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DroneTech UAV: Delivers at Sea
At the 2022 AUVSI Xponential Show in Orlando, Florida, DroneTech UAV introduced its AV2 Pelican delivery drone, which has been optimize for the maritime environment. With two separate gasoline motors, which can also be powered by heavy fuel, the AV2 Pelican is available in two configurations. The first incorporates an embedded multirotor for vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capability, while the other flies exclusively as a fixed-wing platform. With multiple redundant systems, the AV2 can deliver a 10 pound payload to a ship sailing at speeds up to 30 knots. -
Hadron 640R: New FLIR Thermal Camera for Drones
Teledyne-FLIR introduced its new Hadron 640R integration module at the 2022 AUVSI Xponential Show in Orlando. The unit includes a radiometric thermal camera with a resolution of 640x512 pixels, paired with a visible light camera capable of capturing 64 megapixel still images. The unit is intended to be sold to robotics and drone manufacturers, to be integrated into their platforms. Weighing just 56 grams, it is compatible with and includes drivers to interface with the Nvidia Jetson Nano, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 and the Snapdragon RB5. -
This Drone Fits in this Backpack
Wingxpand is developing a drone with a 7-foot wingspan that can be deployed from a small backpack in less than two minutes. The aircraft is able to fly for more than two hours carrying a one-pound payload. The airframe can be customized to accommodate different payloads, including a retractable ball-type gimbal. Key to the drone’s compact size during transportation is its patented telescoping wing design. -
World’s First Underwater Drone
At the 2022 AUVSI Xponential Show, Australia-based Advanced Navigation provided a live demonstration of its Hydrus autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). The Hydrus is unique because it incorporates an advanced positioning system, allowing it to hover in place underwater or even perform waypoint-driven missions, similar to an aerial drone. This allows it to complete missions underwater that previously would have been previously unthinkable, such as photogrammetry and automated inspections. -
The Drone IS The Gimbal
Orthodrone is developing a prototype multirotor platform for high-precision aerial map-making and orthomosaic imaging that incorporates a unique design: the drone is the gimbal. Rather than the entire aircraft pitching and banking as required to achieve flight maneuvers, only the limbs move while the main body of the aircraft remains perfectly stable. The aircraft is held aloft by eight electric motors, powered by a Pegasus GE 70 two-stroke gas-burning engine and can fly for two hours on a single tank of gas. This extraordinary design is required to support the use of ultra-high-resolution cameras from Phase One and Riegl LiDAR systems, allowing a ground-sample distance of 0.5 millimeters. -
New Cargo Drone Flies Like Nothing Else (Literally)
The Atlis cargo drone from Aergility uses a novel method of flight, described by its creators as “managed autorotation.” A VTOL platform, the Atlis takes off and lands vertically using six electric motors. However, once airborne, a gas-powered motor starts turning the aircraft’s main propeller and the vertical lift propellers continue to turn – not because they are receiving power from the batteries, but because of the air moving past them from the aircraft’s forward flight, a process known in aeronautics as autorotation. The aircraft can carry up to 600 pounds of payload more than 400 miles on a single tank of gas. -
Lego Drone: Quickly Add and Remove Components as Needed
This drone from Ascent AeroSystems employs a coaxial design to deliver better performance than a comparable multirotor, but it’s most compelling feature is its modularity. This aircraft can be customized for any mission by adding or removing different modules that can include batteries and both top- and bottom-mounted payloads. Rugged and able to fly in any weather, this platform has been adopted by both civilian and military users and is recognized as a Blue UAS for use in government work and other sensitive applications. -
FoxFury EXOLANDER: Lighten up Your Autel EVO II
In this episode, the Roswell Flight Test Crew speaks with Antonio Cugini of FoxFury Lighting Solutions about the company’s new EXOLANDER attachment for the Autel EVO II drone, as well as other compact drones, such as the DJI Mavic 2 series. An exoskeleton for the aircraft, it provides multiple attachment points for lights, drop mechanisms and other payloads. The EXOLANDER is also compatible with a tripod mounting system as well as a pistol-grip mount, making it possible to use the drone’s sensors on the ground when it is not able to fly. -
One String Attached: A2Z Drone Delivery Mechanism
In this episode, the Roswell Flight Test Crew hears from Evan Hertafeld, the co-founder of A2Z Drone Delivery at Commercial UAV Expo 2021 in Las Vegas. The A2Z delivery mechanism – the RDS 1 – can be mounted on any drone of suitable size and payload capacity. It is capable of delivering a 5-pound payload from an altitude of 100 feet. The package is dropped on a line at freefall speed, and a breaking mechanism slows its descent a few feet above the ground. A LiDAR sensor on board the aircraft determines its precise distance above the ground to ensure that the payload is delivered safely. -
New TZ20-R Thermal Camera Offers True Zoom Capability
In this episode, the Roswell Flight Test Crew speaks with Kelly Brodbeck, the UAS product manager at Teledyne-FLIR about the company’s latest offering: the VUE TZ20-R. It is compatible with Matrice-series airframes from DJI, such as the M200, the M210 and the M300. It has broad capabilities across applications such as industrial inspection, search and rescue and firefighting. A radiometric camera, the TZ20-R especially effective when paired with a visible light zoom camera from DJI, such as the Z30. The TZ20-R will replace the current FLIR TX2 payload in the company’s product lineup. The TZ20-R actually incorporates two FLIR Boson cores, one with 1x magnification and the other with a 5x magnification, allowing for a lossless zoom capability to the narrower field of view. -
New Drone Tech: No Propellers, and Yet It Flies!
In this episode, the Roswell Flight Test Crew speaks with Tomas Pribanic, the founder and CEO of Undefined Technology, based in south Florida. The company has built a prototype drone of approximately the same dimensions and configuration as a conventional multirotor – but without propellers. Instead, it uses charged ions that exist in the atmosphere and attracts or repels those ions as needed to develop thrust and maneuver. The prototype is five-foot square, capable of flying up to 15 minutes while carrying a two-pound payload. Owing to the lack of propellers, the aircraft is virtually silent in flight, making it a good candidate for cargo delivery and other missions in the urban environment where noise can be an issue. -
Drone for Police SWAT Teams: Brinc Lemur
In this episode, the Roswell Flight Test Crew speaks with Brett Kanda, the Vice President for Sales and Marketing at Brinc about the company’s Lemur drone. Developed specifically to fly indoors for police SWAT teams dealing with hostage situations and barricaded subjects. Its propellers are enclosed and its flight algorithm specifically tuned so that it can run into walls and other obstacles while remaining in the air. In the event it does land upside down, the pilot can engage “turtle” mode which uses the propellers to flip it back upright. The Lemur can be fitted with multiple accessories using a ventral-mounted Picatinny rail, which provides power to the accessories. These include a glass breaker for breaching structures, a payload dropper with a one-pound capacity, a floodlight, and a terrestrial robot connector. The Lemur is manufactured in the United States, in Las Vegas, and is available for purchase now.
Roswell Flight Test Crew
