3 June/July 2024 | Contents Uncrewed Systems Technology | June/July 2024 24 52 96 68 04 Intro It pays to be useful: Renault shuns robotaxis for self-driving shuttles, and power companies pick UAVs for inspecting assets from the air 06 Platform one: Mission-critical info Festo makes an autonomous swarming bee UAV, DARPA trials autonomous versions of heavy tracked vehicles, NASA-funded researchers train a dog UGV to explore the Moon, and more 20 In conversation: Dr Richard Dowdeswell The chief commercial officer and co-owner of GeoAcoustics talks to us about the different forms and applications of cuttingedge AI revolutionising uncrewed hydrographic surveys 24 Dossier: Insitu’s ScanEagle & Integrator 30 years after its founding, Insitu still stands tall among uncrewed aircraft manufacturers, and guides us through the engineering of its ScanEagle VTOL and Integrator VTOL UAVs 42 Technology focus: Data storage Developing, certifying and operating autonomous vehicles requires robust data storage; we look at some of the latest standards and advancements in the technology 52 Digest: IDV Robotics Viking UGV The mechanics, hardware and software empowering this sixwheeled all-terrain workhorse for military missions in the most extreme environments on Earth 60 Show report: Oceanology 2024 Aquatic vehicles, underwater navigation systems, marine batteries and more at the leading ocean tech expo’s 2024 edition 68 Dossier: LaunchPoint EPS HPS400 Six-phase power, ironless rotors and stators, and SiC controllers are just some of the highlights of this hybrid UAV powertrain 78 Insight: USVs USV makers are choosing some very different vessel configurations in the race for stability and reliability in open ocean sailing 84 Product focus: Antennas Vehicle antennas are getting smarter and more efficient. We dive into their design, production and testing to learn how 96 In operation: IQUA Robotics SoundTiles Forward-looking sonar data doesn’t always make for good mosaics, but IQUA Robotics’ unique SoundTiles software gets consistent successes where others have failed 102 Show report: Xponential 2024 part 1 Our first round of new products, tech updates and exhibitors from the show floor in San Diego this year 114 PS: UAVs deliver to offshore wind farms It’s one thing for a UAV to deliver an emergency repair tool to a mine or power plant. Delivering it to a worker perched atop an active 100 m wind turbine is another entirely
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