3 August/September 2023 | Contents Uncrewed Systems Technology | August/September 2023 24 20 48 58 108 04 Intro Exploiting different power sources, testing swarms of satellites and quantum navigation – uncrewed systems continue to evolve 06 Platform one: Mission-critical info Digital fibre optic gyros from Advanced Navigation, MIT uses image reflections to improve vision systems, researchers develop better ways to make flexible solar cells, and much more 20 In conversation: Dr Cara LaPointe The co-director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Assured Autonomy explains the factors that need to be taken into account to gain widespread trust in the technology 24 Dossier: Primoco One 150 UAV developers with an eye on the military and defence markets first need to comply with a host of NATO standards, which as this company explains is difficult but ultimately worth it 38 Focus: Power management New power sources are prompting the development of new power management architectures to boost the efficiency and safety of uncrewed systems, as we show here 48 Digest: Ocius Bluebottle USV Exploiting wind, wave and solar power gives this vessel a theoretically unlimited endurance. We show how its developer was able to optimise the contribution of each one 58 Digest: Steel E-Motive robotaxi Autonomous commuter transport has come a step closer thanks to this eco-friendly, road safety-compliant cab 64 Insight: UAVs More and more uncrewed aircraft such as these are stepping in to carry out dirty, difficult or dangerous missions 74 Show report: Xponential 2023 part 2 Reflecting the sheer scale of this expo, here’s our second – and larger – report of the products that were on display 88 Dossier: Aant Farm TPR72 Heat recuperation is the ace up this microturbine’s sleeve, as it allows it to use a lower fuel-to-air ratio to power heavy UAVs running on jet fuel. Here’s how it was designed and developed 98 Focus: Servos A new wave of servo designs and architectures are emerging to supply high-performance devices that don’t break the bank 108 Digest: Tampa Deep Sea Barracuda Fitting thrusters on the ends of its dive planes has given this torpedo-like AUV some distinct advantages, as we explain 114 PS: Quantum navigation This emerging technology could provide a solution to the problem with even the best navigation systems – drift
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