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

60 Insight | UAVs A 60 ft electrically powered boom system for spraying is installed beneath the Pelican’s wings; it features variable- speed rotary atomisers and a proprietary high-speed centrifugal pump. As well as delivering the chemicals, the system enables the UAV to adjust its flow rate and droplet size during flight, to optimise the efficiency and precision with which the chemicals are distributed. To date, the aircraft has been delivered to customers in Costa Rica and Brazil, with further deliveries later this year to a new customer in Honduras. In total, Pyka has more than 200 orders and options for the Pelican, to be delivered from 2023 onwards. For other users needing heavy payloads in agriculture (among other applications), ZenaDrone has developed its ZenaDrone 1000 UAV for carrying payloads of up to 40 kg. “It’s a customisable and hence multi- functional UAV, constructed fully from carbon fibre, and although it looks like a multi-rotor at first glance, it has eight electric motors for VTOL that rotate through 90 º for transitioning into and out of forward flight,” says Simon Henry, business development manager at ZenaDrone. “This is our first aircraft, and it’s going into production now. It’s battery-powered for a flight time of an hour, and we have a charging pad we’ve developed in-house that also charges it in an hour.” To enable better data gathering and processing, the entire central section of the fuselage is hollow, which leaves room for custom integration of payloads and associated computers and cabling. The underside of the nose can be removed for easy installation of camera gimbals such as EO/IR and hyperspectral. ZenaDrone has also developed AI capabilities, including the use of machine learning to develop facial recognition software and vehicular number plate detection for security customers. “We also have extensive AI support for agricultural inspections,” Henry adds. “For instance, our systems can identify crop diseases through hyperspectral imaging very early on, and we’ve also developed an automated system in which, upon landing, the ZenaDrone attaches a sprayer to spray the specific area of land to cure the diseased area. “We also have a seeding machine, not just in agriculture but for reforestation too. And through AI we can also help in livestock management, first by detecting and identifying animals from the sky, and then with IR sensing to gauge their health and judge if their body temperatures are OK. “We also have a geo-tagging system for counting and tracking animals, and delivering live updates on their positions to their farmers, which would be important in areas where there are problems with rustling.” ZenaDrone is also working with other aerial survey customers, including in inspections of wind farm blades and the development of aerial cleaning capabilities, by mounting a telescopic robotic arm payload under the ZenaDrone 1000 to replace the dangerous, traditional approach of suspending human cleaners from helicopters to clean turbine blades. The next-generation version of the ZenaDrone will be gasoline-electric and be capable of up to 4 hours’ endurance. This hybrid-powered tiltrotor is anticipated to be unveiled later this year. Mapping The introduction of UAVs as a tool for faster, safer and less costly mapping is enabling greater awareness of topographical assets, disaster zones and widespread infrastructure without the use of expensive and potentially dangerous aircraft such as helicopters, or very lengthy and labour-intensive ground-based surveys. It can also mean high-speed targeted delivery of urgent light-to-medium weight packages such as medical supplies, industrial repair tools and disaster relief equipment. However, a desire to avoid paying for these new streams of data and capability in the form of increased harmful greenhouse emissions and energy bills is gradually pushing the UAV industry away from pure IC engine power and towards more emissions-efficient solutions. IC engine hybridisation can help greatly in this regard, although for those wishing to go even further in emissions reduction, proton exchange August/September 2022 | Uncrewed Systems Technology The ZenaDrone 1000 tiltrotor UAV can lift heavy payloads and utilise AI to scan and analyse the condition of crops and livestock (Courtesy of ZenaDrone)