Unmanned Systems Technology 016 | Hydromea Vertex AUV | Power management systems | Unmanned Space Vehicles | Continental CD-155 turbodiesel | Swift 020 UAV | ECUs | DSEI 2017 Show report

12 Platform one Dr Donough Wilson Dr Donough Wilson is innovation lead at VIVID/ futureVision, which specialises in game- changing thinking for defence, homeland security, and both manned and unmanned aviation innovations. He was first to propose the automatic tracking and satellite download of airliner black box data, technology which is now being adopted. His defence innovations include the automatic cockpit vision system that protects military aircrew from asymmetric high-energy laser attack. As a pilot, he has more than 3000 hours of flying experience in both military and civil environments, and is currently a flying instructor and a flight test examiner. Paul Weighell Paul has been involved with electronics, computer design and programming since 1966. He has worked in the real-time and failsafe data acquisition and automation industry using mainframes, minis, micros and cloud-based hardware on applications as diverse as defence, Siberian gas pipeline control, UK nuclear power, robotics, the Thames Barrier, Formula One and automated financial trading systems. Ian Williams-Wynn Ian has been involved with unmanned and autonomous systems for more than 20 years. He started his career in the military working with early prototype unmanned systems and exploiting imagery from a range of unmanned systems from global suppliers. He has also been involved in ground-breaking research including novel power and propulsion systems, sensor technologies, communications, avionics and physical platforms. His experience covers a broad spectrum of domains from space, air, maritime and ground, and in both defence and civil applications including, more recently, connected autonomous cars. Unmanned Systems Technology’s consultants October/November 2017 | Unmanned Systems Technology Qinetiq is looking to add autonomous operation to the THeMIS UGV platform it has developed with Milrem in the US (writes Nick Flaherty). The THeMIS (Tracked Hybrid Modular Infantry System) uses a diesel-electric hybrid drive, has a payload of 750 kg (1650 lb) and a top speed of 24 kph (15 mph) to meet the requirements detailed in the US Army’s Robotic and Autonomous Systems Strategy. It can be rapidly reconfigured for different missions, such as transportation for carrying a squad’s gear or as an improvised bomb detection and disposal platform. The vehicle has also been developed for the commercial sector, for industries such as mining, mobile off- road mapping and search and rescue. The system uses Qinetiq’s Tactical Robot Controller and Robotic Appliqué Mitsubishi Electric has started field testing the first autonomous driving technology on highways to use a centimetre-level augmentation service (CLAS) broadcast from the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) (writes Nick Flaherty). The tests will combine the augmented CLAS satellite signals with high-precision 3D maps, millimetre-wave radar and cameras for autonomous driving. CLAS is a service for high-precision positioning, and will be distributed free of charge in Japan by the QZSS. It is scheduled to begin operating in April 2018 and is currently in the final stages of verification. It is expected to be used for applications such as safe-driving assistance and self-driving cars. It improves precision by using Kit technology. Qinetiq is now looking at adding camera sensors to provide autonomous operation. That won’t include Lidar laser sensors though as they are not suitable for use on a battlefield. positioning-augmentation data from a network of continuously operating reference stations run by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan. The data is broadcast via the QZSS to high-precision positioning receivers installed in cars to provide location data to the nearest centimetre – far more accurate than GPS satellite navigation signals alone. The technology may be challenged though by a new satellite navigation chip being launched by Broadcom. The BCM47555 uses signals in both the L2 and L5 bands to provide more accuracy down to 30 cm. It can also access the QZSS satellite system but doesn’t need the additional ground-based network to get the accuracy. However, 30 cm accuracy may not be enough for some applications such as parking. Autonomy theme First CLAS test Ground vehicles Driverless cars The Qinetic-Milrem THeMIS – soon to be autonomous?