Sponsored by The British Robotics Seed Fund
http: www.britbots.com/fund
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15 Nov 18. Aurora Reveals Solar-Powered HAPS Odysseus. Aurora continues its nearly 30-year legacy of advancing autonomous systems with Odysseus, the world’s most capable solar-powered autonomous aircraft. Powered only by the sun, Odysseus is an ultra-long endurance, high-altitude platform built for groundbreaking persistence. Utilizing advanced solar cells and built with lightweight materials, Odysseus can effectively fly indefinitely – all powered by clean, renewable energy. The inspiration for Odysseus started with the Daedalus Project that ultimately set records in distance and for human-powered flight in 1988 with a 72-mile flight between the Greek islands of Crete and Santorini. The project was organized and led by Aurora President and CEO John Langford and other MIT colleagues who later founded Aurora. Daedalus’ records still stand today.
“Aurora was founded by the idea that technology and innovation can provide powerful solutions to tough problems that affect all of humankind. Odysseus was an idea born out of Daedalus that is now a real solution to advancing the important research around climate change and other atmospheric chemistry problems,” said Aurora President and CEO John Langford. “Odysseus offers persistence like no other solar aircraft of its kind, which is why it is such a capable and necessary platform for researchers. Odysseus will indeed change the world.”
A number of key enabling factors, inspired by the Daedalus project, come together to empower Odysseus’ leading-edge persistence:
Key Enablers
- Odysseus can persistently and autonomously remain on station. This enables communication and data gathering over a specific location. No other solar aircraft offers this capability.
- Odysseus has a greater year-round global operating zone than any other vehicle in its class.
- Odysseus can carry a larger payload than any other aircraft in development or production in its class. This enables more missions and better resulting data quality from each mission.
- Odysseus can be deployed at a fraction of the cost of a satellite and can spend dramatically more time aloft than a conventional UAV. It can receive payload and hardware options and can be quickly customized, re-tasked, and re-located as missions evolve.
Odysseus provides the most capable solution for climate and weather researchers. With its payload capacity, Odysseus will provide researchers with long-term, high-resolution observation capabilities. The platform can measure vegetation, ice coverage and flow rates, and even ground moisture. Weather and storm monitoring during peak seasons become more affordable and accurate because of its ability to track and measure the movement of severe weather events, all while powered by clean energy.
In addition to climate and atmospheric research, Odysseus’ persistence enables a range of missions and operations across communication, connectivity, and intelligence. Odysseus’ first flight is scheduled for the Spring of 2019. (Source: UAS VISION)
15 Nov 18. German Army Evaluates the Trinity UAV. For many years now, the Bundeswehr Technical Center for Weapons and Ammunition (WTD 91), based in Meppen in the northwest of Germany, has been testing such unmanned aerial vehicles for the wealth of deployment scenarios for unmanned aerial vehicles in the Bundeswehr. The WTD 91 has recently been equipped with the Trinity from Quantum-Systems, a VTOL-capable aircraft drone with which a whole series of demanding test series are planned.
A large test site for advanced applications
The WTD 91, located in the Emsland region, is with an area of almost 200km² the largest fully instrumented shooting range in Western Europe. In 1957, the WTD 91 was erected on the test site, which had existed since the time of the emperors, and has since become a versatile, internationally recognized institution for the investigation, testing and evaluation of
- Weapons and weapon systems, ammunition of all kinds, rockets, drones and guided missiles,
- Optical and optronic equipment for reconnaissance and fire control, acoustic, meteorological and geodetic equipment,
- Protection of mobile platforms, personal protective equipment and field camp protection
has developed.
The purpose of testing drones is, on the one hand, to test the suitability of UAVs for demanding deployment in the armed forces and to gain knowledge about the performance of drones to be used in the troops.
UAVs as helpers for the task forces
On the other hand, experiments are also being carried out to help the security authorities gain experience in the defence against drones. A challenge for security forces of all kinds is the ever-increasing performance of commercial UAVs in conjunction with the, in itself positive, increasingly simple operability of the systems.
In the future, the Trinity by Quantum System will be used by the WTD 91 in a target display area for fast flying long-range UAVs. A large number of tests will be carried out with various types of target acquisition devices in order to gain insights into when and how a drone such as the Trinity can be detected and even rendered harmless in the event of malicious use.
The payload compartment of the Trinity/ Trinity F9 equipped with an RGB and NDVI camera
In another role, the Trinity will be used as a carrier for various sensors to produce 3D models, terrain models and orthophotos of the test site. The Trinity offers the user a variable payload compartment with the option of integrating cameras to create RGB images and multispectral sensors plus the ability to mount thermal sensors.
Payload
These cameras record in the infrared range and can detect sources of fire or nests of embers. Coupled with a flight time of up to 60 minutes, a wide variety of data can be recorded on a very large area with just one flight. (Source: UAS VISION)
14 Nov 18. US Navy ramps up development of naval unmanned systems. The US Navy (USN) is accelerating its development of naval unmanned systems through programmatic changes and contractual tools meant to field such systems as soon as possible, according to Captain Pete Small, programme manager for Unmanned Maritime Systems. For example, the (USN) has started the Payload Integration Group (PIG), Capt Small noted on 8 November during the Naval Submarine League Annual 36th Symposium and Industry Update. The PIG is tasked with developing, maintaining, and overseeing and “a standard, rapid and cost-effective process” for determining what the best payloads may be for the various naval unmanned platforms, Capt Small said.
“We want to streamline efforts across multiple organisations,” he said, and find ways to enhance commonalities for unmanned surface and underwater systems, as well as develop modular payloads for those systems.
The navy wants to develop interface standards, he said, to integrate unmanned and manned platforms.
The USN also has developed an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) family-of-systems contracting tool to provide “wide access to key industry providers” for prototyping and technology development across the portfolio of systems to be inserted in hot production lines.
Companies can be awarded contracts for various developmental tasks, he said, in areas such as payloads, hull, propulsion, sensors, and storage or conversion of energy.
While the USN looks to enhance its future naval unmanned systems development, the service remains on course for a current portfolio of programmes, Capt Small said.
For example, the service in 2018 kicked off a stronger medium unmanned surface vehicle (USC) effort to leverage programmes already being operated by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), such as the Medium Displacement Unmanned Surface Vehicle (MDUSV) prototype Sea Hunter, which arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam 31 October – demonstrating the MDUSV can deploy for bluewater operations. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
13 Nov 18. China’s Norinco Presents UAV Swarm Concept. The China North Industries Corporation (Norinco) presented a concept for the use of strike-capable, multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) flying in a swarm at the 6-11 November Airshow China 2018 defence exhibition in Zhuhai. The concept, which can be adapted to fit various tactical scenarios, involves the use of several MR40-series (equipped with four rotors) and MR150-series (six rotors) UAVs fitted with search and targeting radars and reconnaissance subsystems and armed with an array of weapons, including guided missiles and fragmentation bombs, as well as parachute-retarded and rocket-propelled munitions.
“The multi-rotor UAVs have also been fitted with a multi-channel datalink and can operate in a network-centric combat environment,” a Norinco representative told Jane’s.
As part of the Norinco concept the UAV swarm can be used to engage an array of targets, including soft-skin and a number of armoured vehicles, artillery systems, radars, military and storage facilities, communication hubs, aircraft shelters, and logistics support lines. According to the company official, the UAV swarm, which has an operating range of 30km and an endurance of an hour, can also be armed with air-to-air missiles to engage aerial targets at short ranges. (Source: UAS VISION/Jane’s 360)
12 Nov 18. Airshow China 2018: ZB Intelligence unveils Marine Lizard amphibious combat USV prototype. Zhongbang Intelligent Technology (ZB Intelligence), a Qingdao-based company specialising in the development of control and navigation systems for unmanned surface vessels (USVs), announced a new amphibious combat USV development called the Marine Lizard at the Airshow China 2018 exhibition in Zhuhai, held from 6-11 November. The Marine Lizard is primarily designed to be an autonomous and rapidly deployable mobile weapons platform that aids a defending force in repelling coastal and beach assaults, although it can also perform ship-to-shore troop transport and logistical resupply missions if required.
The prototype Marine Lizard adopts a 13.5m trimaran hullform and is powered by a hybrid-electric propulsion system that supplies power to the four electrically powered track units installed under each corner of the hull bottom, which enable it to achieve a maximum speed of 20km/h depending on the terrain. When transitioned to surface operations, the sea vehicle is powered by a pair of rear-mounted waterjets, which offer a stated maximum speed of 50kt and cruising range of 648n miles (1,042km).
Song Ding, vice-president of international business at ZB Intelligence, told Jane’s that the Marine Lizard’s payload and weapons fit has yet to be finalised, but revealed that it will be capable of carrying a diverse range of electro-optical infrared (EO/IR) and radar sensors, as well as weapons such as heavy machine guns and anti-armour and very short-range air-defence (VSHORAD) missiles.
“We believe that there is significant interest in the domestic and international markets for such platforms in the future as many of our potential customers have long coasts and islands to safeguard,” Song said, revealing that the company is already in discussion with several local and regional naval and maritime security forces to schedule demonstrations after its development is complete by late 2019, although he declined to disclose further details. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
12 Nov 18. Sentinel Consulting Adds Drone Technology, Planning and Design Services. Sentinel Consulting, a Manhattan-based full-service security consulting firm that advises clients in the areas of security management, law enforcement, emergency services, and security technology, announced the launch of its new Unmanned Technology Planning and Design Services. Applications for unmanned aerial systems (UAS), or drones, as well as robots and autonomous ground vehicles, will now be formally represented within Sentinel’s comprehensive plan/design/deploy/manage spectrum of services. Sentinel’s Unmanned Technology Planning and Design Services will be introduced at the Unmanned Security Expo New York, November
The Company’s expanded focus to incorporate the security benefits and risks associated with unmanned technology is a proactive measure to ensure its client base is fully supported as it invests in this growing category of solutions. Industry analysts project that by 2020, the security investment in automated and robotic systems, specifically UAS, will top $10.5bn. Unmanned technology has made major inroads into the protection and risk mitigation of high-profile facilities, critical infrastructure, large complexes, and diverse other businesses, while at the same time the potential asset risks from UAS have multiplied, including business espionage and potential attacks on critical sites. These security concerns are central to Sentinel’s customers.
The Unmanned Security Expo, a new trade-only event focused exclusively on providing autonomous solutions for commercial and government security and safety as well as drone detection/counter-system applications, is an opportunity for high-level security executives to evaluate manufacturers’ solutions and participate in educational seminars related to the complex issues surrounding the product category. Those seeking additional guidance will find that Sentinel is qualified to help them navigate the full range of challenges they will encounter, including ambiguous UAS regulations, issues related to insurance and liability, evaluating total cost-of-ownership and return-on-investment, defining standard operating procedures and policies, selecting the right manufacturing the contracting partners, and training security staff to operate and manage unmanned systems. Sentinel is led by a team of seasoned security professionals with certifications that include FAA Part 107 – Certified Drone Pilot, PSP – Physical Security Professional and CPP – Certified Protection Professional.
Paul Benne, Sentinel’s CEO, explains, “Our unique combination of comprehensive expertise and fluency in security technology is at the core of our ability to consistently provide the right professional team to service our clients. As our clients begin to embrace unmanned technology as part of their security portfolios, they can feel confident that Sentinel will deliver an end-result that fully delivers on their security objectives, while taking the pain and confusion out of the entire process.” (Source: UAS VISION)
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The British Robotics Seed Fund is the first SEIS-qualifying investment fund specialising in UK-based robotics businesses. The focus of the fund is to deliver superior returns to investors by making targeted investments in a mixed basket of the most innovative and disruptive businesses that are exploiting the new generation of robotics technologies in defence and other sector applications.
Automation and robotisation are beginning to drive significant productivity improvements in the global economy heralding a new industrial revolution. The fund allows investors to benefit from this exciting opportunity, whilst also delivering the extremely attractive tax reliefs offered by the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS). For many private investors, the amount of specialist knowledge required to assess investments in robotics is not practical and hence investing through a fund structure makes good sense.
The fund appoints expert mentors to work with each investee company to further maximise the chance of success for investors. Further details are available on request.
www.britbots.com/fund
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