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A new race for autonomous aircraft has
been launched in the UK (writes Nick
Flaherty). The University of the West of
England (UWE) and High Tech Bristol
and Bath have launched the MAAXX
indoor autonomous UAV air race to
be held in January 2017 alongside a
technical conference.
The piloting can be done from a
ground station, but it must be fully
automatic. “This is not about human
piloting skills; it is about building
machines and systems that can operate
without human intervention,” said Steve
Wright, senior lecturer in avionics and
aircraft systems at the UWE.
The course is a long oval; the straights
are 25 m long and 2 m apart, and the
track is 2 m wide. There are put-in and
exit lanes to allow the drones to enter
and exit the race at any time.
There are banners and nets set above
1.5 m along the course, to keep things
safe, low and close. The course marking
is red line, green line and wall-mounted
triangles at ends.
There will be a speed prize for the
fastest ten consecutive laps of the course.
If no-one makes ten consecutive laps, the
prize goes to the fastest five consecutive
laps, and there is an endurance prize
for the greatest total number of laps
achieved during the entire competition.
The maximum vehicle take-off weight
is 1 kg, maximum size 1 m in any
dimension, and power must come from
batteries, as the racing is indoors. No
human intervention is permitted once a
competitor is on the course.
Control from any ground station
equipment via wireless link is permitted,
and any wireless communications
method is permitted as well. However,
all competitors are expected to
cooperate with the judges to ensure EM
compatibility between themselves.
Unlimited racing is permitted at any
time during the competition; competitors
may fly whenever a flying slot becomes
available, a slot being defined as not less
than 2 m from the nearest competitor on
entering the course. There is no limit on
vehicle configuration – fixed-wing, rotary
or hybrids are all permitted.
The course and rules are still
provisional, and the organisers welcome
input on changes and additions that will
make the racing better, including the
control of swarms of small UAVs.
Autonomy to the MAAXX
UAV racing