Issue 37 Unmanned Systems Technology April/May 2021 Einride next-gen Pod l Battery technology l Dive Technologies AUV-Kit l UGVs insight l Vanguard EFI/ETC vee twins l Icarus Swarms l Transponders l Sonobot 5 l IDEX 2021 report

Read all back issues online www.ust-media.com UST 37 :APR/MAY 2021 UK £15,USA$30,EUROPE e 22 Packs with punch Focus on the rising energy density of batteries Urban jungle Advances in UAV transponders Fourth dimension HowEinride is developing its next- gen truck to operate atSAE Level 4 4 Autonomous systems operating above the surface of Mars are set to take a dramatic step forward. The safe landing and successful testing of the Perseverance rover will now lead to the testing and deployment of the Ingenuity helicopter. At the time of writing, the engineers behind Perseverance were identifying a flat area where Ingenuity can operate, in a first for powered flight on another planet. The typical 20-minute time lag for control signals to Mars makes remote control of a helicopter impractical, so autonomous operation has been designed in from the start. Ingenuity’s engineers are planning autonomous missions for it, to photograph and explore more of the Martian surface. The flight time for Ingenuity is only 90 seconds from its lithium-ion battery pack, highlighting the challenge of the energy density of battery packs for unmanned systems. We explore the challenges and opportunities of this energy density in more detail on page 34. This move to autonomous operation is reflected in the latest design by Hyundai Motors (see Platform one, starting on page 6). Its Tiger-X is the company’s first unmanned space system design, opening up new locomotion options with articulated legs to cope with challenging terrain. The challenge of flight time is also one that drives Volocopter’s CTO Dr Arnaud Coville. Our interview with him, on page 18, looks at his work on battery-powered passenger aircraft and large UAVs, and the rapid progression of the technology. Nick Flaherty | Technology Editor Watch this space Editorial Director Ian Bamsey Deputy Editor Rory Jackson Technology Editor Nick Flaherty Production Editor Guy Richards Contributor Peter Donaldson Technical Consultants Paul Weighell Ian Williams-Wynn Dr Donough Wilson Design Andrew Metcalfe UST Ad Sales Please direct all enquiries to Freya Williams [email protected] Subscriptions Frankie Robins [email protected] Publishing Director Simon Moss [email protected] General Manager Chris Perry Intro | April/May 2021 April/May 2021 | Unmanned Systems Technology Volume Seven | Issue Three April/May 2021 High Power Media Limited Whitfield House, Cheddar Road, Wedmore, Somerset, BS28 4EJ, England Tel: +44 (0)1934 713957 www.highpowermedia.com ISSN 2056-9823 Printed in Great Britain ©High Power Media All rights reserved. Reproduction (in whole or in part) of any article or illustration without the written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. 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