Unmanned Systems Technology 028 | ecoSUB Robotics AUVs I ECUs focus I Space vehicles insight I AMZ Driverless gotthard I InterDrone 2019 report I ATI WAM 167-BB I Video systems focus I Aerdron HL4 Herculift

Take five A range of intriguing UAVs and technologies, along with innovative services, were being promoted throughout the InterDrone expo hall 60 T he International Drone Conference & Exposition, or InterDrone, returned to the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas for its fifth edition. Nearly 3500 professionals and more than 135 exhibitors attended the 2019 expo floor to showcase their latest unmanned aircraft and commercial solutions throughout the show hall. Vertical Partners West (VPW) attended the show to launch the prototype of its QBatt family of batteries, which is currently in the early stages of production. “The QBatt is leveraging our partnership with Teledyne Energy Systems to provide a modular system of batteries targeted at applications such as robotics, materials handling, automation equipment and other autonomous systems,” said Keith Wallace. “The system can be configured according to the user’s application, is chemistry-agnostic, programmable and scalable to almost any voltage and capacity.” The Teledyne-developed QBatts are available in two form factors. The first is called the Rigid series, which are built to house cylindrical 18650-type cells and can be scaled from 4S 3P to 14S 3P per pack. The packs can also be combined into modules to provide higher voltages and capacities. Each pack is rated to IP67 and contained in an extruded aluminium housing that gives the option of using passive or active cooling and heating for extended operational temperature ranges. The second system is the Prismatic series. As the name implies, it uses industrial-grade prismatic cells, which are also housed in similar extruded aluminium cases and meet the IP67 rating. Busbars have been designed to minimise the number of failure points Rory Jackson returns from the fifth InterDrone expo with highlights of the wares on display there October/November 2019 | Unmanned Systems Technology