Unmanned Systems Technology 038 l Skyeton Raybird-3 l Data storage l Sea-Kit X-Class USV l USVs insight l Spectronik PEM fuel cells l Blue White Robotics UVIO l Antennas l AUVSI Xponential Virtual 2021 report

93 AUVSI Xponential Virtual 2021 | Report GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, QZSS and NavIC satellites, and uses Trimble’s RTX correction service to obtain centimetric position accuracy without needing local base stations or cell modems. It also comes with Trimble ProPoint, the company’s fifth-generation high- precision positioning engine. It combines raw GNSS measurements with gyro and accelerometer data inputs, outputting single position and orientation updates over interfaces including CAN. The AX940i also comes with wi- fi and Bluetooth to enable remote interfacing and configuration. It is now commercially available. In addition to UAV Navigation’s VTOL-transition updates to its flight control systems (see page 6), the company has also improved the performance of its autopilots in GNSS- denied environments and amid GNSS jamming by using a new, EMI-resistant design and components tested to Mil- Std 461F and 810F as well as advances in estimation logic. Together, these mitigate the impact of unwanted high- power signals, and enable continued reliable dead reckoning if reliable GNSS information is unavailable. New advanced mission-planning functionalities are also now available, for automatically engaging in different actions at GNSS waypoints. Different responses can be pre-planned in the company’s Visionair-GCS software, T-Motor spoke to us about its new U8II Lite electric motor, a variant of its U8II and U8 Lite products. “The overall performance has been upgraded by using better silicon steel sheets, as well as thicker magnets and integrating steel shafts and bigger bearings,” Olivia Wan said. “Customers can also choose between a version with a protective mesh covering the motor face or one without. Overall, we’ve aimed to offer a more robust motor aimed at customers who have high requirements on service life, toughness and durability for working in harsh and demanding conditions. The steel shaft for example gives the U8II Lite much better impact resistance over previous designs, and the new bearings mean a longer service life and smoother running.” The U8II Lite has a service life of 1000 hours, produces a maximum thrust of 9.1 kg and weighs 256 g, giving a thrust-to-weight ratio of about 36:1. Its development was initiated in August last year, with the first prototypes completed in the October. A series of tests followed to verify the motor’s technical performance (with particular emphasis on its durability), and the Unmanned Systems Technology | June/July 2021 Updated UAV Navigation flight control system T-Motor’s U8II Lite produces a thrust of up to 9.1 kg based on radar, Lidar, laser altimeter or other sensor findings at key mission locations (including manoeuvres relative to moving points of reference detected), to improve autonomous border surveillance, infrastructure inspections and other applications. Alternatively, if the weight of the aircraft changes mid-flight, indicating a loss of cargo, the operator can be alerted to the coordinates where the change was detected, improving logistics services. These actions can be combined with interactions with a variety of multi-sensor gimbals, transponders, altimeters, and even other UAVs for wide-area group operations, with geo-fencing to ensure UAS assets are spread out no further than needed. “For better accuracy, our OLHIC [Online Hard Iron Calibration] algorithm ensures that the built-in magnetometer is constantly monitored and calibrated during flight to minimise any accumulated in-flight error owing to magnetic drift,” David Pinta noted. “Lastly, the use of a built-in ADS allows the autopilot to fly according to airspeed instead of GNSS speed. That gives more efficient flights under all scenarios.”