Issue 41 Unmanned Systems Technology December/January 2022 PteroDynamics X-P4 l Sense & avoid l 4Front Robotics Cricket l Autonomous transport l NWFC-1500 fuel cell l DroneX report l OceanScout I Composites I DSEI 2021 report

10 Platform one SwissDrones and the CLS Group are working on a joint programme to deploy the SwissDrones SDO 50 VTOL unmanned helicopter from ships for long-range maritime operations in the open ocean (writes Nick Flaherty). The SD50 aircraft will fly critical missions such as search & rescue, controlling fisheries, and monitoring pollution and ship emissions alongside the CLS Group’s satellite monitoring systems. The two demonstrated operation in the open ocean from the Argonaute ship hosting the SDO 50. The SDO 50 was chosen for the mission for its long endurance and ability to be deployed in harsh weather, both of which allow it to be operated from the deck of a maritime vessel.   The endurance comes from using a Flettner system of intermeshing twin rotors turning in opposite directions. Each rotor mast is mounted at a slight angle to the other, allowing the blades to intermesh without colliding. This allows the helicopter to function without a tail rotor, which saves power and allows for a far higher payload-to-weight ratio. According to CLS, the deployment showed how remotely piloted aircraft can be used alongside satellite data to provide complete Earth observation systems for monitoring oceans. The SD50 has a payload capacity of 45 kg/99 lb including fuel that gives an endurance of 3 hours with stable flight patterns; it can carry a single or multiple image sensors. An integrated autopilot system enables autonomous take-off and landing procedures as well as autonomous flight patterns. Each month CLS processes data from 100,000 beacons such as drifting buoys, animal tags, vessel monitoring transponders and long-range identification and tracking. It also monitors land and sea activities by satellite, with 10,000 radar images and several hundred UAV flights processed each year. Long-range marine project Airborne vehicles December/January 2022 | Unmanned Systems Technology The SwissDrones SDO 50 will fly missions such as search & rescue and monitoring pollution Last featured in UST 39 (August/ September 2021), Cleo Robotics has unveiled the latest version of its bi-rotor UAV for GPS-denied environments (writes Nick Flaherty). The Dronut X1 is 15 cm in diameter and uses a ducted fan design to allow it to fly safely near people, in tight spaces and around sensitive equipment. The composite shell provides stability to the UAV and supplies airflow for the internal propellers to manoeuvre the craft. The UAV is based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon controller and has a flight time of 12 minutes at a speed of up to 4 m/s. It carries a 4K high resolution camera that streams back video over a 2.4 GHz wi-fi connection to an Android smartphone as a controller. It uses a 3D Lidar laser sensor and global shutter image sensor to provide data for holding its position to within 10 cm and for obstacle detection. It can also operate in wind speeds up to 15 kph.