Issue 45 | Uncrewed Systems Technology Aug/Sept 2022 Tidewie USV Tupan | Performance monitoring | Bayonet 350 | UAVs insight | Xponential 2022 | ULPower UL350i and UL350iHPS | Elroy Air Chaparral | Gimbals | Clogworks Dark Matter

36 Primary energy storage comes from two isolated fuel tanks of 90 litres each, situated parallel to the moon pool, with certified fuel lines running to the generator. Data links For communication to the operator’s station, the comms mast has a 2.4 GHz wi-fi antenna, two cellular antennas from Poynting, and four COFDM antennas from Domo Tactical Communications that transmit at 1.6 GHz. The USV’s aft meanwhile integrates a single 5 GHz antenna for the UAV-to- USV comms, so that the user can track the telemetry of the UAV through the USV’s main computer and data stream. TideWise also plans to install a KVH satcom antenna on the mast soon. For maritime traffic management and awareness, the Tupan also carries an Em- Trak B300 AIS transponder, and for added safety TideWise is running an r&d project on integrating a VHF DSC capability. “DSC is an SMS-like system that can automatically message authorities in emergency situations, such as if a boat is going down or it’s lost propulsion or navigation abilities,” Coelho explains. Joyeux adds, “From a regulatory perspective, we can get away with not having one because we’re uncrewed, but really in principle every USV should have a VHF DSC system, not just for the safety of USVs but because it’s meant to act as a relay for other boats in distress. It could be crucial for making sure crews in danger are able to call shoreside authorities for help.” WiseBridge UI TideWise’s WiseBridge GCS and UI software shows information solely about the USV, with DJI’s A3 architecture having prevented interfacing with both the USV and UAV through the sole portal of WiseBridge. The UAV is therefore controlled from a separate GCS, although TideWise plans to find a solution to that in the future. “The core objective in developing WiseBridge has always been the same: to have the capacity to adapt the GCS software to our operational needs,” Coelho says. “A USV like the Tupan is very versatile, so we can’t be begging our vendors to implement what we need to support our operations. “In our opinion, this is one of TideWise’s main edges: that we can iterate our technology to all subsystem needs that might arise. The UAV-to-USV or ROV-to-USV systems for instance couldn’t even be planned if we didn’t have the capacity to integrate the control and UI software.” Joyeux adds, “On the UI side, WiseBridge is meant to be an intuitive control system – don’t overload the operator with data, show what they need when they need it. We iterate quite a lot on the design side because of that.” WiseBridge’s core functionality has therefore been kept simple, with interfaces for waypoint planning, execution of onboard functions, and manual control where necessary. TideWise uses a Gazebo simulator with added plug-ins to simulate the behaviour of the Tupan in a digital environment, and has a running project for certifying the control system soon. “One other interesting capability of our system is the ability to have multiple control stations for the same vehicle,” Coelho says. “For example, we can run the Tupan via satellite from the control room, and a local operator 200 miles offshore can take control of the vessel when it’s within line of sight. That was a big milestone for us, to develop and demonstrate this capability while maintaining full cybersecurity.” Key to successful control hand-off were high-fidelity connectivity and robust programming of control laws. “You must have only one console in control of August/September 2022 | Uncrewed Systems Technology An all-electric Tupan is being developed for zero- emissions working zones, as is a 20 m-long USV for deploying larger and more advanced UAVs