Unmanned Systems Technology 008 | Alti Transition UAS | Ground control systems | Xponential 2016 report | Insitu Orbital N20 | UAVs | Solar power | Oceanology International 2016 report

44 Show report | AUVSI’s Xponential He added that this development is platform-agnostic relative to the type of aircraft controlled. The display is user- configurable, he also said. Moreover, where there is a wi-fi link, it can be used such that the device it is running on becomes a standalone ground control station, connecting directly to the craft via wi-fi. MicroPilot has already developed Horizon ground control software for desktop Windows, Mac, and Linux. A weather window floating above the scene shows wind and precipitation data, while a red area draped on the landscape shows where the fire is. In the centre of the headset’s field of view is a crosshair that serves as a cursor and enables the wearer to point at an object by looking at it and selecting it with an ‘air tap’ gesture, which involves holding a forefinger and thumb in an L-shape in the middle of the field of view and then bringing them together. “While this is a simulation right now, it’s sending real Stanag 4586 messages, which means that right now, if we had a Stanag 4586-compliant UAV, it could control it if we wanted it to,” said Greer Carper of Insitu. The system can also convert these messages to the Micro Air Vehicle Link (MAVLink) protocol. Many popular quadcopters and fixed-wing aircraft feature open source autopilots that use MAVLink messages, so the system could also control them, he added. The UAV control window also has a ‘Slew payload’ button. Air tapping on that, then on an area of interest, results in white lines being projected from the UAV symbol onto the ground to show the sensor footprint. Another air tap on the ‘View video’ button opens another window with the imagery, which for the demonstration was canned footage. This video window could then be clicked and dragged to anywhere in the field of view, as could any other window. The system also remembers the user’s preferred settings. David Dechant told us that Trimble has just replaced its MB-One OEM receiver module with the MB-Two (the earlier model having in turn replaced the MB-100). A straight swap for the MB-One where a customer wishes to upgrade, the MB-Two – like the MB-One – has L-band capability, which can be purchased as an option for the receiver. Dechant told us that the MB-Two can use any GNSS system for positioning without depending on GPS. June/July 2016 | Unmanned Systems Technology Insitu showed an augmented reality version of its Inexa Control system MicroPilot’s Horizon ground control suite comes in desktop and mobile versions Insitu demonstrated an augmented reality system capable of managing multiple vehicles in complex scenarios. Put together in 12 weeks, the proof-of- concept system combined a Microsoft HoloLens headset with Insitu’s own Inexa Control system, putting them to work in a simulated wildfire-fighting scenario. In the scenario, the headset shows a colour 3D map of hilly terrain, which was built using imported GIS data, in this case from ESRI. With the headset on, walking towards or away from the map zooms it in and out, and walking around it provides different perspectives.