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3 October/November 2020 | Contents Unmanned Systems Technology | October/November 2020 04 Intro The annual Collier Trophy has not been slow to recognise the contribution of autonomy to aeronautic and space technologies 06 Platform one: Mission-critical info Lidar system for more accurate spacecraft landings, Damascus steel produced using 3D printing, board-mountable versions of inertial navigation systems announced, and more 20 In conversation: Adrian Thomas Animal Dynamics’ co-founder explains how animal evolution informs his approach to unmanned systems engineering 24 Dossier: 2getthere 3rd-gen shuttle Already operating at SAE Level 4, this group rapid transit vehicle is set to operate in mixed traffic. Here’s how that was achieved 36 Focus: Solar cells Solar power technologies now have the versatility to make them viable for a growing range of unmanned vehicles in every realm 46 Insight: Space vehicles Autonomy is vital for exploring the Solar System, which is why it is leading to a spate of developments in space systems 52 Update: CUAV 2020 Expo Like many such events, this year’s expo moved online. But there was still plenty of new UAV kit on show, as we highlight here 60 Digest: Bell APT UAV The engineering approach behind this VTOL-transitioning tail-sitter created to ferry life-saving supplies to civilians and the military 66 Dossier: Woelfle Aixro family of Wankel rotaries What started out as a powerplant for kart racing has over the years become a series of variants for UAVs. We look at how the former was developed into the latter 78 In operation: SeaMachines/ MSRC oil-spill skimmer USV Cleaning up marine oil spills can be dangerous and monotonous – perfect then for a suitably designed unmanned system 84 Focus: Real-time operating systems As unmanned systems gravitate towards using multicore processors to run their software, so the various types of real-time operating systems are becoming more important 92 In operation: Quantum-Systems Covid-19 samples courier Initial trials show that the need for swift and safe delivery of virus samples for lab testing can be met by this UAV 98 PS: Robots in near-Earth space How robots are being deployed to carry out maintenance tasks in orbit, and how they could also be used for construction 20 46 60 78 24