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

67 AceCore Neo | Digest of the payload, giving the camera an unrestricted 360° view. While vehicle power can be used to run payloads, AceCore encourages customers to keep the two systems completely separate. Most cameras come with their own battery packs and can be coupled to separate lightweight HD downlinks from companies such as Amimon, Cobham and Vislink. That means payloads can be swapped very quickly using the quick-release system. During the development programme, the company tested a wide range of flight controllers before settling on DJI’s WooKong, which Leon The describes as very stable and reliable. He emphasises that sophisticated features do not figure very high up in AceCore’s hierarchy of needs in a flight controller for film work, but reliability does. “Our customers use very high-end, expensive set-ups with cameras that cost €50,000-100,000 and more,” he says. “Nobody wants to put his very expensive rig under a UAV that can crash – we can’t afford crashes.” In 2016, however, DJI announced that it would end its support for the WooKong, forcing AceCore into another extensive testing programme that led to its selection of DJI’s A3, which AceCore has put through its paces in the Neo. “For now, we have decided to go with this one because of its performance and reliability and also its ease of use,” Leon The says. “A lot of people, especially in the cinematography market, don’t need all the fancy functions and difficult settings other flight controllers might offer; that said though, we are not limited to DJI controllers.” Flight control modes The A3 provides manual, ‘atti’ and GPS- controlled modes. In manual mode, the pilot’s control stick on the Futaba FMT-02 commands the rate of change of angle and when released to return to the centre position the Neo retains the angle the initial push demanded. This provides the pilot with the greatest control but is least forgiving of errors. In atti mode the stick commands the vehicle’s attitude and consequently its acceleration in the chosen direction. The further the pilot pushes the stick, the greater angle the vehicle assumes (within safe limits); the A3 ensures that it maintains altitude. When the stick is released, the vehicle returns to level flight in whichever direction its momentum takes it. In GPS mode the stick commands the vehicle’s speed, so the further the stick is pushed, the faster the Neo flies, but when the stick is released to the centre it will come to a hover. As standard, the A3 delivers a hovering accuracy of 0.5 m vertically and 1.5 m horizontally, and can also control the vehicle through pre-planned missions between waypoints when integrated with the DJI ground controller. However, more sophisticated options are available, including a real-time kinematic (RTK) system for centimetre- level positioning accuracy. The RTK kit adds two extra antennas that plug into the A3 controller and receive corrections from a tripod-mounted ground reference station. In addition to the extra accuracy, the dual antenna set-up allows the system to withstand magnetic interference from metal structures. With the A3 Pro version of the flight controller, the Neo can accept a triple- redundancy kit consisting of three IMUs and three GPS receivers that work together to improve accuracy further, and maintain precision flight despite IMU or GPS receiver failures. AceCore offers two optional transport cases that it calls the Complete and the Compact. The first is the larger and does not require the Neo to be dismantled, while the second requires removal of the upper propellers and the four booms, a process that takes about 10 minutes. With a customer base established in the film industry, AceCore is exploring new applications for the US$19,000 Neo. Its reseller in the US supplies it with a nuclear radiation sensor and a pilot point-of-view camera. One customer uses it to carry a powerful security light to aim at errant cars as a warning around an airport, while another is experimenting with using it in a delivery service. AceCore is also working on integrating a router that would enable the Neo to act as an airborne 3G or 4G cellular mast. It can also be powered through a tether, and fly indefinitely. The company is about to launch what Leon The calls a “little sister” for the Neo in the form of the lighter Zoe quadcopter, but that’s another story. Unmanned Systems Technology | April/May 2017 Neo with the Compact travel case and handheld gimbal