Unmanned Systems Technology 005 | Selex ES Falco UAV | Sense and avoid systems | RCV Engines DF70 | DSEI show report | Fuel cells | CUAV Expo, InterDrone and CUAV Show reports | SLAM

More than 1500 people attended the first Commercial UAV Expo in Las Vegas, where the 120 exhibitors showcased cutting-edge solutions including airframes, components, sensors, software and services. Interdrone meanwhile is billed as the first global-scale conference for the builders, flyers and buyers of commercial UAVs; it drew nearly 3000 attendees and saw a clutch of new product announcements. In London, the Commercial UAV Show attracted more than 2300 attendees, and the 85 exhibitors covered the whole range of UAV activities, from small platforms to large lifters and the latest camera, gimbal and mapping technologies. Here’s our review of some of the more interesting developments on show at the Commercial UAV Expo and InterDrone events in Las Vegas and the Commercial UAV Show in London 72 At the CUAV Expo, thermal imaging system specialist FLIR announced that it has updated its latest airborne camera with data collection and in-flight controls for unmanned systems. The Vue Pro thermal imaging camera has a resolution of 640 x 512 pixels, and is intended for unmanned aircraft, adding a simplified interface providing power and data links through a single ten-pin mini-USB connector to save space and reduce the weight to 120 g. Adding a Micro SD card interface allows for collection of 8-bit thermal imaging video in either motion JPEG (MJPEG) or H.264 formats, as well as 14- bit still images for mapping and survey applications. The data can be accessed after the flight directly from the card or via the USB interface. FLIR has also added an accessory port to give users direct control of camera functions such as changing the colour palettes of images, starting and stopping recording, and the camera’s e-zoom, while the platform is in flight. MAVLink compatibility and an RS-232 serial interface allows the camera to interface easily with the standard flight control systems used for mapping, survey, and precision agriculture missions. It also Transatlantic trade UAV shows on both sides of the Atlantic are attracting a growing number of visitors Dec 2015/Jan 2016 | Unmanned Systems Technology Commercial UAV Expo FLIR’s Vue Pro camera comes with data collection and in-flight controls