Read all back issues online www.ust-media.com UST 54 : FEB/MAR 2024 UK £15, USA $30, EUROPE €22 Visions of the deep How uWare Robotics is making a splash with the fully agile, smart uOne Secure swarms New radio tech connecting them further Power mapping Navigating the fusion of inertial data
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3 February/March 2024 | Contents Uncrewed Systems Technology | February/March 2024 24 46 64 94 76 04 Intro Remote driving, 4D imaging radar and machine-learning tech are making huge advances, but are they still too power-hungry? 06 Platform one: Mission-critical info Japanese researchers create a low-cost UAV for close-up transmission line inspections, a penny sized robot shows the power of small, a radar system protects cars in a cocoon, a Korean sensor detects 3D objects on the road, and the US tackles radio-frequency interference with silicon photonics 20 In conversation: Angelo Corsaro How ZettaScale’s Zenoh protocol is taking off in the robotics world by slashing the energy required for data transfer 24 Dossier: uWare’s uOne UUV This autonomous submersible can replicate the functions of multi-rotor air vehicles underwater, hoving with the same agility and using visual navigation to survey the marine environment 36 Focus: Radio and telemetry New systems are boosting the performance of UAVs, linking multiple platforms and taking them further on less energy 46 In operation: Rheinmetall Intelligent ground vehicles can travel where crewed missions cannot go safely, implementing medical evacuations in complex or dangerous terrain with lower risk to life 56 Insight: UUVs Underwater uncrewed vehicles are taking exploration to greater depths, with missions often lasting months at a time 64 Dossier: DeltaHawk DHK180 Why this compression-ignition two-stroke engine has been 27 years in the making, achieving FAA Type Certification 76 Focus: IMUs, gyros and accelerometers Today’s navigation systems are breaking away from their dependence on GNSS, and mixing inertial data with visual, radar, laser, acoustic and other sensor feeds 94 In operation: Skygauge One firm is addressing the danger to humans working at height by enabling remote ultrasonic inspections of tall structures 102 Show report: CES Exhibitors present their latest tech, focused on innovation, AI, mobility and sustainability, under the dazzling lights of Las Vegas 108 In operation: Blueflite Rugged vehicles Slate and Cobalt promise reliability and durability in delivering packages anywhere, in any weather 114 PS: Hypersonic flight As air vehicles hit previously undreamed-of speeds, proper thermal management is crucial to keep their mechanisms cool
ELECTRIC, HYBRID & INTERNAL COMBUSTION for PERFORMANCE ISSUE 150 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2024 Evade devastating shake! Focus on vibration analysis A V8 to conquer the Wild West The challenge of Dirt Late Model Racing to rescue the ICE AVL’s hydrogen-fuelled I4 turbo www.highpowermedia.com UK £15, US/CN $25, EUROPE e22 THE COMMUNICATIONS HUB OF THE ELECTRIFIED POWERTRAIN Read all back issues and exclusive online-only content at www.emobility-engineering.com ISSUE 023 | JAN/FEB 2024 UK £15 USA $30 EUROPE €22 The appliance of science Thermal chameleons Insight into battery coatings Phase change materials for heat control Simple, small, sustainable Electric aviation is no flight of fancy for H3X 4 February/March 2024 | Uncrewed Systems Technology Intro | February/March 2024 CES (formerly the Consumer Electronics Show) in the USA continues to be a hotbed of uncrewed systems technology. For example, the Afeela joint venture between Honda and Sony brought its car on stage remotely, driven using a PlayStation handset. In other ways it is a more realistic indicator of where the technology is heading, as our show report details on pages 94-101. Provizio demonstrated its 4D-imaging radar in the car park, and we detail the tech in Platform One on page 10. At the same time, Nvidia very clearly showed the progression of the central controller. Chinese car manufacturers such as Zeekr and Xiaomi (perhaps better known for its smartphones) are already using two of the latest Orin chips, while Li Auto will more than double the machine-learning performance for automated driving with Thor, one of Nvidia’s next-generation chips. But these are power-hungry devices, and Ambarella was showing the same capabilities with dramatically less power, as we highlight on page 8. This is hard to demonstrate underwater, so we are also covering an AUV from uWare on page 24, several more UUVs on page 56, and the IMU technologies being used across many of these platforms, both on the ground and in the air, in our Focus on page 76. Nick Flaherty | Technology Editor Remote revolution Read all back issues online www.ust-media.com UST 54 : FEB/MAR 2024 UK £15, USA $30, EUROPE €22 Visions of the deep How uWare Robotics is making a splash with the fully agile, smart uOne Secure swarms New radio tech connecting them further Power mapping Navigating the fusion of inertial data Editorial Director Ian Bamsey Deputy Editor Rory Jackson Technology Editor Nick Flaherty Production Editor Vickie Johnstone Contributor Peter Donaldson Technical Consultants Paul Weighell Ian Williams-Wynn Dr Donough Wilson Prof James Scanlan Dr David Barrett Design Andrew Metcalfe andrew@highpowermedia.com UST Ad Sales Please direct all enquiries to Simon Moss simon@ust-media.com Subscriptions Frankie Robins frankie@ust-media.com Publishing Director Simon Moss simon@ust-media.com General Manager Chris Perry The USE network Having now provided several enterprises around the world with the support and connections they need to implement efficient and sustainable technological solutions, we’re keen to continue expanding this free service. If the uncrewed vehicle and/or system you’re working on could benefit from some independent advice, from engineers specialising in the appropriate field, then please do get in touch. Email your question/challenge/dilemma/predicament to thenetwork@uncrewedsystemsengineering.com or visit www.uncrewedsystemsengineering.com and raise a case with us. All questions will be treated in the strictest confidence, and there’s no obligation whatsoever to follow any recommendations made. Volume Ten | Issue Two February/March 2024 High Power Media Limited Whitfield House, Cheddar Road, Wedmore, Somerset, BS28 4EJ, England Tel: +44 1934 713957 www.highpowermedia.com ISSN 2753-6513 Printed in Great Britain ©High Power Media All rights reserved. Reproduction (in whole or in part) of any article or illustration without the written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. While care is taken to ensure the accuracy of information herein, the publisher can accept no liability for errors or omissions. Nor can responsibility be accepted for the content of any advertisement. SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscriptions are available from High Power Media at the address above or directly from our website. Overseas copies are sent via air mail. 1 year subscription – 15% discount: UK – £75; Europe – £90 USA – £93.75; ROW – £97.50 2 year subscription – 25% discount: UK – £135; Europe – £162 USA – £168.75; ROW – £175.50 Make cheques payable to High Power Media. Visa, Mastercard, Amex and UK Maestro accepted. Quote card number and expiry date (also issue/start date for Maestro) ALSO FROM HPM
UXV Technologies The Aeronav is a markjet-leading ground control station for all types of robotics, drones, and remote-operated vehicles. It is versatile, radio-agnostic, robust and delivered with custom hardware, engraving, and firmware. The Aeronav is especially suitable for safetycritical missions and field applications in markets such as defense and heavy industries due to its capability to perform under challenging environments. It’s user-centric design not only guarantees a seamless experience but also delivers an immersive interface, prioritizing control and functional safety for operators. GROUND CONTROL STATION FOR THE MISSION MASTER WWW.UXVTECHNOLOGIES.COM The Aeronav is a market-leading ground control station for all types of robotics, drones, and remote-operated vehicles. It is versatile, radio-agnostic, robust, and delivered with custom hardware, engraving, and firmware. The Aeronav is especially suitable for safety-critical missions and field applications in markets such as defense and heavy industries due to its capability to perform under challenging environments. Its user-centric design not only guarantees a seamless experience but also delivers an immersive interface, prioritizing control and functional safety for operators.
6 February/March 2024 | Uncrewed Systems Technology Mission-critical info for uncrewed systems professionals Platform one Researchers in Japan have developed a low-cost UAV for inspecting transmission lines (writes Nick Flaherty). Monitoring transmission lines can be challenging due to electromagnetic interference and they can be difficult for a UAV to see. “Our proposed system enables small UAVs to inspect transmission lines at close range for the first time,” said Satoshi Suzuki, associate professor at the Graduate School of Engineering, Chiba University in Japan. Measuring 0.24 x 0.24 x 0.15 m, the UAV has a 5 in propeller and a take-off weight of 0.484 kg. The platform (see diagram) consists of a GNSS receiver (a), a PLKLC2001l radar (b), an OAK-1 RGB camera (c) and the main control board (d). The system uses a low-cost global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver, RGB camera and a millimetre (mm)-wave radar to characterise the transmission lines. It uses this data in a knowledge-based line identification system, which employs a specialised technique called the Hough transform to identify and measure the distance between the transmission lines and the UAV, enabling it to fly in close. A heading correction module counters any magnetic-field interference affecting the UAV’s compass by calculating the desired direction, based on the identified transmission line’s start and end points, and correcting the vehicle accordingly. A waypoint correction system then addresses the mismatch between the planned and actual path of the UAV caused by the low accuracy of the GNSS receiver. An auxiliary controller is used to address any unknown disturbances during inspection, such as strong winds, which can deviate the UAV off its path. The team tested their designed UAV to inspect a 10 kV energised transmission line. Their experiments showed the proposed method effectively addressed magnetic interference problems, as well as any mismatches between the planned and actual path, and resisted wind interference. The GNSS receiver is mounted at the top of the platform to receive the satellite signals. During inspection, the quadcopter remains above the transmission line, so the mm-wave radar and camera are mounted on the bottom to capture or detect the line. The team removed the shell of the PLK-LC2001l and connected its core board directly to the main control board to reduce weight. Placed at the centre, the main control board integrates essential components such as an inertial measurement unit, barometer, compass and log record module to support autonomous flight. UAVs Low-risk line checkers The UAV inspected a 10 kV energised transmission line
7 Platform one Uncrewed Systems Technology | February/March 2024 Researchers in the USA have developed a tiny, autonomous robot carrying sensors to perform tasks such as catching gas leaks or tracking warehouse inventory (writes Nick Flaherty). The researchers at the University of Washington (UW) created the MilliMobile four-wheeled robot to be powered by light or radio waves. At 10 x 10 mm, it is about the size of a penny and weighs 1.1 g. The robot uses a solar panel-like energy harvester to move about 10 m per hour, even on a cloudy day with light conditions as low as 20 W/m2 and -10 dBm of radiofrequency (RF) power. It moves towards light sources using a sensor. Able to drive on surfaces such as concrete or packed soil, the robot can In early December 2023, we at High Power Media Ltd were shocked to learn that our long-standing Production and Sub Editor across all of our titles, Guy Lindsay Richards, had become seriously ill. He was optimistic for his planned treatment, but tragically died the day before it was due to commence. Guy first worked on RET 42 in November 2009. As one of our team remarked: “I think we always understood each other well and probably got the best out of each other. It was always a pleasure to deal with him.” Other comments were along the lines of, “what a super-nice guy he was”, “a professional, courteous and nononsense man”, and “Guy was one of the most pleasant and good-humoured carry equipment that is three times its own weight, such as a camera or sensors. Carrying a 1 g payload only reduces its speed by 25%. Miniaturising the robot to gram scale significantly reduced the energy required to move it. The team developed methods to produce intermittent motion by people I’ve ever had the privilege to work with, and I will miss him.” Despite Guy calling a spade a spade and not suffering fools gladly, he was a kind, caring and thoughtful man, totally down to earth. He was humble too, never bragging about his accomplishments, which included winning Gold Awards for journalism many years in a row. Brought up near Cardiff in South Wales and having excelled at school, Guy attained an HND in electrical and electronic engineering at Sheffield University. From his mid-20s he held a range of jobs within electronics and journalism discharging a small capacitor (47-150 μF) to move a motor in discrete steps, enabling motion from as little as 50 μW of power or less. “We took inspiration from ‘intermittent computing’, which breaks complex programs into small steps, so a device with very limited power can work incrementally as energy is available,” said UW researcher Kyle Johnson. Software-defined techniques were used to maximise power harvesting, operating in the optimal part of the charging curve by varying the charging time to achieve speeds up to 5.5 mm/s. The researchers have added light, temperature and humidity sensors, as well as Bluetooth, enabling the robot to transmit data over 200 m. before settling in as a staff member at Reed Publishing. After moving back to Cardiff, Guy worked for the Western Mail prior to joining our team. All of us at HPM send our deepest condolences to his devoted son, James, his brother, Jon, and his sister-in-law, Jen, and to all his extended family and friends. Mini robots Obituary Smart robot sees the light Guy Richards: 1958-2023 The four-wheeled robot is about the size of a penny
8 Platform one February/March 2024 | Uncrewed Systems Technology Ambarella has developed a modular software stack for autonomous vehicles that runs on a range of different hardware, including its latest chip (writes Nick Flaherty). The stack has been demonstrated on the new low-power CV3-AD chip, providing self-driving capabilities up to SAE Level 3, while also running on other hardware. The stack runs entirely on the CV3-AD chip, built in a 5 nm CMOS process to provide environmental perception and route planning to create HD maps in real time from SD resolution data. The stack is carefully optimised to minimise the processing load and the need for external memory accesses to keep the power consumption of the chip under 30 W, compared with 300 W for other chips for autonomous driving. It means the electronic control unit does not have to be liquid-cooled. The chip has up to eight ARM Cortex A78AE CPU cores with a dual-core, lockstep pair of Cortex-R52 cores, which support functional safety to the ASIL-B standard. There are up to six custom AI accelerator cores that support 8 bit and 4 bit data in the neural networks. It also includes a H-264 codec for video conversion from long-range, ultra-high-definition cameras and HD short-range with stereo redundancy, as well as the 4D imaging radar developed by Oculii, which is part of Ambarella. The CVflow software stack includes route planning, and it has been widely tested for corner cases such as narrow roads, construction and areas with a high density of pedestrians. A key element of the hardware design is that there are spare cycles on the ARM processors in the chip for additional software and the proprietary networks. “We are using SD maps and generated HD maps in real time for path planning,” said Chris Day, vice-president of business development at Ambarella. “As developers have control of all the data from the raw data, they can decide on the best place to solve the problem – for example, in the ISP and not in the algorithmic part – so the image is better and the algorithm can be simpler. “This leads to better management of the overall signal chain. This was an epiphany for a software developer.” Deep-learning algorithms have been used in all the modules and developed with the chip in mind. This requires support from the backend tools. An automated annotation pipeline automates the training of the sensor fusion, and there is a PCIe card for development and validation of the software. The CV3 has been used by Applied Intuition for a closed-loop implementation in a system-in-the-loop (SIL) simulation system that is porting proprietary neural networks from other customers. Both the chip and the software stack have been benchmarked with the Resnet34 neural network, and they show a 5.7x increase in performance over the previous generation, along with a 4.3x increase in frames-per-second per watt to boost power efficiency. Autonomous vehicles Cooler stacks and chips Providing self-driving capabilities up to SAE Level 3 The CVflow software stack includes route planning
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10 February/March 2024 | Uncrewed Systems Technology Provizio in Ireland has developed an imaging radar able to provide data from an area of 1 km2 around a vehicle (writes Nick Flaherty). The Prime radar provides a dense point cloud of data, created with generative AI, to replace a laser Lidar sensor in autonomous vehicles, starting with mining and agricultural applications. This uses a commercial radar chip from Texas Instruments and a patented, active antenna using chips designed in-house in the transmit-and-receive path in front of the radar chip. “We have two vehicles on the road in Ireland with a 1 km2 cocoon,” said Barry Lunn, CEO and founder of Provizio. “One is testing the forward-facing and the other the L3+ rear-facing mode with over 600 m range.” “That’s what allows us to get the extended range and resolution as we are adjusting the phase and time to illuminate a wider aperture,” Lunn explained. At the radar’s front end is a planar antenna, with the Provizo-designed chips in front of the radar chip. These operate at 76-81 GHz and are built at Global Foundries. On the receive path, the chip is a low noise amplifier (LNA). This reduces the noise floor, rather than increasing power as that would add noise. The radar front end is just one part of the design, which includes software to that cause problems, such as side lobes, they are experimenting with reducing at the signal level and the output.” “We use generative AI to improve the point cloud by 4-10%, but that’s not improving the resolution – that’s improving the inferencing performance post-DSP,” Lunn pointed out. “What we are doing is training lower-grade radar on higher-grade data, and training radar on a Lidar point cloud with classification.” Mining and agriculture applications will be the first to adopt the technology. “By 2028, they want the entire fleet automated with L4 and L5. We have data from mines for SLAM odometry, but we showed we could classify pedestrians in the dust and rain while providing the odometry,” Lunn added. The company plans to start production of the radar with Mergon in the next few months. Radar Imaging radar’s safety cocoon produce a point cloud similar to a Lidar laser sensor. This is fed into a data-fusion algorithm with data from a camera, and it works with processors from Nvidia and other suppliers. “Our point cloud is 40-50x denser than a standard antenna for the perception and classification,” said Lunn. “We made everything modular, so an established manufacturer can use the active antenna and the chips with their own radar to get better resolutions.” The key is the expertise in machine learning (ML) combined with more traditional digital signal-processing (DSP) algorithms. “The really important thing is the fact that we have a perception team gives us a huge advantage in the design of the radar for perception rather than for detection. As the ML team gets deeper into the stack they want raw data. Some of the things The Prime radar provides a dense point cloud of data, created with generative AI Console showing automatic lane change initiated
T-Motor THE SAFER PROPULSION SYSTEM INDUSTRY-LEVEL PROPULSION SYSTEM CAN Function UART-TTL data feedback protocol IP67 function ELECTRIC PROPELLER www.tmotor.com Platform one Researchers in Korea have adapted the YOLO 3D machine-learning framework for 3D object detection in real time (writes Nick Flaherty). A critical requirement for the success of autonomous vehicles is their ability to detect and navigate around 3D obstacles, pedestrians and other vehicles across diverse environments. Current autonomous vehicles employ smart sensors such as Lidar for a 3D view of their surroundings and depth information, while radar is typically used for detecting objects at night and in cloudy weather, and a set of cameras is often utilised for providing RGB images and a 360o view – collectively forming a comprehensive dataset which we know as a point cloud. The researchers at the Department of Embedded Systems Engineering at Incheon National University (INU), Korea, have developed a deep learning-based, end-to-end, 3D object-detection system. The system is built on the YOLOv3 (You Only Look Once) deep-learning object-detection technique, which is the most active state-of-the-art method available for 2D visual detection, which the researchers modified to detect 3D objects. This technique uses point-cloud data and RGB images as input, and it generates bounding boxes with confidence scores and labels for visible obstacles as output. To assess the system’s performance, the team conducted experiments using the Lyft dataset, which consisted of road information captured from 20 autonomous vehicles travelling a predetermined route in Palo Alto, California, over a four-month period. The results showed YOLOv3 exhibits high accuracy, surpassing other state-ofthe-art architectures. Notably, the overall accuracy for 2D and 3D object detection were 96% and 97%, respectively. The work can also be used to improve the performance of sensors, robotics and artificial intelligence. Autonomous vehicles Real-time 3D object detection Navigating around obstacles and pedestrians
12 Platform one February/March 2024 | Uncrewed Systems Technology Researchers in the US have used silicon photonics rather than electronics to tackle dynamic radio-frequency (RF) interference (writes Nick Flaherty). This is an increasing problem for uncrewed systems, both in the air and on the ground. Radar altimeters are the sole indicators of altitude above a terrain. 5G cellular bands pose a significant risk of jamming altimeters, and impact flight landing and take-off. As wireless technology expands in frequency coverage and uses spatial multiplexing, RF interference is becoming a pressing issue. To address it, RF front ends with low latency are crucial. There are also challenges from the physical movement of transceivers, resulting in time-variant mixing ratios between interference and the signal-ofinterest (SoI). This requires real-time adaptability in mobile wireless receivers to handle fluctuating interference, particularly when it carries safety-to-life critical information for navigation and autonomous driving, such as for aircraft and ground vehicles. The photonic integrated circuits (PICs) process broadband information by converting radio frequencies into optical frequencies. Unlike traditional analogue RF components or digital electronics, PICs reduces latency through direct analogue processing. But, integrating a complete system on a chip for microwave processing has faced design, control and packaging challenges. Current PICs require bulky external devices for signal analysis and control, leading to impractical size, weight and power metrics. Professor Paul Prucnal from Lightwave Lab at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Princeton University, USA, and his co-workers have micro-ring resonator (MRR) weight banks and photodetectors on a single chip, significantly reducing processing latency to less than 15 picoseconds. In addition, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) with integrated peripherals handles high-throughput statistical analysis and high-level blind-source separation (BSS) algorithms. This enables real-time execution at a refresh rate of 305 Hz, which is a marked improvement on previous systems. The research team successfully tested this device in two dynamic interference scenarios – mobile communications and radar altimeters. The results were convincible, demonstrating error-free operation and maintaining signal-to-noise ratios over 15 dB. This shows the potential of the device to address real-world interference challenges effectively. Radio Lower latency photonics developed a system-on-chip (SoC) that uses silicon photonics for a palm-sized, standalone photonic device. The device integrates modulators, The device significantly reduces processing latency to less than 15 picoseconds This enables real-time execution at a refresh rate of 305 Hz, which is a marked improvement on previous systems
Researchers in Korea have developed a new path-following technique for autonomous ships (writes Nick Flaherty). An essential function of maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS) is the ability to follow a pre-determined path at sea, considering factors such as obstacles, water depth and ship manoeuvrability. Any deviation poses the risk of contact, collision or grounding. Current methods for assessing the path-following performance of autonomous ships rely on simplified mathematical ship models. Unfortunately, these models cannot capture the complicated interactions between the hull, propeller, rudder and external loads of ships, leading to inaccurate estimates. The researchers at the Korea Maritime & Ocean University used a free-running computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model combined with the line-of-sight (LoS) guidance system at low speeds under adverse weather conditions. A CFD-based analysis of the popular KRISO container ship model, equipped with the autonomous LoS guidance system, modelled adverse weather as disturbances from the bow, beam and quartering sea waves. These three cases were studied at three different speeds to identify the effect of forward speeds on path-following performance. Simulations showed the ship deviated from its course in all three cases. In the case of the bow and beam waves, these deviations decreased with an increase in propulsion power. Interestingly, in the case of quartering waves, propulsion power had a negligible effect on deviation. Additionally, the heave-and-pitch responses of the ship were heavily influenced by the direction of the incident waves. In all three cases, the roll amplitudes were consistently below 1.5o, but the team could not ascertain the effectiveness of increasing speed to improve path-following performance. Instead, the study showed that increasing propulsive power reduces deviations from the predetermined route when the ship encounters bow and beam waves. This research contributes to improving guidelines for minimum ship powering for autonomous navigation systems when operating in poor weather conditions. Autonomous ships Navigating safe paths at sea USA Provider of Suter Propulsion Solutions as well as other UAV solutions • Up to 17.6 kW (24 HP) • 11.6 kg (25.6 lbs) turn-key ready • 1 kW & 2 kW starter/generator options • Volz throttle servo Website: www.suter-aviation.ch Phone: +49 172 900 2619 Email: info@cae-engines.com Website: www.uavpropulsiontech.com Phone: +1 (810) 441-1457 Email: bob@uavpropulsiontech.com THE SUTER TOA 288 ENGINE AS FEATURED IN UST32 • EFI gasoline – heavy fuel coming soon • Flying on several global UAV applications • 500 hr TBO / passed FAR33.49 • USA overhaul capability in place • Water cooled variant available
14 Platform one February/March 2024 | Uncrewed Systems Technology Researchers in the US have developed a new technology that uses meta-optical devices to perform thermal imaging (writes Nick Flaherty). The spectro-polarimetric decomposition system uses a stack of spinning metasurfaces to break down thermal light into its spectral and polarimetric components. This allows the imaging system to capture the spectral and polarisation details of thermal radiation in addition to the intensity information that is acquired with traditional thermal imaging. The metasurfaces are ultra-thin, structured surfaces that can manipulate light in complex ways. After engineering spinning, dispersive metasurfaces with tailored infrared responses, the researchers developed a fabrication process that allows these metasurfaces to be used to create large-area (2.5 cm- diameter) spinning devices that are suitable for imaging applications. The resulting spinning stack measures less than 10 x 10 x 10 cm and can be used with a traditional infrared camera. This approach provides richer information about objects, which could broaden the use of thermal imaging in fields such as autonomous navigation. “Our method overcomes the challenges of traditional spectral thermal imagers, which are often bulky and delicate due to their reliance on large filter wheels or interferometers,” said Zubin Jacob, who led the research at Purdue University. “We combined meta-optical devices and cutting-edge computational imaging algorithms to create a system that is both compact and robust, while also having a large field of view.” The researchers showed the new system can be used with a commercial thermal camera to successfully classify various materials – a task that is usually a challenge for conventional thermal “Integrating these large-area meta-optical devices with computational imaging algorithms facilitated the efficient reconstruction of the thermal radiation spectrum,” said Wang. “This enabled a more compact, robust and effective spectro-polarimetric thermal imaging system than was previously achievable.” Using the spectro-polarimetric information acquired with the system, the team accurately distinguished the different materials and objects. They also demonstrated a three-fold increase in material classification accuracy compared with traditional thermal imaging methods. The researchers are also trying to enhance the technique’s spectral resolution, transmission efficiency, and speed of image capture and processing. They also plan to improve the metasurface design to enable more complex light manipulation for higher spectral resolution. Another aim is to extend the method to room-temperature imaging using improved materials, metasurface designs and anti-reflection coatings. Metasurfaces Thermal imaging using metasurfaces cameras. The method’s ability to distinguish temperature variations and identify materials based on spectropolarimetric signatures could help boost safety and efficiency for a variety of applications, including autonomous navigation. “Traditional autonomous navigation approaches rely heavily on RGB cameras, which struggle in challenging conditions like low light or bad weather,” said researcher Xueji Wang at Purdue, who worked on the project. “When integrated with heat-assisted detection and ranging technology, our spectro-polarimetric thermal camera can provide vital information in these difficult scenarios, offering clearer images than RGB or conventional thermal cameras. Once we achieve real-time video capture, the technology could significantly enhance scene perception and overall safety.” Spectro-polarimetric imaging in longwave infrared is crucial for applications such as night vision, machine vision, trace gas sensing and thermography. However, these imagers are currently bulky, and limited in spectral resolution and field of view. The metasurfaces are ultra-thin, structured surfaces that can manipulate light in complex ways
Cove Cove Ocean COVE’s Ocean Scale-Up Accelerator Program: Charting a Course for Success COVE partnered with Innovate UK for the Global Incubator Program, which provides the opportunity for nine innovative, high-growth and scaling businesses to build long-term relationships with a world-leading innovation hub in Canada. The six-month program allows businesses to scale in Canada, secure opportunities, and receive assistance with finding and recruiting local skilled workers. Being a part of COVE gives the cohort access to potential partnerships and amenities, and they will return in June for the H20 Conference and COVE Demo Day. MAKING CONNECTIONS In 2023, the companies gained momentum throughout the 6-month program to propel themselves into the ocean sector. Two companies (Max Nicholas Renewables and Hexsor Scientific) have established R&D partnerships with NSCC Applied Labs, to further their technology in the Atlantic region. With this collaboration, Max Nicholas Renewables is planning to launch a pilot at Demo Day 2024! Three additional alumni companies are actively pursuing an Ocean Energy Project call with Canada’s Ocean Supercluster. The inaugural Ocean ScaleUp Accelerator program received positive feedback about program management industry connections and continuous support. About half of the cohort has either registered or in the process of registering their business in Nova Scotia. The 2024 Ocean ScaleUp Accelerator cohort includes a fresh breath of ocean technology companies, ranging from plastic monitoring software (Plastic-i) and autonomous search and rescue platforms (Zelim Ltd) to novel vacuum adhesion robots for inspection of composite and concrete structures (Innvotek). The companies will be on-site at COVE for a week-long visit, where they will have the opportunity to give a presentation about their company and their business aspirations to the COVE community. The visit will be filled with workshops to better understand market potential, how to reach their target audience in Canada, and individual legal assistance. COVE will continue to work with these nine companies, providing virtual programming with local industry experts, before welcoming the companies back to Halifax in June for H2O Conference and COVE Demo Day. The 2024 Accelerator program includes: Plastic-i, Spot Ship, Precision Acoustics, Exo Engineering, AWM, MSeis, Innvotek, Spot Ship Exchange Holdings, Zelim. Each company has developed its own distinctive goals to build and expand its business. Across the cohort, there is enthusiasm to meet potential business partners and explore the idea of bringing projects to North America. Looking to accelerate your business? Contact accelerator@coveocean.com The six-month program allows businesses to scale in Canada, secure opportunities, and receive assistance with finding and recruiting local skilled workers. Being a part of COVE gives the cohort access to potential partnerships and amenities, and they will return in June for the H20 Conference and COVE Demo Day. MAKING CONNECTIONS In 2023, the companies gained momentum throughout the 6-month program to propel themselves into the ocean sector. Two companies (Max Nicholas Renewables and Hexsor Scientific) have established R&D partnerships with NSCC Applied Labs, to further their technology in the Atlantic region. With this collaboration, Max Nicholas Renewables is planning to launch a pilot at Demo Day 2024! Three additional alumni companies are actively pursuing an Ocean Energy Project call with Canada’s Ocean Supercluster. The inaugural Ocean ScaleUp Accelerator program received positive feedback about program management industry connections and continuous support. About half of the cohort has either registered or in the process of registering their business in Nova Scotia. The 2024 Ocean ScaleUp Accelerator cohort includes a fresh breath of ocean technology companies, ranging from plastic monitoring software (Plastic-i) and autonomous search and rescue platforms (Zelim Ltd) to novel vacuum adhesion robots for inspection of composite and concrete structures (Innvotek). The companies will be on-site at COVE for a week-long visit, where they will have the opportunity to give a presentation about their company and their business aspirations to the COVE community. The visit will be filled with workshops to better understand market potential, how to reach their target audience in Canada, and individual legal assistance. COVE will continue to work with these nine companies, providing virtual programming with local industry experts, before welcoming the companies back to Halifax in June for H2O Conference and COVE Demo Day. The 2024 Accelerator program includes: Plastic-i, Spot Ship, Precision Acoustics, Exo Engineering, AWM, MSeis, Innvotek, Spot Ship Exchange Holdings, Zelim. Each company has developed its own distinctive goals to build and expand its business. Across the cohort, there is enthusiasm to meet potential business partners and explore the idea of bringing projects to North America. COVE partnered with Innovate UK for the Global Incubator Program, which provides the opportunity for nine innovative, high-growth and scaling businesses to build long-term relationships with a world-leading innovation hub in Canada. Charting a Course for Success COVE’s Ocean Scale-Up Accelerator Program: Looking to accelerate your business? Contact accelerator@coveocean.com
16 February/March 2024 | Uncrewed Systems Technology Dr Donough Wilson Dr Wilson is innovation lead at aviation, defence, and homeland security innovation consultants, VIVID/ futureVision. His defence innovations include the cockpit vision system that protects military aircrew from asymmetric high-energy laser attack. He was first to propose the automatic tracking and satellite download of airliner black box and cockpit voice recorder data in the event of an airliner’s unplanned excursion from its assigned flight level or track. For his ‘outstanding and practical contribution to the safer operation of aircraft’ he was awarded The Sir James Martin Award 2018/19, by the Honourable Company of Air Pilots. Paul Weighell Paul has been involved with electronics, computer design and programming since 1966. He has worked in the realtime and failsafe data acquisition and automation industry using mainframes, minis, micros and cloud-based hardware on applications as diverse as defence, Siberian gas pipeline control, UK nuclear power, robotics, the Thames Barrier, Formula One and automated financial trading systems. Ian Williams-Wynn Ian has been involved with uncrewed and autonomous systems for more than 20 years. He started his career in the military, working with early prototype uncrewed systems and exploiting imagery from a range of systems from global suppliers. He has also been involved in ground-breaking research including novel power and propulsion systems, sensor technologies, communications, avionics and physical platforms. His experience covers a broad spectrum of domains from space, air, maritime and ground, and in both defence and civil applications including, more recently, connected autonomous cars. Professor James Scanlan Professor Scanlan is the director of the Strategic Research Centre in Autonomous Systems at the University of Southampton, in the UK. He also co-directs the Rolls-Royce University Technical Centre in design at Southampton. He has an interest in design research, and in particular how complex systems (especially aerospace systems) can be optimised. More recently, he established a group at Southampton that undertakes research into uncrewed aircraft systems. He produced the world’s first ‘printed aircraft’, the SULSA, which was flown by the Royal Navy in the Antarctic in 2016. He also led the team that developed the ULTRA platform, the largest UK commercial UAV, which has flown BVLOS extensively in the UK. He is a qualified full-size aircraft pilot and also has UAV flight qualifications. Dr David Barrett Dr David Barrett’s career includes senior positions with companies such as iRobot and Walt Disney Imagineering. He has also held posts with research institutions including the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, MIT and Olin College, where he is now Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics, and Principal Investigator for the Olin Intelligent Vehicle Laboratory. He also serves in an advisory capacity on the boards of several robotics companies. Uncrewed Systems Technology’s consultants Inertial Labs has developed an accelerometer range suitable for uncrewed navigation systems and a high-accuracy IMU for GNSS-denied navigation (writes Nick Flaherty). The self-contained, strap-down, three-axis accelerometers measure linear accelerations with a precision of 0.005 mg at a ±8g range. This comes from the design of the three-axis sensing to compensate for any drift and their experience in calibration. The TAA-308, TAA-315 and TAA-340 models measure accelerations within ranges of ±8g, ±15g and ±40g, respectively, with continuous built-in test (BIT) and temperature compensation. They are mathematically aligned to an orthogonal coordinate system, ensuring precision. The TAA accelerometer series has a bias in-run stability as low as 0.005 mg at a ±8g dynamic range, characterised by minimal noise, as low as 0.015 m/ sec/√hr for the velocity random walk (VRW) for the TAA-308, and high reliability, with a 500 ppm scale-factor repeatability over a year. They measure 28.5 x 19.5 x 13.6 mm and weigh 13 g, with a RS-422 data interface and discrete input/output (I/O) lines. The accelerometer is combined with a gyroscope for the IMU-NAV-200 inertial navigation unit, which has a bias in-run stability of 0.3 o/hr and an angular random walk (ARW) of 0.04 o/√hr. The tactical-grade IMU measures linear accelerations, angular rates, and pitch and roll with high accuracy for both motionless and dynamic applications. The IMU-NAV-200 offers static pitch and roll with an accuracy of 0.03o, and a dynamic pitch and roll accuracy of 0.06o. It measures 47 x 62.6 x 43.5 mm and weighs 155 g, with a RS-232 or RS-422 output. The IMU-NAV-200 was specifically designed for GNSS-denied guidance and navigation applications. Accelerometers Gathering speed With 0.005 mg precision
Platform one Researchers in Switzerland have taught an autonomous excavator to construct dry-stone walls (writes Nick Flaherty). The team at ETH Zurich deployed an autonomous excavator, called HEAP, to build a 6 m high, 65 m long dry-s tone wall. As it formed part of a digitally planned and autonomously excavated landscape and park, the digital map already existed. Using sensors, the excavator autonomously draws a 3D map of the An algorithm determines the best position for each stone, depending on its shape, and the excavator then places it in the desired location. It can place 20 to 30 stones in a single consignment – about as many as one delivery could supply. The geometric-planning algorithm uses a combination of AI classification techniques to determine the correct positioning of the stones for stable, specifically shaped structures. Autonomous vehicles HEAP builds stone walls construction site, and then finds existing blocks and stones to build the wall. Custom machine-vision algorithms enable the excavator to scan and grab large stones in its immediate environment, learning from real time and simulated data to enable robotic grasping of individual stones and rubble with different textures. The system registers approximate weight and centre of gravity, which is key for lifting the blocks safely. Not enough hours in the day? Use your time effectively with a targeted, dedicated, online portal, solely for the recruitment of uncrewed & autonomous engineers. Contact simon@uncrewedengineeringjobs.com for more information on our 1x, 5x, 10x & unlimited job packages. Using sensors, the excavator draws a 3D map of the site, and then finds blocks and stones to build the wall
18 Platform one Uncrewed Systems Technology diary February/March 2024 | Uncrewed Systems Technology Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Summit Tuesday 27 February – Wednesday 28 February San Diego, USA www.americanconference.com/UAVSummit Space-Comm Expo Wednesday 6 March – Thursday 7 March Farnborough, UK www.space-comm.co.uk Geo Connect Asia Wednesday 6 March – Thursday 7 March Singapore www.geoconnectasia.com Drones & Uncrewed Asia Wednesday 6 March – Thursday 7 March Singapore www.dronesasia.com Paris Space Week Tuesday 12 March – Wednesday 13 March Paris, France www.paris-space-week.com Oceanology International Tuesday 12 March – Thursday 14 March London, UK www.oceanologyinternational.com/london Emerging & Disruptive Technology for Defense Wednesday 20 March – Thursday 21 March Washington, USA www.americanconference.com/emergingtechnology Image Sensors Europe Wednesday 20 March – Thursday 21 March London, UK www.image-sensors.com/image-sensors-europe Military Robotics and Autonomous Systems Monday 8 April – Wednesday 10 April London, UK www.smgconferences.com/defence/uk/conference/ robotic-autonomous-systems Sea Air Space Monday 8 April – Wednesday 10 April National Harbour, USA www.seaairspace.org UDT Tuesday 9 April – Thursday 11 April London, UK www.udt-global.com XPONENTIAL Monday 22 April – Thursday 25 April San Diego, USA www.xponential.org Next Generation Combat Vehicles Wednesday 24 April – Thursday 25 April Arlington, USA www.americanconference.com/next-generation-combatvehicles/ Mobility Live Middle East Tuesday 30 April – Wednesday 1 May Abu Dhabi, UAE www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/mobility-live-me Uncrewed Maritime Systems Technology Wednesday 8 May – Thursday 9 May London, UK www.smgconferences.com/defence/uk/conference/ Unmanned-Maritime-Systems Critical Communications World Tuesday 14 May – Thursday 16 May Dubai, UAE www.critical-communications-world.com Future Mobility Asia Wednesday 15 May – Friday 17 May Bangkok, Thailand www.future-mobility.asia National Congress on Counter UAS Technology Tuesday 21 May – Wednesday 22 May Washington, USA www.americanconference.com/counter-uas-technology/
ICA Summit Wednesday 22 May – Thursday 23 May Frankfurt, Germany www.ica-summit.com Japan Drone Wednesday 5 June – Friday 7 June Chiba, Japan https://ssl.japan-drone.com/en_la/index.html Eurosatory Monday 17 June – Friday 21 June Paris, France www.eurosatory.com MOVE Wednesday 19 June – Thursday 20 June London, UK www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/move Drone International Expo Thursday 4 July – Friday 5 July New Delhi, India www.droneinternationalexpo.com Farnborough International Airshow Monday 22 July – Friday 26 July Farnborough, UK www.farnboroughairshow.com Commercial UAV Expo Americas Tuesday 3 September – Thursday 5 September Las Vegas, USA www.expouav.com DroneX Tuesday 24 September – Wednesday 25 September London, UK www.dronexpo.co.uk Intergeo Tuesday 24 September – Thursday 26 September Stuttgart, Germany www.intergeo.de Bahrain International Airshow Wednesday 13 November – Friday 15 November Bahrain www.bahraininternationalairshow.com 19 Uncrewed Systems Technology | February/March 2024 The 2024 edition of the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International’s headline exhibition and conference, Xponential, is set to return to California after many years of absence, taking place at the San Diego Convention Center on April 22-25. Key technologies to be emphasised across the pavilions of this year’s expo include defence tech, composites, maritime systems, the ever-growing advanced air-mobility industry, and more. Naturally, the event will also feature the latest products across every autonomous vehicle subsystem conceivable, including new flight controllers, servos, GPUs, engines, fuel cells, lightweight solar cells, electric motors, radios, gimbals and navigation systems. The latest innovations will be showcased across a 100,000 ft2 expo floor, with at least 650 exhibitors set to display the fruits of their R&D – ranging from major household names in aerospace and defence technology to new, agile startups looking to commercialise the latest breakthroughs from laboratory to industry. At least 7,500 professional attendees from 60 countries are expected, including users, regulators and technologists. About 30% of the attending body are expected to be engineers and R&D personnel designing and building uncrewed systems, looking to examine the performance, SWaP and supply-chain resilience of new components before buying. A vast education programme is also taking place at the show, covering workshops, an innovation theatre, sessions informing Department of Defence requirements on tech development, and special meetings and working groups to bring experts together. Uncrewed Systems Technology will also be there to cover the evolving face of the autonomous vehicle world, and bring the latest mission-critical advancements in componentry, operations and services for UAVs, UUVs, USVs and UGVs to our global readership. Xponential: tomorrow’s tech today Industry
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