Uncrewed Systems Technology 056 June/July 2024

• Intro - It pays to be useful: Renault shuns robotaxis for self-driving shuttles, and power companies pick UAVs for inspecting assets from the air
• 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
• In conversation: Dr Richard Dowdeswell - The chief commercial officer and co-owner of GeoAcoustics talks to us about the different forms and applications of cutting-edge AI revolutionising uncrewed hydrographic surveys
• 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
• 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
• Digest: IDV Robotics Viking UGV - The mechanics, hardware and software empowering this six-wheeled all-terrain workhorse for military missions in the most extreme environments on Earth
• Show report: Oceanology 2024 - Aquatic vehicles, underwater navigation systems, marine batteries and more at the leading ocean tech expo’s 2024 edition
• 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
• Insight: USVs - USV makers are choosing some very different vessel configurations in the race for stability and reliability in open ocean sailing
• Product focus: Antennas - Vehicle antennas are getting smarter and more efficient. We dive into their design, production and testing to learn how
• 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
• 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
• 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