84 Insight | UAVs NX TAA or Orin NX) to power machine learning, computer vision, and other AI or edge computing requirements. Up to 100 TOPS of compute power can be installed for computer vision, machine learning, and more. Comms options include highly-encrypted telemetry and payload links up to 100 miles, via radios such as Persistent Systems’ MPU5, Silvus’ Streamcaster, and Doodle Labs’ modules. Counter-UAS While Aerix Systems’ AXS-M1 UAV might look like a conventional multirotor at first glance, it actually integrates four omnidirectional rotors designed for driving 16 in (40.64 cm) propellers and enabling payloads of 3 kg to be carried for 35 minutes on the 1 x 1 m aircraft, with a maximum payload capacity of 10 kg. Each arm rotates on an electric motor in the UAV’s horizontal (pitch) axis, and holds a shaft mounting a pair of coaxially oriented motor-propeller drives, with that shaft also electromechanically rotating in the UAV’s forward (roll) axis. The design is productionised as the AERIX T-16 propulsion solution, each producing up to 16 kg of thrust force and running on the supply voltage of 6S to 12S battery packs. Through this arrangement of motors, the aircraft can transition quickly between VTOL, forward flight, stationary hover, reverse flight, and various different angles of flying or hovering as needed. It can also pitch, roll or yaw at a maximum rate of one rotation per second, moving into angles as requested by the autopilot (or remote pilot) accurate to 1o. “We’ve developed the design and all the control software in-house to achieve and optimise this propulsion system, so none of it is open-source, but it is fully autonomous with very precise control,” says Hugo Mayounove, president and co-founder of Aerix Systems. “We are principally mechanical engineers, so the five years of development we’ve put into our propulsion and UAV technologies were heavily focused on mastering the control laws necessary for correct autonomous operations of the omnidirectional rotors.” Through its unique propulsion configuration, the AXS-M1 can achieve top airspeeds of 220 kph (also accelerating from 0 kph to 100 kph in 2.5 seconds) and turn with a radius of 1 m, thanks to a novel control architecturemanaging for high acceleration and deceleration. It also resists winds of up to 100 kph during station keeping. “Our business position is quite different from most other UAV manufacturers; we’re developing the airframe, propulsion arrangement and flight controller to give new aerial capacities to other drone builders or integrators,” Mayounove says. “Our work is technically over by the time any mission begins. We let other manufacturers take care of integrating payloads, data links and other missionspecific systems. They just need to communicate with our system via software with CAN or I2C, or other interface types available, through to the propulsion system.” The front and rear of the fuselage feature detachable cones, which can be customised and fitted rapidly for payload or antenna integrations, and the central part of the fuselage features 32 attachment points for the mounting of subsystems. The AXS-M1 has been designed with specific operations in mind, such as 360o industrial inspections, or defence and security tasks such as counter-UAV or other counter-vehicle applications where the UAV’s agility over other mobile systems will be critical. Summary If configuring a UAV to specialise it for a particular application secures interest from long-term customers and operations, the next question on endusers’ minds will be what their long-term maintenance and infrastructure will look like. In many cases, their ordinary way of doing things may be unaffected, save for stocking parts inventories with spare servo actuators, propellers and the like. However, non-VTOL fixed-wing UAVs will invariably require some kind of infrastructure for launch and recovery, be it a runway, a catapult, a net or similar. And, for any multirotors and VTOLtransitioning UAVs working in resident applications, such as logistics functions, or in industrial or transport infrastructure needing routine monitoring, some manner of specialised equipment for recovering, storing and recharging the aircraft between flights will be needed. All this means that, rather than forgoing external infrastructure, the UAVs of the future will need a novel ecosystem of launch and recovery systems, designed to minimise overheads and labour burdens for users and planning authorities. Those readers interested in such launch and recovery systems are encouraged to stay tuned, as we intend to publish an investigation into their state and evolution early next year. August/September 2024 | Uncrewed Systems Technology The AXS-M1 flies on four omnidirectional rotors, enabling highly dynamic flight, including a 1 m turning radius and 220 kph top speeds (Image courtesy of Aerix Systems)
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