Uncrewed Systems Technology 044 l Xer Technolgies X12 and X8 l Lidar sensors l Stan UGV l USVs insight l AUVSI Xponential 2022 l Cobra Aero A99H l Accession Class USV l Connectors I Oceanology International 2022

58 T ailoring an autonomous vehicle to match the geography and altitude of its mission environment is most often the primary determinant of its success in operational and sales terms. For instance, long-endurance UAVs for stratospheric flight are largely designed with ultra-lightweight wings of thin-film carbon tape and solar ‘foil’ to maintain lift in air of low density, while MALE UASs often feature thicker carbon (or even aluminium) wings to handle turbulence and vibrations from their engines. And down on the ground, many UGVs now come with legs for handling stairs in industrial settings, whereas off-road UGVs can feature thick, rugged tyres, tank treads or even screw drives for crossing otherwise impassable terrain. One also starts to see similar patterns among USVs. Most USV platforms are being used for similar purposes – gathering sonar imagery, water quality measurements, IR scans or other critical data. But despite the similarities in mission and operating envelopes, USVs are not converging around a single design profile, instead they are being engineered to survive and function in the waters where they will be working. The latest generation of USVs reflects this trend perfectly. Rivers and streams When we last covered Seafloor Systems in detail ( UST 33, August/September 2020), it was to investigate how it had customised one of its HydroCat-150 USVs Rory Jackson reports on how USV designs are evolving to withstand harsh conditions in a range of marine environments Survival of the fittest June/July 2022 | Uncrewed Systems Technology