Unmanned Systems Technology 019 | Navya Autonom Cab | Batteries | UGVs Insight | UAV Factory UAV28-EFI | Swiss Aerobotics Hummel | UMEX 2018 report | Antennas | Oceanology International 2018 report

72 Digest | Swiss Aerobotics Hummel accurate but if you can go further you can shoot faster and have a quicker response, and the accuracy is improved. “It’s a lot of trial and error. You have to understand the optimal weight for a given charge to get the best performance, as well as other factors such as how quickly you want the net to unfold,” he says. “Buy the nylon net by the metre and cut out the shape. If you just attach weights at the corners it doesn’t really expand, so you have to cut it in particular ways to have the weights at the corners.” This is sufficient for capturing UAVs, he says. “Even if the rotors of the target cut through one or other of the net lines then it’s still sufficient to capture the craft. I think nylon is strong enough to capture it; you don’t need other materials such as Kevlar.” Future direction There are a number of ways forward for the technology. The net system could be attached to existing quadcopter UAV platforms, but also mounted on the Hummel. The sensor and autopilot technologies can also be used on other hybrid VTOL platforms. Using a hybrid VTOL also opens up new business models such as renting out a counter-UAV capability at particularly risky times in particular locations. For example, customers might want to hire a counter-UAV capability for a local event, which would mean having to deploy the system quickly. A vertical take-off system would work well for that with a high-speed intercept of a rogue UAV. The Hummel could also be deployed ahead of an event that might be vulnerable to incursion by a rogue craft so that it is already in place, or could even be permanently stationed at a site, ready to go. It would be integrated with an operator’s monitoring system (cloud- based or local), and when triggered it would head directly to the approximate location of the rogue. The onboard detection systems would then allow the Hummel to quickly zero in on the rogue UAV in a matter of a few seconds to get into range for the net capture system to be deployed. “If you want to do something that is more of a service model with a counter- UAV subscription, you want your intercept platforms in a particular area that you need to service at very high speed,” Weiss says. April/May 2018 | Unmanned Systems Technology The Hummel can launch quickly to intercept a rogue UAV Fine-tuning the Hummel’s control system Even if the rotors of the target cut through one or other of the net lines then the system is still sufficient to capture the craft