Unmanned Systems Technology 021 | Robot Aviation FX450 l Imaging Sensors focus l UAVs Insight l Liquid-Piston X-Mini l Riptide l Eurosatory 2018 show report l Zipline l Electric Motors focus l ASTS show report

the mission, environment and range have been planned out and confirmed by the choice of parts such as antennas, hull materials and navigation sensors, the motor must be selected to match the propeller and forces acting on the UAV. Advances Electric motors are being improved in various way, such as the use of better insulation materials and more thermally conductive encapsulant resins, to allow more current to be handled with lower losses. Improvements in housing alloys meanwhile are allowing better torque- to-weight ratios, and a widening range of magnetic alloys will help produce motors with the exact torque, heat and power requirements for commercial and military systems. However, most advances in electric powertrains for unmanned vehicles will continue to be in complementary technologies rather than the motors themselves. For example, ESCs with wide bandgap switching electronics such as those based on silicon carbide will replace typical MOSFETs and IGBTs by offering increased critical breakdown strength, higher thermal conductivity and lower current losses during switching (as well as faster switching). This is expected to improve motor system efficiency and offer more control possibilities. Advances in CAD software and increases in computer processing speed are also accelerating the rate at which manufacturers can design optimal motor configurations, such as helping to simulate a motor under an actual load condition to make sure it is appropriately sized. And FEA can now be conducted in minutes rather than hours, enabling quicker iterations through motor designs to meet vehicle engineers’ requirements. With additional ongoing advances in solid-state power sources such as batteries and fuel cells, the capability of electric motors to provide unmanned systems with greater speeds, endurances and payloads will only continue to improve. The reliable, ‘clean’ nature of electric motors gives them major advantages over internal combustion systems. And while fuel-powered systems still hold all the cards in terms of energy density, the energy efficiency of electric motors – and their financial and mechanical sustainability – makes them a worthwhile choice. Acknowledgements The author would like to thank Ryan Maughan and Jordan Taylor of Avid Technology, Steve Neu of Neumotors, Lee Estingoy of Hacker Motor, Yair Avni and Nir Eldar of MTC Industries, David Palombo of Aveox, Olivia Wan of T-Motor, Kevin Peryea of Sullivan Products and Leslie Koegler of KDE Direct for their help with researching this article. Electric motors | Focus