Unmanned Systems Technology 002 | Scion SA-400 | Commercial UAV Show report | Vision sensors | Danielson Trident I Security and safety systems | MIRA MACE | Additive manufacturing | Marine UUVs

34 T he world is on the verge of explosive growth in the use of UAVs for civilian applications, and the Commercial UAV Show, held at the Olympia exhibition centre in London on October 21-22, was billed as “the first marketplace for commercial UAVs”. As such it attracted an international line-up of exhibitors and drew in visitors from near and far, representing many potential civilian users ranging from filmmakers to local authorities and security specialists. The show also saw the launch of Unmanned Systems Technology magazine and put the spotlight on innovative new technology in this burgeoning field. UST writers were there, walking the aisles to identify the most important developments at this busy and intriguing event. Commercial UAV 2014 Less than three years old, Advanced Innovative Engineering (AIE) offers single-rotor Wankel-type engine technology in a range of displacements from 40 to 650 cc. Nathan Bailey told UST that the company is scaling up and down from its initial engine, the 225CSR, which as its name suggests has a displacement of 225 cc; it first ran in February 2014, and produces 40 bhp. The 40 cc engine variant offers 5 bhp, the 650 cc some 120 bhp, and the target market includes automotive applications as well as UAVs. Bailey said AIE has taken rotary engine performance a step forward in terms of performance and durability, thanks partly to a revolutionary cooling technology called the Self Pressurised Air Rotor Cooling System (SPARCS). He Spring 2015 | Unmanned Systems Technology Wankel-type engine from AIE Taking off With the market for commercial UAVs set to soar, Ian Bamsey and Nick Flaherty highlight some of the new technology on show at this trade fair