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

36 Report | Commercial UAV Show with the ability to take 100 readings per second in combination with an onboard camera, enables precise mapping of the environment. A key feature of the Topcon receiver is that it dispenses with the need for ground control points, saving time compared to conventional aerial systems and opening up terrain where ground access is problematic. The Topcon GNSS receiver exploits Real Time Kinematics (RTK), a differential GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) technique that provides high positioning performance in the vicinity of a base station. The technique is based on the use of carrier measurements and the transmission of corrections from the fixed-position base station to the UAV, so that any errors from standalone positioning are cancelled out. In essence, the mapping process is one of photogrammetry. Photographs of the terrain are overlapped, and shape-matching imagery analysis using advanced algorithms is combined with the x-y-z coordinate data from the GPS to create a 3D map of the surface over which the UAV has flown. Skelton said the Topcon GNSS receiver is now available in this role via the hand-launched, battery-electric propelled, fixed-wing Topcon Sirius UAV, in a package designed for a wide range of applications. He said it operates successfully even in the rain, at airspeeds of up to 60 kph. “The challenge was to integrate the GNSS receiver with the platform’s existing hardware and software for repeatable accuracy,” he said. “We succeeded in achieving that repeatability regardless of weather conditions, altitude and so on.” The Sirius can fly for up to 55 minutes capturing high-resolution images and RTK coordinates. This data is stored onboard for post-flight download and analysis using software included in the package. The best solar cells are typically in the high teens in terms of the efficiency with which they convert solar energy sunlight into electrical output, and the best flexible solar cells are barely above 10% efficiency, Rich Kapusta of Alta Devices told us at Olympia. There his company was showing a new cell technology which he said has an efficiency of 28.8% and is lightweight, thin, and flexible. “This is a world record for a commercially available solar cell,” Kapusta assured us. “The secret is in the use of gallium arsenide [GaAs] rather than silicon. GaAs has been used in satellites for Spring 2015 | Unmanned Systems Technology Textron Systems Unmanned Systems is now offering the Aerosonde Mk 4.7G UAS platform. The company owns Aerosonde, which co-manufactures the 3.6 m wingspan small unmanned aircraft system, and the Mk 4.7G, is offered for sale or operated by Textron Systems on a fee-for-service basis around the world. Fellow Textron Systems business Lycoming Engines manufactures the purpose-built EL- 005 direct-injected, two-stroke heavy fuel engine for the craft. Sean Baity, principal systems engineer, told us that the Mk 4.7G has attained nearly 100,000 flying hours over the past two years, that it is runway-independent and is suitable for operations in harsh environments. Also seen at Olympia (continued) Aerosonde’s UAV A key feature of the receiver is that it dispenses with the need for ground control points, opening up terrain where ground access is a problem