Unmanned Systems Technology 004 | Delair-Tech DT18 | Autopilots | Rotron RT600 | Unmanned surface vehicles | AMRC | Motion control | Batteries

53 happening now. Some of these designs are radical, eliminating the crew’s quarters (as in the Rolls-Royce example), the bridge, air conditioning and all the human elements. It is this move to fully autonomous ships, rather than still having a small crew on board, that provides the economic advantage. Removing the human elements reduces the vessel’s weight and allows fuel to be used for propulsion rather than electrical generation, although it does mean having to use many more sensors, particularly cameras. This approach will improve fuel efficiency by about 15%, says Rolls- Royce, cutting costs – both fuel and crew – and reducing emissions. Controlling and monitoring such shipping can be handled in a number of ways. Out at sea, there is a relatively set course in international shipping lanes that can be controlled using satellite navigation way points with systems such as the US GPS, Russian GLONASS or the Galileo and Baidou constellations currently being launched by Europe and China respectively. Closer to the shore, the vessels could be steered remotely by a captain at the destination port. Rolls-Royce for one sees this as the right time to start developing autonomous shipping projects. “Marine solutions have not yet been developed in full but the building blocks are there, so the Unmanned surface vehicles | Insight Marine solutions have not yet been developed in full but the building blocks are there, so the technology readiness levels are there. Society looks to be ready Unmanned Systems Technology | Autumn 2015 Inmarsat’s current generation I-4 satellites provide a shared-channel IP packet-switched service of up to 492 kbit/s via a global 3G network, and are expected to support the L-band services (at frequencies of 1-2 GHz, similar to 3G and 4G cellular networks) until the 2020s. For higher bandwidth links, Inmarsat is launching three I-5 satellites that use the Ka band frequencies from 26.5 to 40 GHz for broadband speeds of up to 50 Mbit/s. This network, called Global Xpress (GX), could also provide high- bandwidth links back to a control centre from cameras on larger vessels. The first of the I-5 satellites, F1, entered commercial service in July 2014, serving Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia with 89 beams and six steerable spot beams that can add bandwidth in areas where it is needed. The second I-5 was launched in February 2015 and covers the Atlantic, while the third will launch in the second half of 2015 to bring GX into commercial service before the end of the year. Satellite comms Inmarsat is close to providing a commercial service that will provide broadband to marine craft at up to 50 Mbit/s (Courtesy of Boeing)