planning, bidding and managing earthworks projects in the major site construction industry.

    The company is focused on making it easier to capture, process, use and share high-resolution information from the field with its fully autonomous aerial intelligence system.

    Capabilities include grade planning and analysis, site and surface comparison including cut/fill visualization, and design plan development and compliance.

    Compared to other drone mapping solutions, the earthworks-specific tools enable construction companies to more accurately plan the work, improve their cost structure, and deliver safer working environments through frequent analysis of changes to the site, according to Kespry.

    The new capabilities are a result of customer and partner feedback, including from John Deere, dealers and clients.

    The new earthworks capabilities provide:

    • Faster and more accurate production of earthwork grading plans through on-demand drone data capture and analysis. Mass haul plans can be easily developed before projects begin with an entire site mapped and analyzed in hours. New tools also enable haul road planning to support more efficient site planning.
    • Reduced costs for grading project bids, with project estimates delivered faster than with traditional estimating techniques. Ongoing operational costs are also reduced with on-demand cut/fill analysis enabling close management of the project and specific bid requests.
    • More efficient and safer project operations with progress comparisons delivered through daily drone flights. This enables design plan comparison through project plan overlay onto Kespry data, reducing the complexity and cost of rework. Safety can also be improved through close monitoring of change and analysis of grades around the site.
  • DARPA sprints toward unmanned air and ground swarming

    DARPA sprints toward unmanned air and ground swarming

    DARPA’s OFFensive Swarm-Enabled Tactics (OFFSET) program envisions future small-unit infantry forces using small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) or small unmanned ground systems (UGS) in swarms of 250 robots or more to accomplish diverse missions in complex urban environments.

    By leveraging and combining emerging technologies in swarm autonomy and human-swarm teaming, the program seeks to enable rapid development and deployment of breakthrough capabilities to the field.

    DARPA has awarded Phase 1 contracts to teams led by Raytheon BBN Technologies and Northrop Grumman Corporation.

    Image: DARPA
    Image: DARPA

    Swarm Tactics. Both teams will serve as a swarm systems integrators tasked with designing, developing and deploying an open architecture for swarm technologies in physical and virtual environments.

    Each system would include an extensible game-based architecture to enable design and integration of swarm tactics, a swarm tactics exchange to foster community interaction, immersive interfaces for collaboration among teams of humans and swarm systems, and a physical testbed to validate developed capabilities.

    The teams will be responsible for experimentation and systems-integration efforts for realizing swarm capabilities, including producing tactics and technologies to test on its respective architecture.

    Swarm Sprints. DARPA also aims to engage with a wider developer and user audience through rapid technology-development and integration efforts called swarm sprints. Participants in these experiments — sprinters — can work with one or both integration teams and each other to create and test their own novel swarm tactics and enabling technologies.

    Roughly every six months, DARPA plans to solicit proposals from potential sprinters, with each swarm sprint focusing on one of five thrust areas: swarm tactics, swarm autonomy, human-swarm teaming, virtual environment and physical testbed.

    The end of each sprint would coincide with physical and virtual capability-based experiments designed to test and assess integration of the thrust-specific OFFSET technologies. The experiments would also provide direct engagement between DARPA, the teams and sprinters, and warfighters who could help further tailor OFFSET capabilities to meet real-world operational needs.

    “The swarm sprints are empirical experiments designed to accelerate our understanding of what swarms can do in urban environments,” said Timothy Chung, program manager in DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office. “By having swarm sprints at regular intervals, we’re able to ensure that we’re keeping up with the latest technologies — and are in fact helping inform and advance those technologies — to better suit the needs of the OFFSET program. Given the wide range of capabilities that we’re interested in, we’re looking for wherever those innovative solutions are going to come from, whether they be small businesses, academic institutions or large corporations.”

  • ESA investigates high-altitude pseudo-satellites for Earth observation

    News from the European Space Agency

    High-altitude pseudo-satellites (HAPS) are platforms that float or fly at high altitude like conventional aircraft but operate more like satellites. (Image: ESA Earth Observation Graphics Bureau)

    The European Space Agency (ESA) is considering extending its activities to a new region of the sky via a novel type of aerial vehicle, a missing link between drones and satellites.

    High-altitude pseudo-satellites, or HAPS, are platforms that float or fly at high altitude like conventional aircraft but operate more like satellites — except that rather than working from space, they can remain in position inside the atmosphere for weeks or even months, offering continuous coverage of the territory below.

    The best working altitude is about 20 kilometers, above the clouds and jet streams, and 10 kilometers above commercial airliners, where wind speeds are low enough for them to hold position for long periods.

    From such a height they can survey the ground to the horizon 500 km away, variously enabling precise monitoring and surveillance, high-bandwidth communications or back up to existing satellite navigation services.

    Several ESA directorates have teamed up to investigate their potential, explains future-systems specialist Antonio Ciccolella.

    “For Earth observation, they could provide prolonged high-resolution coverage for priority regions, while for navigation and telecoms they could shrink blind spots in coverage and combine wide bandwidth with negligible signal delay,” Ciccolella said.

    “ESA is looking into how these various domains can be best brought together.”

    “We’ve been looking into the concept for the last 20 years but now finally it’s becoming reality,” explained Earth observation specialist Thorsten Fehr.

    “That’s come about through the maturing of key technologies: miniaturised avionics, high-performance solar cells, lightweight batteries and harness, miniaturisation of Earth observation sensors and high-bandwidth communication links that can deliver competitively priced services.”

    Navigation engineer Roberto Prieto Cerdeira added, “There’s obvious potential for emergency response. They could also be employed semi-permanently, perhaps extending satnav coverage into high, narrow valleys and cities.”

    The QinetiQ-designed and Airbus-owned Zephyr-7 solar-powered unmanned aircraft holds the world flight endurance record at 14 days. (Photo: Airbus)

    European companies have already unveiled product lines. For instance, Airbus has developed the winged, solar-powered Zephyr, which in 2010 achieved a world record 14 days of continuous flight without refuelling.

    The Zephyr-S is designed to fly payloads of a few tens of kilograms for up to three months at a time, with secondary batteries employed to keep it powered and aloft overnight. A larger Zephyr-T version now in preparation will support larger payloads and power needs.

    The first flight is projected for 2021 for Thales Alenia Space’s Stratobus airship. (Artist’s rendering: Thales Alenia Space/Briot)

    Meanwhile, Thales Alenia Space is preparing the lighter-than-air Stratobus, with its first flight expected in 2021.

    The buoyant Stratobus airship can carry up to 250 kilograms, its electric engines flying against the breeze to hold itself in position, relying on fuel cells at night.

    Many other firms are also developing vehicles, payloads and services. Last month saw them gathered at ESA’s inaugural workshop, together with representatives of potential customers, including the European Defence Agency, Frontex — the EU agency tasked with Europe’s border management — and EU Copernicus environmental monitoring services.

    Airbus’s double-tailed Zephyr-T variant HAPS aircraft is designed to support larger payloads, keeping them aloft for months at a time. (Image: Airbus)

    “This was the first meeting of its kind in Europe, with more than 200 HAPS experts” explains Juan Lizarraga Cubillos, from ESA’s telecoms area.

    “We heard from them on the needs, opportunities and critical issues within the field, particularly as a complement for existing satellite services, to start preparing a future ESA programme.”

    ESA regards the vehicles as a valuable way of establishing applications that complement its satellites while also accelerating space technologies through early, high-altitude flight testing.

    The point was also made that market acceptance of HAPS would come down to their efficiency and cost-effectiveness — and the best way to show that would be through demonstration projects.

    “We have to fly them,” remarked Alvaro Rodriquez of the EU’s Satellite Centre. “The technology is there, all the ingredients are there, now it’s time to mix them into a nice recipe.”

    Thales Alenia Space’s Stratobus is topped with solar panels, powering its propellers to fly against the wind at 20 km for prolonged periods of service. (Image: Airbus)
  • Fast forward: Developing future autonomous driving now

    Fast forward: Developing future autonomous driving now

    Enabling the future of autonomous transportation by significantly reducing product development time is the shared goal of three presentations to be made on Thursday, Nov. 30 in a free webinar, “High Accuracy for Autonomous Driving.”

    The speakers will show how they employ post-processing software to generate accurate and reliable ground reference solutions in vehicle testing. The software enables evaluating potential sensor suites, benchmarking solutions, and generating high-definition maps.

    Post-processing the data from autonomous vehicle tests under varying environmental conditions that mirror real-world situations can mitigate GNSS error sources (satellite clock & orbital error, and ionospheric & tropospheric delay); establish an ultra-precise ground truth reference for testing; compare and contrast different sensor packages tested onboard the vehicle; produce customized data formats for exporting information; compare real-time and post-processed quality; transform and translate data between different locations and reference frames; and revisit tests through export to Google Earth. The speakers will show how post-processing forward and back can lead to as much as 40 percent data accuracy improvement.

    The software package, Inertial Explorer, offers this capability, whether lower-grade or high-end inertial sensors are employed.

    Speakers in the free webinar are:

    Steven Waslander, associate professor at the University of Waterloo, heads a project collecting 1,000 km of data in all-weather conditions for a new public road driving dataset focused on autonomous driving challenges. He directs the Waterloo Autonomous Vehicle Laboratory (WAVELab), extending the state of the art in autonomous drones and autonomous driving through advances in localization and mapping, object detection and tracking, integrated planning and control methods and multi-robot coordination.

    Terry Lamprecht, director of products at AutonomouStuff, a supplier of components, services and software that enable autonomy, will discuss verifying proper installation, and creating a baseline data set to benchmark against data collected on autonomous vehicles in real-time.

    Natasha Wong Ken, product manager at Waypoint, will give a high-level technical overview of post-processing techniques and settings, including forward and reverse processing, tightly vs. loosely coupled, PPP vs. differential, and more.

    Registration for the November 30 webinar is free. For those not able to attend the live broadcast, all audio and presentation slide components can be downloaded after air date for viewing at convenience.

  • Think 3D, Applanix combine on UAV-based airborne lidar mapping

    The Think 3D Stormbee multicopter integrated with Trimble’s AP15 provides efficiency, accuracy and performance for lidar surveys from unmanned vehicles.

    Historically, lidar-based aerial surveys were impractical for all but the largest unmanned systems. Because of Applanix’ development of small, lightweight and low-powered direct georeferencing solutions, airborne lidar scans from small drones are now practical, cost-effective, highly accurate and excellent options for lidar surveys, according to the company.

    The Stormbee is a directly georeferenced UAV lidar solution for 3D industrial mapping applications, designed to collect survey grade spatial data in a significantly more cost effective and efficient way than static lidar.

    Think3D-Stormee-UAV-lidar-O
    The Stormbee, a Faro Focus 130 laser scanner, and the AP15.

    Stormbee’s 3D mapping technologies include Faro’s Focus 130 laser scanner, Trimble’s AP15 high performance GNSS/inertial receiver, Applanix’s POSPac UAV GNSS/inertial post-processing software and Stormbee’s proprietary Beeflex software for lidar point cloud generation.

    Industrial applications (GNSS-denied environments) pose unique challenges for laser scanning using traditional static systems, due to obstructions and poor signal environments. These issues lead to increased costs and operational time.

    By using the high-performance Trimble AP15 with two antenna and the Applanix post-processing software (POSPac MMS) for georeferencing the lidar data, Stormbee provides an accurate real-time and post-mission solution for all motion variables.

    Applanix has brought together its decades of experience in multi-frequency, multi-constellation Differential GNSS and inertial based positioning and orientation with the best in small-form factor hardware and powerful software, to produce a DG solution for professional aerial mapping on UAVs.

    With a system delivering better than 5-cm accuracy (real mean squared) and high resolution, Stormbee and Applanix offer 3D detail from a platform moving at speeds up to 15 meters per second. The Stormbee leverages Applanix’s decades of experience in direct georeferencing of lidar systems to collect the most accurate 3D data.

    Benefits of the system:

    • compact, easy-to-operate and cost-effective
    • centimeter-level mobile positioning accuracy for 3D mapping products
    • improved productivity, with optimized workflow from data capture to georeferenced point cloud generation
    • superior visualization: Lidar scanners provide more accurate information of structures than camera technologies

    Think 3D, a Belgian company, is a 3D scanning company for many industrial applications including those in the beverage, steel, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and tank terminals industries. Think3D helps companies make changes to their installations by providing a full 3D CAD model of their installation.

    Stormbee to date has proven to be effective in many industries including mining, engineering, dredging, forensics, universities and survey.

  • AUVSI conference targets unmanned defense market

    AUVSI conference targets unmanned defense market

    A conference aimed at military and government agency decision-makers is scheduled for Feb. 6–8.

    AUVSI Unmanned Systems – Defense. Protection. Security. (USDPS) will highlight what’s next for the defense, protection and security industries. The conference has been reimagined to include more opportunities to learn from industry and government thought-leaders and shop for the latest technology, said AUVSI.

    Expanded focus beyond the military includes government agencies such as Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Energy, the FBI and  NOAA, as well as other public safety agencies.

    Thought leaders and subject matter experts from the military, government agencies and public safety outlets will provide details and insight on investments, innovation and sustainment, including what’s next with artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.

    More than 50 companies will be on site to provide military and government agencies with an inside view of new technologies and trends.

    In addition, a public safety educational lineup defines how to best use unmanned systems for explosive ordinance disposal and HAZMAT applications, addresses the counter-UAS threat at home and abroad, and provides insight on how disaster and emergency responders are using unmanned systems.

    The conference will take place at the  Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. Those registering before Nov. 19 can take advantage of advanced rates.

  • DOT plans 3-year, 5+ participants for drone pilot program

    U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao provided further details of the department’s new Drone Integration Pilot Program at a public event held Nov. 2 at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) headquarters in Washington, D.C.

    Chao was joined by hundreds of drone operators, industry leaders, members of the public, law enforcement and first responders, and local, state, tribal and federal officials.

    The pilot program is designed to safely test and validate advanced operations through various partnerships across the country with oversight by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

    A Federal Register notice lays out the timeframe, requirements, and goals of the new program, which will pair local, state, and tribal entities with private sector players in the drone industry to develop and deploy new operational concepts that are not currently in widespread use.

    The first step is for government officials to complete a Notice of Intent, signifying their intention to complete a full program application. Applicants will have 20 days to complete a Notice of Intent, followed by the requirement that they complete an application through the FAA/UAS Portal within 57 days. Within 180 days, initial program applicants who receive approval could begin deploying drones under the limitations coordinated and agreed to with the FAA. The program will last for three years.

    After evaluating all the applications, DOT will select a minimum of five partnerships. Full details of the Federal Register Notice and Application process can be found here.

    Webinars Scheduled. The FAA is hosting three webinars providing an overview of the program, application process and specific criteria and deadlines that must be met. The webinars will be held on the following times.

    • Friday, November 3 at 9:00 a.m. ET
    • Friday, November 3 at 3:00 p.m. ET
    • Monday, November 6 at 3:00 p.m. ET

    Registration is required to attend.

    The pilot program will evaluate a variety of operational concepts, including night operations, flights over people, flights beyond the pilot’s line of sight, package delivery, detect-and-avoid technologies, counter-UAS security operations, reliability and security of data links between pilot and aircraft, as well as local management of UAS operations subject to FAA oversight.

    Industries that could see immediate opportunities from the program include commerce, photography, emergency management, precision agriculture, and infrastructure inspections and monitoring.

    The program will help tackle the most significant challenges in integrating drones into the national airspace while reducing risks to public safety and security. The program is designed to provide greater regulatory certainty and stability to local governments and communities, UAS owners and operators who are accepted into the program.

    In less than a decade, the potential economic benefit of integrated unmanned aerial systems into the nation’s airspace is estimated to equal up to $82 billion and create up to 100,000 jobs,, according to AUVSI’s The Economic Impact of Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

    Chao told attendees the program application and deployment process will move quickly because a priority for DOT is encouraging innovation in the drone industry while maintaining safety for communities involved.

    “The drone pilot program will accelerate the safe integration of drones into our airspace by creating new partnerships between local governments, the FAA, and private drone operators,” Chao said. “These partnerships will allow local communities to experiment with new technologies like package delivery, emergency drone inspections, and more, on terms that work for them and in ways that support a unified and safe airspace.”

    “This program will put community and industry partnerships at the leading edge of aviation technology,” said FAA Administrator Michael P. Huerta. “What we learn through testing operational concepts in these communities will be invaluable and give us clarity on rules that ensure safety and continued innovation.”

    “More and more businesses and public safety providers are embracing UAS to expand and enhance their service offerings,” said Brian Wynne, president and CEO, Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. “This growing demand illustrates a new renaissance in aviation and technology, which requires sustained collaboration and support by government at all levels.”

  • Launchpad: The latest in GNSS, survey and UAV products

    OEM

    GPS Firewall

    Protects critical infrastructure from spoofing and jamming

    The BlueSky GPS Firewall is designed to provide security protection for GPS-delivered position, navigation and timing (PNT) data. It can be deployed in-line between any standard GPS antenna and stationary GPS receiver to provide protection against GPS signal incidents, both intentional or accidental, before they enter a GPS receiver system. BlueSky GPS Firewall filters the GPS signal in real time, removing anomalies before the signal is consumed by the downstream GPS receiver. This creates an intelligent and secure barrier against jamming and spoofing, and prevents the GPS receiver from being impacted by such incidents. It incorporates an Ethernet interface for remote management and monitoring and includes a secure web interface for configuration and set-up. Evaluation kits are available in advance of full production release, both in response to the growing number of GPS incidents and their potential threat to critical infrastructure.

    Microsemi, www.microsemi.com

    Low-noise amplifiers

    LNA upgrades enable expanded GNSS reception

    Four new models of high-performing wideband low noise amplifiers (LNAs) are now available for choke-ring antennas, with options of 35-dB and 50-dB gain. The LNAs are designed for upgrading existing choke-ring antennas with Dorne Margolin/EDO elements to receive new and expanding GNSS signals. The LNAs provide consistent gain across the full bandwidth and include filters for suppression of out-of-band interfering signals, such as cellular LTE and Iridium signals, while maintaining a low noise figure, high third-order intercept point, small group delay and low power consumption. The enclosure is designed to fit a wide variety of currently deployed choke-ring antennas.

    Tallysman, www.tallysman.com

    GNSS-inertial boards

    OEM boards for high-precision guidance and control

    The BD GNSS family of boards includes the BD940 GNSS and GNSS-inertial boards and new BD990 GNSS, GNSS-heading and GNSS-inertial boards. The BX940 and BX992 models are available in a rugged enclosure (pictured) for applications in harsh environments. The BD GNSS boards offer simple connectivity and configuration, allowing system integrators and OEMs to easily add GNSS positioning and orientation — with the ability to upgrade its capabilities — using the same board footprint, connectors and software interface for specialized and custom hardware solutions. The compact boards include a broad range of receiver capabilities, from high-accuracy GNSS-only to full GNSS-inertial features for positioning and 3D orientation. Firmware options are upgradeable, allowing functionality to be added as requirements change. The boards are designed for UAVs, autonomous vehicles, fleet management and aviation.

    Trimble, www.trimble.com

    GNSS RTK board

    Upgraded with improved functionality

    The Precis-BX306 RTK board (pictured: Precis-BX306 board easy kit) has been upgraded with new and improved GPS and GLONASS functionality. The new version supports up to 20-Hz real-time kinematic (RTK) solution and raw measurement output, which can be integrated with autopilots and inertial navigation units. With improved algorithms, the new Precis-BX306 demonstrates an ability to quickly fix a 30-km baseline. Stable fix rate is achieved when under tree canopy, in urban canyons and other challenging environments. This latest version of Precis-BX306 is pin-to-pin compatible with major GNSS boards in the market, offering a flexible interface. Event mark and PPS are supported as always.

    Tersus GNSS, www.tersus-gnss.com

    SURVEY & MAPPING

    Radio modem

    Offers advanced radio connectivity with GNSS receivers

    The R4S-BT UHF radio provides an external option for use with the Sokkia GCX receiver line. The UHF multichannel radio modem has a tuning range of up to 70 MHz. It features an IP67 certified housing with internal batteries designed to be easy to carry with versatile mounting options. The radio modem makes the GCX GNSS receiver a more scalable and modular solution for situations without a network connection or when long-range Bluetooth technology is not enough on its own. Survey and mapping professionals can add the radio modem to extend the range between the base and rover. Connectivity options include wireless data transfer and USB connections.

    Sokkia, sokkia.com

    Survey UAV

    Programmable via computer

    The Triumph-F1 Survey UAV and Receiver is based around a geodetic GNSS receiver with 864 channels. When used on the ground, the receiver can function as base or rover. It includes eight propeller motors, a sim card slot, two micro SD card slots, USB connector, satellite tracking and communications indicators, flight and gyro status indicators, storage and selector for saved flight patterns, up to four antennas including Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, four angled cameras and a downward-facing high-precision camera for photogrammetry.

    JAVAD GNSS, www.javad.com

    GNSS smart antennas

    Next-generation multi-frequency

    The S321+ and C321+ smart antennas are upgrades to the previous versions S321 and C321 and offer added benefits. Powered by the Eclipse P326 OEM board, the smart antennas support 394 channels and can simultaneously track all satellite signals including GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo and QZSS. The boards come with two hot-swappable lithium batteries providing up to 12 hours of operation. The S321+ and C321+ combine Hemisphere’s Athena GNSS engine and Atlas L-band correction technologies with a new customer-friendly web user interface. Both antennas meet IP67-standard requirements. The S321+ and C321+ come in two versions, with 4G LTE optimized for either North American or international locations. The S321+ is designed for use in land or marine survey, GIS, mapping and construction. With the SureFix advanced processor, the S321+ delivers high-fidelity RTK-quality information. The C321+ is designed for construction environments, and can be paired with Hemisphere’s SiteMetrix software that helps manage construction jobsite activities.

    Hemisphere GNSS, hemispheregnss.com

    Topography software

    Integrates data from a variety of sensors in one platform

    X-PAD Office Fusion is an all-in-one office software combining data from multiple sensors into a single interface. It manages, combines and processes data from GNSS receivers, total stations, laser scanners and other sensors, whether from GeoMax or another provider. There is no need to export the data from one program to another, and X-PAD also offers all CAD features. The program handles a multitude of different types of data: measurements, coordinates, drawings and point clouds. Large quantities of data can be managed in the fastest way with maximum accuracy. The software automatically detects the common points between the point clouds and performs a first rough alignment. The Bundle Adjustment feature performs the final and accurate alignment in order to reduce errors. Personalized reports are then created with little effort.

    GeoMax Positioning, www.geomax-positioning.com

    TRANSPORTATION

    Public transportation

    Insight for agencies and passengers

    The TSO Public Tracker provides public transportation riders with a variety of GPS-based monitoring capabilities. Riders can view exact locations and information on a variety of public vehicles. Passengers can view on a single screen the whereabouts of connected-fleet vehicles in real time. The tracker can be used by agencies of all sizes and in different geographical locations. The related TSO Mobile App provides route information, current and historical location updates in different map views through Google Maps, and more. TSO Mobile’s transportation solutions also provide agencies with driver reports based on customized behavior metrics to improve driver behavior.

    TSO Mobile, www.tsomobile.com

    Freight tracking

    Location of cargo in transit

    Omnitracs Virtual Load View (VLV) provides brokers, shippers and carriers with direct access to the position data of assets carrying their freight, allowing them to easily track loads. Position data about the load is either shared from the Omnitracs Intelligent Vehicle Gateway (IVG) or Mobile Computing Platform (MCP) unit, or if no Omnitracs unit is available, through the VLV Mobile smartphone application, which the driver can download from the iOS and Android app stores. VLV can also be directly integrated into a company’s back office system, so employees are not required to learn and access a new platform. Brokers and shippers can identify loads that are behind schedule so they can make the proper adjustments in a timely manner.

    Omnitracs, www.omnitracs.com

    UAV

    Mapping drone

    For survey-grade photogrammetry

    The lightweight fixed-wing UX11 UAV combines a powerful integrated onboard system, industry-grade sensors, limitless communication range and PPK centimeter-level positioning. It carries enough onboard computing power to access and process pictures, then send them to the operator in real-time. It will run automated quality checks on the images (such as blur detection or overlap checks) to help ensure the operator is acquiring quality data. Its redundant communications system includes a proprietary line-of-sight radio and 3G/4G connectivity between the ground-control station and the UAV using a worldwide machine-to-machine pre-paid plan. The UX11 is ready for beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) flights with unlimited range and adds a new level of safety with this communication link.

    DelAir, delair.aero

    Super digital camera

    Super 35 Camera for Professional Aerial Cinematography

    The Zenmuse X7 UAV camera features superior image quality, interchangeable lenses and a new post-production color system. The Super 35 digital film camera is designed to work with the DJI Inspire 2 drone. The Zenmuse X7 features 14 stops of dynamic range for more detail in low-light conditions. Its low-noise image capture enhances grading flexibility by preserving details in both highlight and dark areas while enabling a shallow cinematic depth of field. It is capable of shooting 6K CinemaDNG RAW or 5.2K Apple ProRes at up to 30 frames per second (FPS), as well as 3.9K CinemaDNG RAW or 2.7K ProRes at up to 59.94 FPS to integrate into industry-standard post-production workflows.

    DJI, dji.com

    Charging Station

    For remote BVLOS missions

    The Atlas NEST smart protective charging station is designed for autonomous beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) operation of the Atlas Pro drone platform. The Atlas NEST is a landing, protective charging station that extends flight range and provides constant drone readiness in remote locations. When the Atlas Pro UAV requires new batteries, it can autonomously land in a NEST charging station where a robotic arm changes the drone’s batteries, allowing the Atlas Pro to continue flying to mission completion. The Atlas NEST can be stationary or motorized.

    Atlas Dynamics, www.atlasdynamics.eu

    UAV for heavy payloads

    VTOL lift-off followed by tilt to fixed wing in flight

    The WingtraOne vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAV bridges the gap between traditional multi-rotors and fixed-wing drones. It takes off and lands vertically like conventional multirotors, but once in flight, the drone tilts forward to fly like a fixed-wing aircraft. Being able to carry a heavy payload such as the Sony RX1RII, the drone offers high mapping accuracy, while covering an area of 980 acres (400 Ha) at 3 cm/px (1.2 in/px) GSD or the equivalent of 570 football fields. The WingtraOne is available in use in Europe, China, the United States and Australia for applications ranging from surveying and precision agriculture to glacier monitoring.

    Wingtra, wingtra.com

  • Examining silver linings in GPS amidst natural disasters

    Examining silver linings in GPS amidst natural disasters

    Illustration courtesy of USA Today.

    Here in the U.S., this past summer saw an unprecedented number of emergency situations. Hurricanes blasted Texas, Florida, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, leaving people stranded and without power, while wildfires ravaged the west.

    So far this year, 15 separate weather and climate disasters have each caused at least $1 billion in damages in the U.S., according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), meaning, 2017 could tie 2011 for the most billion-dollar disasters. The USA Today chart shows those events.

    In Oregon where I live, we experienced unprecendented smoky skies from wildfires — the hazardous air quality affected the health of many.

    The silver lining? Growing expertise in the fields of disaster response, mapping, location awareness, UAVs and imagery. We continue to improve our ability to respond to disasters, such as with Waze traffic alerts for wildfire evacuations and UAVs that bring a virtual doctor to a crisis scene along with medicine. We use state-of-the-art technology to learn more about how, why and when disasters happen with tools such as UAVs that penetrate the mysteries of active hurricanes.

  • Velodyne partners with YellowScan for UAV lidar system

    Velodyne partners with YellowScan for UAV lidar system

    Velodyne Lidar Inc., maker of 3D vision systems for autonomous vehicles, is partnering with YellowScan to integrate its VLP-16 Puck and VLP-16 Puck LITE lidar sensors into YellowScan’s Surveyor.

    The result is a turn-key and reliable lidar system for demanding UAV applications, the companies said.

    Real-time lidar systems for UAVs are used around the world for industrial and scientific applications, including surveying, civil engineering, archeology and environmental science.

    By combining its LiveStation app with the real-time 3D data capture capabilities of Velodyne’s VLP-16 Puck and VLP-16 Puck LITE sensors — both of which feature a 360-degree horizontal field-of-view, 100-meter range, and weigh 830 grams and 590 grams, respectively — YellowScan delivers a turn-key surveyor system that can be mounted to any drone for short-time data processing needs.

    The result is a real-time in-flight lidar monitoring platform, with users able to see how the final map is being generated in real-time during the drone mission, and the basic map datasets available immediately after the mission.

    “YellowScan is known for its commitment to providing reliable and easy to use sensing solutions for the UAV industry, which make the VLP-16 Puck sensors an easy choice for the Surveyor system,” said Erich Smidt, executive director, Europe, Velodyne Lidar. “The VLP-16 Pucks are some of our newest offerings, with significant effort put into reducing weight while maintaining the resolution and reliability expected of Velodyne’s industry-leading lidar sensors.”

    “YellowScan Surveyor, the turn-key lidar solution integrating Velodyne’s advanced VLP-16 sensor, enables mapping professionals to do more in less time thanks to tremendously high density and accurate measurements acquired from UAVs,” said Tristan Allouis, CTO of YellowScan.

  • Medical drone integrates augmented reality

    Medical drone integrates augmented reality

    A telemedical drone system with holographic technology can quickly put emergency physicians and lifesaving medical supplies in the hands of disaster survivors. The Telemedical Drone Project, known as HiRO (Health Integrated Rescue Operations), is being tested to support the Mississippi Department of Emergency Management, Homeland Security, the National Guard and NATO.

    Screenshot from HiRO video. (Courtesy of Paul Cooper)

    It is expected to be production-ready in early 2018.

    HiRO provides immediate access to a physician through a wireless video connection. When the portable critical care kit arrives, the doctor appears on a touchscreen display to direct treatment.

    Smart glasses allow a person on scene to move away from the kit while maintaining audio and visual contact with the physician. Holographic technology lets the physician to see the disaster scene and direct care through a hands-free, motion-enabled augmented reality headset.

    Osteopathic physicians Italo Subbarao and Paul Cooper partnered with Dennis Lott, director of the UAV program at Hinds Community College in Mississippi, to design and build a next-generation disaster drone.

    “These drones have impressive lift and distance capability, and can be outfitted with a variety of sensors, such as infrared, to help locate victims,” Lott said.

    HiRO drone and telemedical kit

    • Augmented reality (AR) operating on a Microsoft HoloLens headset enables a remote physician to treat multiple victims.
    • Automated medication bin allows remote physician to unlock specific compartments, giving bystanders safe access to medications and equipment supported by video guidance from the doctor.
    • Integrated holographic electronic health record system display helps remote physician monitor multiple patients in the field.