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

86 R enowned as the leading global exhibition for the marine science and technology community, Oceanology International 2016 attracted nearly 8000 visitors from 79 countries. Held at the ExCeL centre in London, a vast array of unmanned maritime vehicle and component manufacturers unveiled their latest innovations and accomplishments. Hydroid launched the upgraded Remus 100 AUV. Its torpedo-shaped, man-portable hull has been redesigned with an elliptical nose, reducing drag by 20%, and is acoustically transparent in order to house the acoustic communications transducer. Drag is further reduced with a conformal phased array transducer 300 kHz Doppler velocity log (DVL) in the rear. In addition, the inertial navigation system (INS) has been relocated between the DVL and the tail. New power systems are also featured. “There’s one-and-a-half times more energy in this vehicle than in the previous generation,” Hydroid’s Duane Fotheringham told us. “We used the latest 18650 3.2 Ah lithium-ion battery cells.” Also, the motherboard, CPU stack, emergency board and six serial cards have all been replaced with a new core electronics board, which is smaller and lighter than the sum of the replaced parts and consumes only 5 W – 25% of the power of the old layout – by using an FPGA, ARM-based processing architecture. These improvements contribute to a 12-hour endurance at 1.5 m/s (depending on sensor configuration, operating environment and mission profile), with 1.5 kWh total energy storage and a maximum range of 72 km. Gabri subsidiary SeaStick debuted AUVino, a DIY kit to build a lightweight AUV without the expense of a prefabricated system. To build it, developers will need a programmable microcomputer (suggestions include Arduino, Genuino or Raspberry Pi) for experimental enhancements, primary or rechargeable 24 V, 10-20 Ah batteries and a 3D printer for the internal chassis, nose and tail sections. Also recommended are model aircraft PWM servo motors, an XBox One control pad for ROV mode, and a Raspberry Pi camera module. The kit itself consists of the hull, hull penetrators, transparent nose cone, motor driveshafts, magnetic induction brushless motors, the motor driver PCB and the main electronics for all the onboard systems. The software and drawings for the 3D-printed parts are also available. Rory Jackson presents highlights from this foremost show for developers in the maritime sector Sea changes June/July 2016 | Unmanned Systems Technology This year’s show attracted thousands of international visitors