Unmanned Systems Technology 020 | Alpha 800 I Additive Manufacturing focus I USVs insight I Pegasus GE70 I GuardBot I AUVSI Xponential 2018 show report I Solar Power focus I CUAV Expo Europe 2018 show report

3 June/July 2018 | Contents Unmanned Systems Technology | June/July 2018 04 Intro Lightweight materials and unmanned systems are a great fit, not just for vehicles intended for use here on Earth but in outer space 06 Platform one: Mission-critical info Autonomous ‘flying camera’ with machine learning, the inside track on using UAVs to measure surface temperatures, robotic system to save people from drowning, and more 18 In conversation: Chris Hoyle What gets rFpro’s technical director up in the morning is his zest for simulating unmanned vehicles. Here he explains why 22 Dossier: Alpha 800 As unmanned helicopters go, this isn’t radical, but it is reliable and affordable – and it’s proving to be an international hit 34 Focus: Additive manufacturing AM looks increasingly to be the way to go to build unmanned systems. We explain and compare the various techniques 44 Insight: USVs With no need for a crew on a vessel, designers are finding more leeway with being able to incorporate a range of technologies 52 Engine dossier: Pegasus GE70 We chart the development of this new take on combining an internal combustion engine with an AC generator, and the range-extending benefits it confers on UAVs 64 Digest: GuardBot This spherical UGV can go where others can’t, thanks partly to its novel, pendulum-based propulsion system 68 Show report: AUVSI Xponential 2018 Details of some of the new technology debuted at this, the world’s biggest show of its kind, held this year in Denver, Colorado 84 Focus: Solar power The case for sunlight-powered craft continues to grow, but engineers first need to ask the right questions of the technology 94 Show report: CUAV Expo Europe 2018 Highlights of this year’s show, held in April in Amsterdam 98 PS: Nuclear-powered unmanned systems Russia’s aim of developing a nuclear-propelled USV reminds us of other efforts to use atomic energy to boost UAV performance 44 64 06 22 52