Unmanned Systems Technology 007 | UMEX 2016 report | Navya ARMA | Launch & recovery systems | AIE 225CS | AUVs | Electric motors | Lethal autonomous weapons

18 In conversation | Nigel Gifford it. And because I’d done a thousand or so parachute jumps and knew how to manoeuvre in freefall, I just married the two together and that was how Pouncer came into being,” he says. This approach of bringing a project together from different sources means that the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) is a key element, moving from a technology concept at TRL 2 through component validation at TRL 5, prototype demonstration at TRL 6 and system qualification at TRL 8. “Pouncer is now at about TRL 5,” Gifford says. “We have a 3D model of it, and a patent for both manned and unmanned aircraft, and I’m very keen that we keep all this British.” Another important element is the sustainability of the design, hence the focus on cardboard as a material. “You have companies building cars out of cardboard now, and that means you can use these simple materials that aren’t expensive. Being able to make aircraft out of substances that we grow rather than are mined means we have something that is sustainable and non- polluting,” he says. Secondary purposes This approach is extended to other parts of the design. “The avionics in Pouncer will be in a 3D-printed box that is a bouillon (or stock) cube. When the aircraft lands and is taken apart, every part of the aircraft has a secondary purpose – the outer shell will be big enough to turn into a shelter, and every other component would be edible, used to make power or generate a small amount of electricity to charge a mobile phone perhaps,” he says. He is putting Pouncer together with team members from avionics company Xenint in Somerset, UK, which is building the guidance and control system, and public health and safety organisation NSF International, which is working on the food security and every aspect of the food components so that they are certified for human consumption. As part of this work Gifford has also formed a charity called The Mangiare Foundation to support the development of robotics in delivering humanitarian food aid. He will be focusing on building Pouncer, which would be used by Mangiare, but is also looking at ideas such as Flutter Innovation’s RACE, an LED-based information system that can be attached to a multicopter and provide messages and a wi-fi connection for use with aid programmes. All of this is also intended to address wider issues with the IoT and food distribution systems. “No-one looks at what happens when the food chain breaks down – no-one has ever addressed how to put it right,” he says. “These days all of it relies on the IoT, and increasingly there will come a point when this infrastructure will be attacked. Most people in the cybersecurity world acknowledge this and are trying to estimate how long it would be down for. “The current thinking is that it would be down for a few hours, but what happens if it isn’t? If the cyber structure of the food delivery chain is attacked, how are you going to deliver food? There are many reasons why the aircraft we currently rely on won’t fly, so you need aircraft and aircrew that can fly without relying on computerisation, and you can put Pouncers in them to deliver food.” April/May 2016 | Unmanned Systems Technology Gifford was born into a catering family and brought up in Dorking, Surrey, UK. After school he studied at the College of Aeronautical Engineering in London in the 1960s and then went on to take an apprenticeship with an international airline specialising in aircraft management and logistics. Unable to fly owing to colour blindness, he spent 11 years in British Army catering and built a reputation for feeding soldiers in hostile environments and on expeditions. His service culminated in 1976 as a member of the successful Army expedition to Mt Everest. After leaving the Army, he specialised in the management of niche SME businesses in various markets, including innovative design work in specialist UK Special Forces equipment as well as the military and adventure aviation sectors. He has brought various high-altitude projects to market, including the first ever civilian HALO parachuting programme in the Himalayas. From 2011 he has been managing director of the Ascenta platform project which was acquired by Facebook in March 2014. He was awarded an OBE in 1996 for services to British interests overseas, is a Fellow of the Industry and Parliament Trust and is an honorary member of the West of England Aerospace Forum. Nigel Gifford