76 The uncrewed systems world is vast, complex and multifaceted, which can make it difficult to identify the trends that are genuinely affecting the majority of vehicle and subsystem manufacturers. That said, in navigation systems there is a definite move away from absolute dependence on the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) for localisation and guidance towards the fusion of inertial data, with varying combinations of visual, radar, laser, acoustic and other sensor feeds. This is being driven by a combination of military concerns over GNSS jamming or spoofing attacks and general concerns over multipathing and frequency-band congestion as the global population of uncrewed, Internet of Things (IoT) and other GNSS-transmitting/receiving systems increases. Inertial systems, by contrast, cannot be congested or frustrated in the way satellite signals can. Moreover, lacking the numerous weaknesses of the other sensor types, they remain a critical hallmark of modern navigation. On top of this, the performance requirements placed on inertial systems by uncrewed systems customers (and hence manufacturers) are increasing as appetite grows for accurate data and smarter vehicles. This doubly goes for anything carrying a payload gimbal: whether it’s flying a UAV for search- and-rescue efforts, counterterrorism agents or a multi-million-dollar movie or sporting event, coupling an extremely high-end inertial device with the UAV’s gimbal is the only guarantor that its camera will be able to track its target with precision. As a result, inertial measurement unit (IMU) and inertial navigation system (INS) manufacturers have spent the past few years innovating their products to offer myriad improvements down the complex list of performance and physical specifications that gauge their capabilities and worth. As well as integrating new and improved components into their Driven by military concerns, the latest IMU and INS systems are pushing beyond today’s frontiers, as Rory Jackson finds out Creative fusion February/March 2024 | Uncrewed Systems Technology
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