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

8 Platform one NYK in Japan has conducted the world’s first Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) trial, addressing technical as well as regulatory challenges for autonomous shipping (writes Nick Flaherty). The test of the Iris Leader was carried out under the Interim Guidelines for MASS trials by the International Maritime Organisation. The guidelines were published in June, ahead of changes planned for next year, for testing autonomous ships. The 70,000 t car carrier was fitted with a navigation system called Sherpa System for Real (SSR), which was developed by Japan Marine Systems, a subsidiary of NYK. In a journey of 1007 nautical miles from Xinsha, China, to the port of Nagoya, Japan, and then from Nagoya to the port of Yokohama, also in Japan, the ship was automatically controlled while being monitored and maintained by its crew. The SSR collected information on environmental conditions around the ship from existing navigational devices, calculated collision risks, automatically determined optimal routes and speeds that were safe and economical, then automatically navigated the ship using data from a GPS satellite receiver. A radar-based system detected craft in the water that could have been an obstruction, and steered around them. By using data and experience gained through the trial that had not shown up in onshore simulation, NYK was able to demonstrate the feasibility of the SSR. The system used in the trial will also be applied to other coastal ships as a core technology for remote and unmanned navigation. The trial data will be used to update the SSR by optimising the difference between the optimal course derived by the program and that determined by professional human judgment. This will be used with a patented system for berthing large ships. When a ship is berthing, the SSR calculates the exact reduction in ship speed as the distance to the wharf nears. It takes wind and tidal information into account, along with the position of tugs, and controls the rudder and engine to provide the correct speed. Surface vessels First MASS trial ends October/November 2019 | Unmanned Systems Technology The ‘Iris Leader’ completed a trip of more than 1000 nautical miles under automatic control FlareBright has developed an autonomous glider called ADDER (Autonomous Delivery Drone Emergency Resupply) for last-mile resupply to a pinpoint location (writes Nick Flaherty). It is delivered by a larger aircraft and is said to glide in for the last few hundred metres to its target location on the ground in all weathers and atmospheric conditions, even when there is no radio or GPS availability. The key is the navigation software, based around image recognition, to steer the glider to its destination. The prototype will deliver a payload weighing up to 200 g over a 200 m distance and to better than 2 m accuracy. A larger version for heavier payloads, with a longer reach and better accuracy, will be developed in the future. The ADDER uses camera and machine learning technology from an observation gliding UAV called SnapShot. This can take high-quality aerial images from a height of 100 m in most weather and atmospheric conditions. Glider goes the last mile Aerial vehicles