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

60 Insight | Autonomous transport get on and off, and keep the boat stable and in place for on/off boarding as well as wireless charging.” All the docking stations can include a charging plate, with a receiving coil in the side of the Roboat to charge the onboard 12 kWh, 48 V Murata battery. Air taxis While the urban air mobility (UAM) vehicles market has surged over the past few years, it remains to be seen whether they will be capable of the levels of autonomy being designed into self- driving road vehicles and watercraft, not to mention UAVs. However, a few companies that make autonomous UAVs are forging ahead with their UAM plans. For example, Airbus – which has driven the case for advanced aerial transport with its previous Vahana and CityAirbus projects – unveiled its new CityAirbus NextGen aircraft in September 2021. The concept design features eight fixed rotors, six for VTOL mounted on its fixed wings, and two for forward propulsion mounted on its vee tail. The company is optimising the propellers to produce a maximum of 65 dB during flyover and 70 dB during landing, given the ‘urban’ element of UAM. Moving and tilting flight systems are not used in order to reduce the number of potential mechanical failure points, and the all-electric system is intended to be capable of a range of 80 km and a 120 kph cruising speed. Ground and flight tests of the Vahana and CityAirbus demonstrators were key to validating the core technologies in the CityAirbus NextGen, and this new system’s prototype is expected to take its first flight in 2023. To further the practical case for such aircraft, Volocopter (featured in UST 37, April/May 2021) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Kakao Mobility to conduct a feasibility study into UAM transport networks. Together with Kakao, Volocopter will look into potential commercial routes, the operational capabilities and the necessary business models for UAM services that could effectively deploy Volocopter’s VoloCity and VoloConnect distributed-lift transport aircraft. Results of this study will be published in February 2022. Conclusion It is unsurprising that most if not all autonomous systems for road, waterway and air travel are all-electric, zero- emissions vehicles: the drive for greater autonomy in transport comes from wanting to help people. Just as an electric powertrain presents no harm to our lungs, an autonomous driving system should react faster and with full, real-time 360 º awareness compared with human drivers. Although the regulation and certification of these new generations of vehicles will doubtlessly take time, manufacturers and regulators alike will do well to remember that core motivation, and that maturing such autonomous systems from test ranges to ticket booths will be good for everyone. December/January 2022 | Unmanned Systems Technology Airbus has unveiled its CityAirbus NextGen, which will take its first flight in 2023 (Courtesy of Airbus) One of Volocopter’s urban air taxis flying over Seoul Airport (Courtesy of Volocopter)