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

50 has an internal network that runs the proprietary Drone Control Protocol, which will be publicly available to developers and integrators in the second half of 2016. Most of the moving parts and electronics are duplicated for redundancy, and the system monitors the health of each component, Iskrev said. If the controller fails or the parachute cannot contact the controller, the parachute deploys, he added, and if the comms link is lost then the UAV will automatically land at a pre-surveyed safe spot. The primary comms link is a dual 4G/LTE cellular system, with LTE as the preferred link and 4G as the fallback. It is a quad-band system that works in the US, Europe and Australia, and uses two carriers for redundancy. If there is no cellular coverage, it can be controlled at short ranges using a built-in wi-fi connection. There is no standard radio control option, but there is an app that can be used to inch the vehicle close to an object to inspect it. The wi-fi can also be used for broadband data streaming in flight, to save on carrier fees whenever the UAV is close to the operator. In all other cases the video streaming is done via the LTE connection, and Alpha can process data on board to help speed decision- making, eliminating the need for follow- up flights. Processing hardware is based on an eight-core 64-bit microprocessor and a graphics processing unit with a 1 Tflop capability. The company does not offer payloads, but provides electronic interfaces including USB 3, Ethernet and HDMI, and an adaptable mechanical interface consisting of a thin aluminium or magnesium frame. With these, it can support up to six HD cameras and one 4k camera. The delivery variant is slightly different in that the comms and control modules have been repositioned at the bottom, leaving the top free for an open cage that can hold up to 1.2 lb of cargo such as drinks, food or medicines. The ecosystem for the service includes a customer app and a vendor app (through which both can monitor the progress of the order), a rack for vehicle storage and battery recharging and a human co-pilot at the control centre June/July 2016 | Unmanned Systems Technology Alta Devices claims a record efficiency with its latest solar cell Delivery and multi-purpose variants of the Alpha project from Uvionix