Unmanned Systems Technology 025 | iXblue DriX I Maintenance I UGVs I IDEX 2019 I Planck Aero Shearwater I Sky Power hybrid system I Delph Dynamics RH4 I GCSs I StreetDrone Twizy I Oceanology Americas 2019

3 April/May 2019 | Contents Unmanned Systems Technology | April/May 2019 04 Intro Whether it’s buses or space capsules, maturing technologies are enabling autonomous systems to reach into a host of new areas 06 Platform one: Mission-critical info Goodyear unveils tyre-propeller concept, ‘perching’ system for UAVs proposed, goal-driven autonomy provides new approach to controlling UUVs, and much more 18 In conversation: Andrea Maccapani Leonardo’s forward-looking UAS CTO explains why safety and simplicity are the keystones of his engineering philosophy 22 Dossier: iXblue DriX You don’t have to run deep to run silent, as the development of this maritime survey USV amply demonstrates 34 Focus: Maintenance As UAV capabilities grow, how will maintenance services evolve to meet new requirements? We explain 42 Insight: UGVs Municipal authorities are now trialling unmanned ground vehicles for public-sector tasks. Here are some notable examples 50 Show report: IDEX 2019 Our take on the unmanned systems unveiled this year at the only defence exhibition for the Middle East/North Africa region 54 Digest: Planck Aero Shearwater The technology behind an imaging system that allows a UAV to land on a moving marine or ground vehicle 60 Dossier: Sky Power hybrid system Details of this flexible hybrid solution that can be incorporated into two-stoke or rotary UAV engines 70 In operation: Delft Dynamics RH4 We explain how this quadcopter has been modified to make towing ships into harbour easier and safer 76 Focus: Ground control systems Modularity and flexible integration are the key emerging trends in GCSs – so which developers are doing what? 86 Digest: StreetDrone Twizy Why this small ‘quadricycle’ car is proving to be such a good platform for speeding up self-driving software development 92 Show report: Oceanology Americas 2019 With a host of new products on show, the 50th anniversary of this marine technology exhibition didn’t disappoint, as we report 98 PS: Atomically precise manufacturing How we could one day be able to build products atom by atom 54 86 70 18 22