Unmanned Systems Technology 027 l Hummingbird XRP l Gimbals l UAVs insight l AUVSI report part 2 l O’Neill Power Systems NorEaster l Kratos Defense ATMA l Performance Monitoring l Kongsberg Maritime Sounder

21 predators targeting its silhouette, but it has evolved highly reflective silvery sides. “So the hatchet fish is in zero contrast against the pale background and can’t be seen from any angle other than vertically underneath,” he explains. This active measure eliminates the remainder of the silhouette with bioluminescence. “Its underbelly lights up as it rises up the water column.” Prof Colosimo regards these ‘problem- solution analogies’ drawn from nature as powerful and important in engineering. Faced with a problem, he asks whether there is another sector or domain in which a similar problem exists, how it was solved and how the solution might be transferred to the current problem. Futurist The role of futurist involves identifying important trends across the political, economic, sociological, technological and environmental landscapes. “These trends must be interpreted, allowing actions to be taken to mitigate future threats and to seize future opportunities early. It is really a scientific pursuit, as opposed to crystal ball- gazing,” he says. “The wisdom of crowds and drawing on multiple sources of information are the keys to success.” Colosimo’s involvement with robotics began as a boy studying computers and control technology at school in the 1980s, in a course he enjoyed for its mix of theory and hands-on construction. “I remember building a multi-layered security vault system as a project. That was all relays and transistors in terms of the control technology,” he says. After completing his schooling, at 18, he opted for an apprenticeship with BAE Systems instead of a full-time university course. “I wanted to study part-time and apply knowledge on a day-to-day basis in the workplace, so the scheme was ideal for me,” he says. “These days we would call this a Modern Apprenticeship, and the company offers various ones.” He soon began to work with cutting- edge technology. One project, involving the Typhoon fighter, was to simulate complex new actuators in hardware and software to ‘fool’ the flight control system into behaving as though it were airborne, using real actuators so that they could be tested safely and affordably. Surrogate satisfaction The project that gave him the most satisfaction as his career advanced was the Surrogate UAV. Developed in cooperation with Cranfield University and Cranfield Aerospace, a modified Jetstream twin-turboprop regional airliner served as a manned test bed that demonstrated a range of autonomous UAV capabilities in a very short time on a tight budget, he says. He attributes this success to having a small multidisciplinary team with diversity of thought that included academics and people from BAE Systems as well as small-to-medium enterprises. Systems tested included airspace integration technologies such as sense and avoid, which was later used in the Autonomous Systems Technology Related Airborne Evaluation and Assessment (Astraea) programme. As Astraea progressed, Colosimo’s team integrated more systems and expanded the scope of the trials to include real ‘intruder’ aircraft. “We had safe vertical separation in the air but took it out in the software to convince the algorithms that the intruders were co-altitudinal, then put them on courses that would violate each other’s safe operating bubble,” he says. “Then the sensors and algorithms would Nick Colosimo | In conversation The role is really a scientific pursuit, rather than crystal ball-gazing. The wisdom of crowds is key to success here Unmanned Systems Technology | August/September 2019 Seen here in an anechoic chamber, the Mantis armed ISTAR UAV benefited from integration and testing work carried out by Colosimo’s team aboard the Surrogate UAV