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

72 Insight | UAVs images that clearly show the terrain and objects visible on the surface. “Flying over the Manchester United pitch will demonstrate that we can map a football pitch-sized area of land in two hours or less,” says John Fardoulis, project researcher in the Interface Analysis Centre at Bristol. “Clearing a minefield of that size can currently take months, and the maps our UAVs will generate should help deminers focus on the places where mines are most likely to be found. That will speed up the process and make demining far safer.” The team is also aiming to use hyperspectral imaging techniques, which will allow them to obtain a separate image of an area at many different wavelengths of light. These images could be used to detect the effects explosive chemicals have on vegetation as a means of identifying mined areas. “Living plants have a very distinctive reflection in the near-infrared spectrum, just beyond human vision, which makes it possible to tell how healthy they are,” says project leader Dr John Day. “Chemicals in landmines leak out and are often absorbed by plants, causing abnormalities. Looking for these changes might be another way of discovering the whereabouts of mines. “Infrared light can also assist in detecting man-made objects on the surface of minefields, as they do not reflect infrared. Unexploded ordnance or camouflaged mines on a green field can be difficult to see in normal light, but infrared can make them stand out from surrounding foliage. UAVs taking infrared pictures to map suspected danger zones may provide a quick and safe way to tell if an area is likely to be hazardous.” The Bristol team is developing this technique with affordable and commercially available drones, for use in less developed parts of the world where landmines cause the greatest humanitarian problems. There are an estimated 110 million active landmines in the world, and clearing them using current technologies would cost about $30 billion and take more than 1000 years. Firefighting One emerging civilian application for unmanned platforms is in firefighting. The K-MAX platform has been developed by Kaman Aerospace and converted to autonomous operation by Lockheed June/July 2016 | Unmanned Systems Technology K-MAX is an autonomous helicopter that can deliver large loads, and has been used to tackle forest fires (Courtesy of Lockheed Martin)