Unmanned Systems Technology 013 | AutonomouStuff Lincoln MKZ | AI systems | Unmanned Underwater Vehicles | Cosworth AG2 UAV twin | AceCore Neo | Maintenance | IDEX 2017 Show report

62 T he Neo is a large, electric octocopter designed to carry TV and film broadcast- quality cameras and datalink equipment for an industry in which lost filming opportunities can hit production budgets hard. These realities focused its Dutch manufacturer, AceCore Technologies, on reliability through redundancy, large reserves of power and control, plus design details that keep contaminants out of the UAV’s innards. Founded in the Netherlands in 2013, the company was taken over by employee and pilot/engineer Jorrit Linders, now CEO, in 2014. The Neo project predates AceCore’s formation, with design work starting in 2012 and the maiden flight of the first prototype, the Neo RTF 1, taking place a year later. Following Linders’ takeover, the current Neo RTF 2 first flew around 18 months later, in 2014. With more than 40 of them now in use, the company has begun to explore a range of new applications that its substantial payload capacity and design for reliability might open up. The inspiration behind the Neo was to fill a gap in the market for a heavy-lift UAV for film and TV use that would work reliably out of the box for people other than engineers who build their own systems. With a 9 kg payload, the Neo has a maximum take-off weight of 19 kg. AceCore quotes a maximum speed of 20 m/s, a maximum climb and descent rate of 5 m/s and a service ceiling of 2700 m, with the same numbers applying to the maximum line-of-sight range dictated by the reach of the Futaba FMT- 02 ground controller. The Neo flies for up to 30 minutes on one battery charge. Peter Donaldson details the design and development of this film industry specialist Focus of attention April/May 2017 | Unmanned Systems Technology The Neo in flight with a Red Dragon 6K broadcast camera (Images courtesy of AceCore)