Unmanned Systems Technology 033 l SubSeaSail Gen6 USSV l Servo actuators focus l UAVs insight l Farnborough 2020 update l Transforma XDBOT l Strange Development REVolution l Radio telemetry focus

20 B orn and raised in the Zurich highlands, Daniel Buchmueller’s early childhood was rich with experiences that would stimulate a lifelong interest in aviation. In the earliest of these, he witnessed a helicopter from aerial search & rescue organisation Swiss Air-Rescue (or Rega) land at an event celebrating the reopening of a hospital. “Rega is one of Switzerland’s most iconic brands, so seeing that red-and- white helicopter – this machine that to my eyes could miraculously set down and lift off vertically – was a real moment of awe, and remains one of my earliest aviation memories,” he remarks. Now the CTO of UAV developer Volansi, Buchmueller says, “Growing up in a small countryside town, I spent a lot of time outdoors, and when I wasn’t playing sports I was flying and tinkering with RC aircraft. I was heavily into them, and I flew just about every type that was available in the late 1980s and early ’90s. “In parallel, I had a growing interest in computing. Although I’d originally enrolled at the University of Zurich to study physics, I transferred to computer science because that was where my passions were leading me. I started writing software, and building small websites – this was around the time of the dotcom boom, when everyone needed a website – using increasingly complex programming technologies.” On the basis of his studies and work experience, he founded another small software development company, iContent, aimed at programming custom software solutions for businesses. That company served as a springboard for creating Geocentrale and GeoCloud, two of the earliest cloud-based Volansi’s CTO tells Rory Jackson how his passions for mapping and aviation inspired his work on developing UAVs Career map August/September 2020 | Unmanned Systems Technology Buchmueller has overseen the launch of the Voly M20, Volansi’s fastest and heaviest UAV, which has a 5 kg payload capacity (Courtesy of Volansi)