Unmanned Systems Technology Dec/Jan 2020 | Phoenix UAS | Sonar focus | Construction insight | InterGeo 2019 | Supacat ATMP | Adelan fuel cell | Oregon tour | DSEI 2019 | Copperstone Helix | Power management focus

51 with BeiDou and Galileo as well, with all the active L1 and L2 frequencies, plus improved multi-path rejection filters.” The new GNSS antenna is a Tallysman 33-3972, and the GNSS-INS in the Fly & Drive is an Applanix APX-15, which has Applanix’s new dynamic model for mobile mapping embedded. For taking 3D measurements, the Fly & Drive system typically integrates a Velodyne VLP-16, which takes 300,000 shots per second with point measurements accurate to 5 cm and repeatable to 4 cm, at a maximum range of 100 m and across a 360° field of view. In its advanced configuration based on the YellowScan Surveyor Ultra, however, a VLP-32 is used, which doubles the range and frequency of measurements. Flying-Cam was on hand to discuss a new use-case operation for its heavy-lift all-electric Sarah 4.0 helicopter. “We conducted a 3D scanning survey for the French railway operator SNCF, who told us that what we achieved with our 56-minute flight time would have taken two-and-a-half months using their conventional methods,” explained Emmanuel Previnaire. “The railway they wanted us to survey had cables, switchers, trees and countless other obstructions, but the Riegl VUX-1 UAV laser scanner on our Sarah 4.0 took measurements that were precise to 8 mm in field, 500,000 times per second. “SNCF did the post-processing work with their own software, but the Sarah 4.0 allowed us to carry that 8 kg Riegl payload over a 1.2 km stretch of the railway station without needing downtime. The Sarah 4.0 is not fuel-powered, unlike our newer Discovery aircraft, but it’s still capable of BVLOS operations.” The Sarah 4.0 was first used in the movie industry with airborne camerawork services for films such as Skyfall . It was the first to provide high- precision navigation with RTK dual GPS antennas, adding an automatic take- off and landing capability (including on inclined surfaces), and enhancing the comms with two data links – one for control, the other as a sensor data downlink. “We also added a higher precision IMU for the navigation and upgraded the battery to improve the power-to-weight ratio, with two 22 A 44.4 V lithium- polymer batteries installed as standard,” Previnaire added. The Discovery platform is currently undergoing final flight trials before deliveries begin in February. Although it is more complex mechanically than the Sarah 4.0 – it incorporates a transmission system between the main rotor and tail rotor, for example – it uses a turbine with Jet A heavy fuel and will be able to carry up to 30 kg (three times more than the Sarah), and cruise at 100 kph (40% faster than the Sarah). It is aimed at end-users who need BVLOS area coverage and more payload capacity. SBG Systems debuted its new Quanta Extra INS, launched as part of its Quanta UAV series of navigation systems. “It has been developed from the existing Quanta platform to provide additional positioning accuracy, including at higher altitudes, as more UAVs are being designed for surveying over larger areas from greater heights,” said Thibault Bonnevie. “The inertial sensors inside the IMU have been replaced with a heavier but much more accurate set of accelerometers and gyroscopes, InterGeo 2019 | Show report Unmanned Systems Technology | December/January 2020 The Fly & Drive integrated Lidar from YellowScan Flying-Cam’s Sarah 4.0 electric helicopter