04 Sep 15. Warsaw University of Technology & Lockheed Martin Conclude UAS Research. The Warsaw University of Technology (WUT) and Lockheed Martin celebrated the successful conclusion of a joint advanced applied research program focused on the integration between manned and unmanned airborne platform systems. The program builds on the strong industrial and academic partnership between Poland and Lockheed Martin aimed at motivating young Polish engineers to address tomorrow’s defense and industrial needs.
The goal of the team’s “Optimizing Unmanned System of Systems” (OpUSS) project was to develop new methods to optimally manage the multiple, different systems used in aircraft and ground stations simultaneously toward a common mission. The WUT team’s research was presented in June 2015 at the prestigious conference of the American Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) in Dallas, Texas, and the team’s three associated academic works were formally published by AIAA.
Prof. Janusz Narkiewicz, head of WUT’s Department of Automation and Aeronautical Systems, congratulated the team on a job well done. “In addition to strengthening the relationship between WUT, Polish academia and Lockheed Martin, the [WUT] team’s findings represent a significant contribution to the field of unmanned systems research,” said Prof. Narkiewicz. “We are very pleased with this team’s work and the outcome of this important project.”
Lockheed Martin assisted in the enhanced development of WUT’s unmanned airborne platform assets and simulation systems and supported the software development used during the research project. (Source: UAS VISION)
04 Sep 15. Invisible cloak for military UAS. Scientists are working on creating a new design for a technology that redefines what the public views as imaginary. Inspired by the well-known Invisibility Cloak from Harry Potter, electrical engineers at the University of California, San Diego have created a new design for their cloaking device, using a Teflon substrate, studded with cylinders of ceramic, that is thinner than any prior development and does not alter the brightness of light around concealed objects.
The Teflon has a low refractive index, while the ceramic’s refractive index is higher, which allows light to be dispersed through the sheet without any absorption. Compared to an invisibility cloak, this technology has not only the ability to conceal, but the ability to increase optical communication signal speed and to collect solar energy.
The goal of this design is to create devices that make any object appear invisible by scattering the electromagnetic waves, such as light and radar, off an object making it less detectable to these wave frequencies. Metamaterial that surrounds the target is able to force light to bypass a region of space, which effectively “cloaks” the object, making it isolated from incoming electromagnetic waves.
Prior developments to this technology needed many layers in order to cover an object, resulting in a very thick layer that enclosed the object. With this new, super- thin design, this technology has the capability to better hide the three- dimensionality and shadow of an object. Additionally, this new cloaking device addresses the issue with the brightness of the space behind them. The University of California has achieved a cloak that won’t reduce any intensity when light is reflected so the concealed object will remain undetectable and will appear completely flat to an observer’s eyes.
“Invisibility may seem like magic at first, but its underlying concepts are familiar to everyone. All it requires is a clever manipulation of our perception,” said Boubacar Kanté, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering and the senior author of the study. “Full invisibility still seems beyond reach today, but it might become a reality in the near future