Unmanned Systems Technology 024 | Wingcopter 178 l 5G focus l UUVs insight l CES report l Stromkind KAT l Intelligent Energy fuel cell l Earthsense TerraSentia l Connectors focus l Advanced Engineering report

53 more time-consuming integrations of separately developed Lidars and cameras. The AE200 will be able to detect objects at up to 200 m at 10% reflectivity and 0.1° resolution, with a 120 x 45° field of view. Either a high-resolution RGB or IR camera can be selected to be fused and bore-sighted with the AEye Lidar in the system package. Modularity of the packaging is also slated to enable installation across all potential ADAS-critical locations, including headlamps, windshields, side mirrors, front grills or A-pillars and C-pillars. The system will be available this summer. USV manufacturer OceanAlpha unveiled its Smart Jetboard FFI, a system that can be used as a vehicular replacement for lifebuoys in marine rescue operations. The traditional foam lifebuoy is limited by throwing range and low accuracy of throws, so it can miss the ideal time for rescue. The Smart Jetboard however is designed to be thrown on the water and remotely driven to the person in distress. “We’ve placed the activation button on the remote control station, so that once it hits the water the user can turn on the jetboard right away,” said Chris Yan. “The vehicle can right itself using a built-in IMU sensor that can trigger the motor to deliver a backwards thrust to turn the jetboard over vertically when it detects that the board is upside down.” The vehicle has a speed of about 10 knots, and is powered by two electric water-jets rather than propellers to prevent the risk of it becoming entangled in seaweed for example. It weighs 10 kg out of water and has a range of roughly 500 m or more from the handheld control device, with a given endurance of 30 minutes. Shenzhen Pudu Technology showcased its PuduBot, an autonomous floor vehicle designed to transport food, beverages and napkins around restaurants. Plates and bowls are placed on a series of trays, which are topped with anti-slip mats, and are positioned on an inclined rack above the main chassis to keep the centre of gravity stable when passing over bumps. This is further augmented by an independent suspension system built into the wheels. The PuduBot’s SLAM and obstacle avoidance rests on fusion algorithms that combine data inputs from Lidar, vision, ultra-wideband, infrared, ultrasonic and inertial measurement sensors. The combination of sensors is designed to output readings of objects such as chairs, tables and people that are accurate to 1 cm to prevent accidents or excessive delays. Navigation can follow either a direct delivery mode, with the robot calculating an optimised path to assigned tables in a map of the restaurant, or a cruise mode in which a buffet of items is carried slowly over a preset route around the restaurant, with customers being invited to take what they want. Up to 10 kg can be carried on the trays of the 30 kg robot, and can number from three to five depending on the model. The system is built using a combination of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene polymer and aluminium, and measures about 122 x 51.6 x 50 cm. Robomart showcased its autonomous pod vehicle, which is aimed at providing an app-based on-demand delivery service for fresh produce and other grocery items. Initial trials of the system will see it being remotely driven by teleoperation in order to comply with transport regulations on self-driving vehicles, before switching to autonomous capabilities empowered by sensor fusion. In addition to integrating different sensors for autonomous navigation, the storage compartments in the body of the vehicle are equipped with a combination of RFID sensors and cameras with embedded computer vision software. These power the company’s patent- pending ‘grab and go’ checkout system, by automatically detecting which items have been removed by consumers. The Robomart is battery-powered and moves at up to 40 kph, with a maximum range of 88 km. Consumer Electronics Show 2019 | Report Unmanned Systems Technology | February/March 2019 OceanAlpha’s Smart Jetboard can be used to replace rescue lifebuoys