Unmanned Systems Technology 009 | Ocean Aero Submaran S10 | Simulation and testing | Farnborough report | 3W-110xi b2 TS HFE FI | USVs | Data storage | Eurosatory/UGS 2016 report

30 Dossier | Ocean Aero Submaran S10 Childress. “They are laid right into the skin of the boat, and as we make the hull there’s a recess that’s just deep enough for the panels.” Part of the test regime involved taking a section of hull skin complete with a laminated-in panel and immersing it in sea water for 30 days. After retrieving the sample from the water and leaving it in the sun for a little while, the team plugged it in and drew power. Gochermann makes panels using cells from suppliers such as Sunpower and Azur Space, with silicon cells delivering up to 24% efficiency and gallium arsenide up to 35%; Ocean Aero uses silicon C60 panels. To make the most of the cells’ efficiency, the corners of the cells are trimmed with a laser cutter to maximise the packing rate. Along with smaller gaps between the cells and narrower panel borders, these higher voltages add up to a higher power per unit area than can be achieved with more conventional designs, the panels for example provide up to 220 W/m 2 , rising to 229 W/m 2 if the company’s optional non-reflective module surface is August/September 2016 | Unmanned Systems Technology Automatic identification system: Alltek Marine Electronics Batteries: Valence Boat speed indicator: NKE Marine Electronics Composite materials: Revchem Current profiler: Teledyne RD Instruments Electronic components: DigiKey Solar panels: Gochermann Solar Technologies Satcom transceiver: Iridium Satellite beacons: MetOcean Testing: Teledyne Technologies 3D printing services: Stratasys Key suppliers to the Ocean Aero Submaran S10 The S10, showing its wing sail system with its control system including pulleys and cables for flap control and the gear drive for sail angle adjustment, twin ruddervators and the fixed aluminium keel with its lead-weighted bulb This close-up of the wing sail deployment and control mechanism and the flap control pulleys reveals the extensive use of 3D-printed plastics on the prototypes that enabled a rapid and iterative design process to perfect them