Unmanned Systems Technology 012 | AutoNaut USV | Connectors | Unmanned Ground Vehicles | Cobra Aero A33i | Intel Falcon 8+ UAV | Propellers | CES Show report

21 early 1980s, Linden’s example provided confidence, as did independent but roughly parallel work by Norwegian engineer Einar Jacobsen, the Russians and Japanese shipbuilding giant Hitachi Zosen. What took so long? Addressing the ‘why not before now?’ question, Poole says wave propulsion has been held back owing to it being viewed as part of a hybrid system supplementing a ship’s main engine or as an active system with the foils driven up and down by engine power as a more efficient alternative to a screw propeller. On top of that, and combined with the marine industry’s conservative tendencies, periodic falls in the price of oil have tended to stall efforts to improve ship efficiency, particularly those involving expensive r&d. Poole also points out that it is a big step in engineering to move from test-tank models to large ships. Furthermore, other limitations have applied to small USVs. “AutoNaut as a USV only became possible recently as other technologies such as PV panels, GPS and satellite comms came on the market, shrank in size and fell in price and power demand,” he says. With such efficient ancillary technologies now available, the range and endurance of AutoNaut USVs is really only limited by the need for anti- fouling and occasional servicing, he says. AutoNauts normally have a pair of foils mounted under the keel, one at the bow and one at the stern. “There are configurations appropriate for different uses,” Poole says. “For our USVs, which must operate autonomously in all conditions and for a long time, the compromise is to achieve good all-round performance in all directions relative to the wind and waves, with complete reliability and therefore greatest simplicity.” Thrust from pitch and roll As Poole describes it, the foils generate thrust in much the same way as a penguin’s wing, except that rather than muscles moving the wing up and down through the water, the pitching and rolling motions of the hull do that. AutoNaut | Dossier Unmanned Systems Technology | February/March 2017 AutoNaut as a USV has only become possible recently as other technologies such as PV panels have fallen in price With the exception of the closely guarded foils, this drawing shows most of an AutoNaut’s major components and systems, also indicating the position of the join between the two hull sections (Courtesy of AutoNaut)