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79 Its parachute was also mandatory to prevent destructive crash landings. “Additionally, we had to crash three of them in flight tests to make sure it doesn’t produce any sparks, static electricity or heat when it does so,” Sergent added. Septentrio showcased the recently unveiled AsteRx-m2 and AsteRx-m2 UAS. These OEM GNSS receivers offer ultra-low power, robust anti-jamming technology along with all-in-view multi- constellation – GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, IRNSS and QZSS – and multi- frequency (L1, L2, L5) satellite tracking. Gustavo Lopez said, “The AsteRx-m2 UAS is designed for use in any UAS application requiring precise and reliable GNSS positioning. Along with GeoTagZ processing software, it offers seamless integration into any photogrammetry workflow. “It has ultra-low power consumption, wide-range power input, standard connections to interface with flight controllers and an onboard micro SD card to record all the data necessary for data analysis or offline post-processing.” The AsteRx-m2 UAS also features the AIM+ anti-jamming and monitoring system. “Radio interference is a growing problem for UAV operators, from other devices on board the UAV itself to external interference from devices such as chirp jammers. AIM+ anti-jamming technology has set the benchmark for interference mitigation on UAVs,” Lopez said. Ambar Group exhibited the Walkera range of UAVs designed to operate over a 4G LTE network and server for UAV control, and transmission of video and audio data position information, in real time. “We developed the server ourselves, and users need only install the appropriate SIM card on their UAVs to connect their vehicles and the command station via the LTE network,” Lucy Chan explained. The company used the show to demonstrate swarm capability of up to 12 UAVs simultaneously being controlled via 4G LTE, with visual telemetry being observed and operated from as far away as Jerusalem, in a makeshift command HQ to simulate how police, military or special forces might use the system. The company’s data links are configured to fall back on 2.4 GHz wireless links in the event of LTE becoming scrambled or otherwise temporarily inaccessible. Agrowing recently collaborated with Walkera, and with it showcased its AgroVoyager UAV, the first such craft designed for both high-altitude and low- altitude multispectral surveys. The UAV takes high-resolution images from 100-120 m using 8 MP sensors to identify areas of interest through multispectral narrow bands. “If it’s completely dry, you can spot it,” Ira Dvir said. “But if you have some kind of pest or disease, you can tell where the problem is but you don’t know the exact nature of the problem.” Users can fly the AgroVoyager down to about 3 m above the ground to take closer images to identify specific issues such as blight, before analysing real data with images at 400 pixels/cm 2 to evaluate the problem, or even use machine vision for automatic multispectral analysis. Conventional multispectral cameras use multiple CCD cameras, in which the lenses are set some distance apart. “That gap between the viewpoints creates a parallax, so you cannot gather images from up close,” Dvir explained. “We mount our sensors on specific consumer-grade cameras, such as the Sony Alpha 6000 or QX1, and so our cameras actually have two cameras and two lenses in one. We split the large APS-C sensor into two areas by this partitioning to avoid parallax.” “Our camera uses two interchangeable lenses – NDVI and red edge – and we’ll soon be adding a wide-angle version of these lenses. The Sony E-mount allows quick swapping of the lenses, something you don’t find with any other multispectral camera,” Dvir added. Amimon, a specialist provider of wireless HD video transmission solutions, has launched embedded versions of its products for use in UAV/UGV OEM integration. The Connex Embedded system supports all resolutions up to 1080p 60 fps, with latency reported as being below 1 ms. Ron Dagan told us, “We designed the modem from a blank sheet, creating our own hardware to enable this latency at HD, and we will extend this to 4K next year with our Gen-3 chipset. “That sets us apart from other companies who use COTS modems and limit themselves to modifying the compression technique or the wireless transmission. Our video modem is our core technology, Commercial UAV Expo Europe 2017 | Show report Unmanned Systems Technology | August/September 2017 Serpentrio’s AsteRx-m2 UAS GNSS anti- jamming GNSS receiver Agrowing multispectral sensors fitted to a consumer-grade lens for easy swapping