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

25 AutoNaut | Dossier you can launch a MetOcean AutoNaut from a slipway, send her out 500 miles, stay on station for months, and then return to the slipway for maintenance. So no need for expensive ships, moorings or people at sea,” Poole says. Sensors can also be mounted on the deck, in and through the hull or towed. Solar power and more Solbian SunPower (SP) flexible solar panels, which are designed for marine environments – many yachts that compete in the Vendee Globe round- the-world race for example use them – are the source of electrical power for the boats’ payload, comms and control systems and the propulsion pod. The panels use SunPower monocrystalline silicon solar cells that are claimed to achieve 23% conversion efficiency from sunlight to electric power. They are laminated onto modular backing panels that are bolted to the deck. The 5 m AutoNaut, for example, has three Soliban SP panels rated at 100 W peak power. The panels, their individual charge controllers and marine lead-acid gel batteries are supplied by UK company Barden, battery weight proving useful as ballast. However, some customers have opted for lithium-iron – as distinct from lithium-ion – batteries for their higher energy density. As a supplementary energy source AutoNaut has used Efoy methanol fuel cells supplied by Fuel Cell Systems in the UK. Platform control Platform control system electronics are supplied by H-Scientific, as is the power generation controller that monitors all sources and loads, and provides electronic trips and control for individual supplies. That enables a remote operator to keep track of the charge systems, batteries and supply channels while providing autonomous protection against surges and short-circuits. AutoNaut uses a range of connectors including subsea wet-mate types from Teledyne PDM on the exterior and M8 and M12 types from Amphenol, plus others from MacArtney Underwater Technology. Each vessel is built as a sealed environment in which all hull penetrations are rated to at least 1 bar, while all internal enclosures and connectors are rated to the IP68 standard that provides protection against immersion. Each compartment is fitted with a bilge pump to deal with any leaks. The graphical user interface in the remote control workstation (RCW) enables the operator to drag and drop sets of waypoints and send a command to a USV anywhere in the world with two or three mouse clicks, Poole says, and from the same page can turn on sensors and payloads, monitor current draw and manually set the electronic trips that protect sensitive equipment. An AutoNaut will continue on its mission, sending data and navigational updates according to a schedule until the operator sends a new command. The boat will autonomously manoeuvre to avoid any automatic identification system (AIS) contact that it determines is on a collision course, while the operator can also designate exclusion zones for it to avoid. Unmanned Systems Technology | February/March 2017 Close-up of the early sprung mast base design, part of a system of stress-relieving design details that improves AutoNaut’s survivability in severe storm conditions by making hull breaches less likely (Photo: Peter Donaldson) Three Solbian SunPower solar panel modules provide energy to run the AutoNaut’s autopilot and control systems, manoeuvring thruster, comms and payloads (Photo: Peter Donaldson)