Uncrewed Systems Technology 046

70 Report | CUAV Expo Americas 2022 FIXAR attended the show to exhibit its flagship FIXAR 007 UAV, an electric VTOL-transitioning system with a unique take-off and landing technique. “FIXAR stands for ‘Fixed Angle Rotors’, and the ‘007’ refers to the craft’s MTOW in kilos,” explained Ronald Schultz. “It’s a 5 kg UAV with a payload capacity of 2 kg and a 1.6 m wingspan, which is possible partly because of the lightweight and durable airframe made from carbon, fibreglass and Kevlar. “Also, the rotors are fixed at an angle to enable the craft to lift-off at a 45 º angle, and quickly transition into horizontal flight by tilting itself instead of the rotors. Tiltrotors break far too often, making them a safety hazard and expensive to replace, so we wanted a system that is as simple and robust as possible. “So, our design and the FIXAR technology forgoes tilting servos and uses the same motor-propeller drives for VTOL as for flight, which is key to our high ratio of payload to empty weight. In addition to manufacturing the UAV, we also make the autopilot and mission planning software.” Also on display was a half-scale prototype of the FIXAR 025, which is planned to use the same fixed-angle rotors with a 2.8 m wingspan in order to carry a 10 kg payload over 300 km within a 3.5 hour flight time between charges. “The 007 is ideal for photography and mapping work, while the 025’s capacity will be more suited to last- or middle-mile deliveries as well as more heavy-duty surveys, such as carrying a 5 kg Lidar with additional sensors, computers or batteries as support, or flying payloads at altitudes of up to 5 km,” Schultz added. “And since the 025 also takes-off and lands at 45 º , we’ve designed it with a unique triangular wing shape to maximise its lift in a narrower space than conventionally designed aircraft.” We caught up with Gremsy to discuss its latest gimbals for UAV applications. “The Duo features a dual camera interface for connecting IR and EO sensors in a single enclosure, which is useful for mapping and security missions, or anything else where visual and thermal signatures need to be tracked,” said Chu Nguyen. “We make the software for all our gimbals, which is embedded on an onboard AI chip, although the cameras are high-end systems sourced from third parties. The Duo uses the Sony Block 4K and FLIR’s Vue Pro R as its daytime and thermal cameras respectively.” The Duo weighs 750 g with cameras installed, and interfaces over USB 2.0, CAN, UART, S-bus, and PPM, as well as Bluetooth 4.0 remotely. The company also showcased its new Pixy S, a mapping gimbal integrating Sony’s A7R IV camera and designed for use with MAVLink-based UAVs (those flying using PX4- and Ardupilot-based autopilots. The system weighs 540 g, and is compatible with 28, 35 and 55 mm lenses. Drone Delivery Canada exhibited static models of its UAVs, which are designed and built to support its commercial logistics operations in North America and elsewhere. “The Condor helicopter UAV is our largest, and probably the largest on display in this hall,” Armen Keuleyan said. “It has a payload capacity of about 180 kg [400 lb], and a range of around 200 km [125 miles]. “There are stringent flight regulations that we must abide by in Canada, however we have a tremendous number of rural communities that are secluded from the bigger and more populated cities, and hence need a swift, cost- effective solution to serve them that doesn’t rely on roads. Aside from parcel delivery, industries like mining, oil & gas and healthcare will benefit from cargo packages of equipment and supplies that our UAV can deliver.” The Condor has an MTOW of 476 kg and runs on a two-stroke gasoline engine, and has a maximum speed of 120 kph. Drone Delivery Canada also showcased its Sparrow and Canary UAVs, which are X-8 multi-rotors with MTOWs of 24.5 and 25 kg respectively, and 4 kg payload capacities on October/November 2022 | Uncrewed Systems Technology Gremsy’s PIXY S gimbal is designed for use with MAVLink-based UAVs The FIXAR 007 has a unique take-off and landing method