This presentation describes an experience of mapping a geological structure with a commercial UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle).
Being based in Venezuela, an appropriate area for the acquisition was identified in the Andes Cordillera where a major strike slip fault (Boconó Fault) intersects geomorphic features modeled by the latest glaciation.
This fault is a major tectonic lineament oriented SW-NE, extending more than 300 km along the Venezuelan Andes and accommodating a dextral slip on the order of 1 cm/year.
This motion has displaced various landscape features that cross the fault, in particularly the "Los Zerpa" moraine system, located a few kilometers NE of the locality "Apartaderos".
The moraine formed during the last glaciation that ended 10,000 years ago; its northern tip crosses the Boconó Fault and is displaced 100 m towards the NE; this corresponds to a rate of 1 cm/year, which is consistent with GPS measurements.
¿Sabes cómo encontrar tu UAV tras una caida? ¿Hay alguna precaución que puedas tomar para que sea más fácil encontrarlo? En estos casos, prevenir es mejor que curar.
Vuela sólo cuando haga buen tiempo
Los UAVs vuelan mejor en condiciones climáticas ideales: buena visibilidad, baja velocidad del viento y ausencia de precipitaciones. Es por esto que si crees que los vientos van a ser demasiado fuertes o que la lluvia es inminente, pospongas el vuelo para otro día. Incluso un hexacóptero súper estable puede ser derribado por una ráfaga de viento particularmente fuerte. No te confíes.
Vigila tu batería
Los UAVs más modernos activan automáticamente una función de regreso al punto de partida cuando la batería se está agotando. Sin embargo, cualquier cosa que los ralentice puede recortar dramáticamente la capacidad de las baterías y hacer que el UAV se estrelle contra el suelo. Es por esto que te recomendamos no apurar las baterías para que no termine muriendo tu UAV.
Mira tu UAV como un halcón
La mayoría de los accidentes de UAVs ocurren porque el piloto no estaba prestando atención. Pero a veces no se puede prestar una atención constante y es por esto muy recomendable hacerse acompañar de otra persona que ayude a mantener la vigilancia en caso necesario.
Ten cuidado con las interrupciones de señal
Los cortes de señal son una de las causas más frecuentes de los accidentes provocados por UAVs. En caso de que sospeches que pueda llegar a interrumpirse en algún momento la señal, es mejor tener precaución y no volar demasiado lejos.
Instala un rastreador GPS
El consejo número uno para encontrar tu UAV tiene que hacerse antes de que tu UAV despegue: Ponle un rastreador GPS. Tener un rastreador GPS instalado en tu UAV te ayudará a encontrarlo rápidamente.
Busca tu UAV de inmediato
Un UAV estrellado puede ser arrastrado por otra persona o atropellado por un automóvil. Las posibilidades de que tu UAV se dañe más o se pierda por completo aumentan a medida que pasa más tiempo antes de que lo encuentres. Si tu UAV se estrella, comienza la búsqueda lo antes posible.
Star Defence Logistics & Engineering (SDLE) participa por tercera vez en la Exposición Internacional de Defensa (IDEX) en Abu Dabi.
SDLE está presentando esta semana en el Centro Nacional de Exposiciones de la ciudad su nuevo vehículo aéreo no tripulado (UAV) para operaciones de seguridad en espacios interiores, además de toda su gama de UAVs y su sistema antidrone para detección e inhibición de amenazas.
El dron ligero de interiores es uno de los últimos desarrollos de SDLE a punto de salir al mercado. Es un UAV específicamente diseñado para operaciones de fuerzas de seguridad que supera en prestaciones a las soluciones hasta ahora conocidas para volar en interiores.
Se trata de un dron de pequeñas dimensiones, operable con solo una mano, con autonomía superior a 15 minutos y control de estabilidad para vuelo en entornos de GPS denegado (GPS-denied). La división aeronáutica de SDLE diseña y adapta sus sistemas no tripulados a necesidades específicas, como son vigilancia y reconocimiento, inspección de infraestructuras sensibles o mejora de conciencia situacional de vehículos, habiendo demostrado eficacia tanto en el uso de los equipos como en su mantenimiento.
Además de ofrecer UAVs para uso militar, SDLE proporciona equipos aéreos no tripulados a fuerzas de seguridad y servicios de emergencias. La compañía con sede en Madrid cuenta con multirrotores de rápido despliegue y transporte, sistemas de ala fija especialmente indicados para misiones de inteligencia, vigilancia y reconocimiento (ISR), y UAVs de ala fija con despegue y aterrizaje vertical (VTOL), todos ellos de fabricación propia y garantía de mantenimiento asegurada.
El VTOL de ala fija Zarek v2
Uno de los equipos estrella de SDLE es el Zarek en su segunda versión, un UAV de ala fija con capacidad VTOL.
Este sistema fabricado íntegramente en España pesa menos de 25 kilos, tiene una autonomía de nueve horas -la máxima conocida para un UAV de estas capacidades- y una velocidad de crucero de 100 kilómetros por hora, logrando altitudes mayores que sus competidores de este segmento.
El sistema antidrone de SDLE es de los pocos en el mercado capaz de neutralizar un número ilimitado de UAVs, capacidad cada vez más necesaria dado el creciente uso delictivo de los drones y el peligro de que estos se utilicen a modo de enjambres.
Esta pistola antidrone funciona en infraestructuras fijas y de forma portátil, habiendo demostrado ser altamente ergonómica y eficaz en transporte y uso contra amenazas aéreas. Neutraliza el control remoto, la telemetría, el enlace de vídeo y la transmisión GPS / GLONASS.
10 años de éxito
SDLE acaba de cumplir 10 años, tiempo en el que se ha situado como líder en suministro de repuestos y servicios de mantenimiento y modernización de vehículos militares de tierra.
A día de hoy, SDLE es proveedor oficial de la OTAN y de Naciones Unidas, y exporta a más de 25 países. Gracias al esfuerzo en I+D+i, la compañía no ha dejado de crecer y ha puesto en marcha un departamento de ingeniería propio que le permite desarrollar soluciones innovadoras cada vez más demandadas en seguridad civil y prevención de riesgos en la industria.
IDEX acoge la 5ª edición de NAVDEX
A la anterior edición de IDEX, celebrada en 2017, asistieron 1.235 expositores de 57 países y más de 100.000 visitantes.
Este año se cumple la edición número 14 de la exposición, y acoge también la 5ª edición de la exhibición de seguridad marítima NAVDEX.
Vuelven a participar más de 1.000 expositores de todo el mundo que expondrán las últimas tecnologías terrestres, navales y aéreas.
Fabricantes y proveedores de servicios del sector defensa darán a conocer sus productos en un espacio de exposición de 35.000 metros cuadrados.
NAVDEX, en el área de seguridad naval, acoge a los fabricantes especializados en equipos de última tecnología para seguridad marítima y costera.
Sobre SDLE
Star Defence Logistics & Engineering (www.sdle.info) cuenta con una amplia experiencia como distribuidor independiente de repuestos para vehículos y equipamiento militar.
SDLE exporta productos y servicios a más de 25 países y es uno de los principales proveedores del sector militar en España.
Su continuo crecimiento y su apuesta por la innovación, han situado a la compañía como líder en servicios de apoyo logístico y tecnológico, así como en automatización de sistemas de aviones tripulados y no tripulados, diseño y fabricación de tecnologías y aeronaves no tripuladas.
Aerialtronics is a Dutch company producing commercial UAVs. Because of its 3D printingcapabilities, their UAVs can be fully customized to meet the needs of individual customers. Some UAVs are used in livestock monitoring, infrastructure inspection, and creative filming.
It was estimated that the company’s research and development costs were diminished by 50% from the use of 3D printing. 3D printing is used to create different-sized sensor equipment, GPS systems, and boxes that accommodate for cables and other electronic components.
Aerialtronics uses Stratasys 3D printing technology to build the UAVs. On a broader scale, streamlining and employing this more cost-effective process permits small companies like Aerialtronics to become a strong contender in the international UAV market. There is no doubt that 3D printed UAVs will continue to grow into even more useful applications that simplify our lives and meet our everyday needs: Imagine being able to build an UAV on the whim, and customize it to your own specifications, thus making it more affordable and accessible than ever before: This becomes a reality with today’s 3D printing capabilities. Aside from the benefit of creating custom UAVs, 3D printing offers easy upgradation opportunities: In other words, it is easier to make modifications to a 3D design, then print and test it until the desired variation is achieved. In other ways, now a user can replace broken or malfunctioning parts on an existing UAV with 3D printed ones. So far, several components can be 3D printed including the frame, landing gear, propellers, camera mount, antenna holder, and protective equipment. Another advantage of 3D printing results from building UAV parts in new lightweight materials. An UAV will perform better and fly longer when it is lighter. It also has better battery life and responsiveness to commands in-flight when it is lighter and weight is evenly distributed. The versatility of materials used for 3D printing translates into higher performance features in the UAVs.
Military branches are also focusing on 3D Printing to explore new ways to make cheaper, lighter, and more effective UAVs. A Marine Corp named Rhet McNeal created Scout, an UAV composed of 3D printed components. This UAV only costs $600 to build in comparison to a traditional one that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. Since it is 3D printed, should the UAV receive any damage, the parts can be easily printed and replaced within hours. On the other hand, a standard-issue UAV would require weeks, sometimes months, to get a replacement through the Marine Corps’ supply line. Scout is now in the hands of Mitre Corp., a USMCUAV supplier, to undergo certification testing.
¿More examples? The University of Virginia created a 3D printed UAV for the Department of Defense that can be printed in less than a day at $2,500, including electronics development. The body of the drone only costs $800. It is known as the Razor since it appears like one long wing. Weighing in at 6 pounds with all the equipment, the Razor can fly at 40 mph for up to 45 minutes.
The features and capabilities of the Razor are not compromised by the fact that it is 3D printed: after all, it has all the same functions as a traditional UAV with GPS waypoints for navigation, mile-distance control, camera hoisting, and phone linking capabilities that extend the distance it can be controlled within. The greatest advantage of this being 3D printed is that it can be modified and reprinted on the whim.
Last but not least: Soleon is an ItalianUAV company advancing its efforts in 3D printing UAVs. Because it deals with diverse projects, including aerial photography and thermal mapping, designs ought to be flexible and quick for upgrades. Soleon uses Materialise to meet customer needs, shorten lead times, and reduce UAV weight. One of their 3D printed UAVs is called SoleonAgro, which is intended for agricultural pest control.
Next-generation UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) built to track and hunt other UAVs, might be designed using hunting principles used by one of nature’s most capable predators: Researchers at Oxford University have discovered that peregrine falcons steer their attacks using the same control strategies as guided missiles.
The research results could be applied to the design of small, visually guided UAVs that can take down other ‘rogue’ UAVs in settings such as airports or prisons: Recent publicity has revealed the growing problem of UAVs flying drugs and mobile phones into prisons, and of UAVs being flown in the vicinity of airports.
The research was initially funded by the US Air Force Research Laboratory and published open access in the journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences). The researchers collected on-board video giving a falcon’s-eye view of the attacks and used this to back up their conclusions. Remarkably, they found that the terminal attack trajectories of peregrines follow the same law –known as PN (Proportional Navigation)– used by visually guided missiles, but with a tuning appropriate to their lower flight speed.
This method does not require any information on a target’s speed or distance, instead relying simply on information about the rotation of the attacker’s line of sight to the target. The researchers conclude that proportional navigation guidance optimised for low flight speeds could find use in small, visually guided UAVs designed to remove other UAVs from protected airspace. The researchers used miniature Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers to track peregrines attacking dummy targets thrown by a falconer or towed by a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) and were able to apply a mathematical simulation to these movements describing the dynamics of the guidance system used in intercepting the dummy prey.
UAVs will soon be able to manage their work without human input, radar or even GPS satellite navigation, according to a team of researchers from the University of Queensland in Australia. Deploying the knowledge about the mechanisms of visual guidance in birds and bugs, researchers will be able to develop a novel biologically inspired technology for drones. (Read more)
As consumer UAVs are becoming more and more popular, we are starting to see more options. In this case we are talking about DreamQii's PlexiDrone.
Designed for aerial photography and videography, the PlexiDrone was born out of feedback from filmmakers and photographers who wanted a portable drone for aerial footage capture.
The four propellers and landing gear can be attached to the main body in about a minute – less than that if you work fast enough. The components are designed to snap in and lock on without any tools, and can be disassembled just as quickly for portability; DreamQii also cleverly designed them so that you can’t accidentally attach a propeller in the wrong section, making assemble foolproof (DreamQii says it’s impossible to put together wrongly).
Attach the proprietary Bluetooth wireless router that communicates with your smartphone or tablet – up to 1 mile – and you’re ready to go. The battery only lasts between 15-35 minutes, so you may need to keep a charger or extra battery handy if you plan to use it for longer than that. For the camera, the PlexiDrone doesn’t come with one built in; instead, the user supplies one. It is compatible with most cameras weighing less than 1 kilogram, or 2.2 pounds. It’ll handle small action cams like those from GoPro and Sony, as well as compact mirrorless cameras, 360-degree panorama cameras, thermal cameras, and LIDAR scanners; you can even attach a claw to use it to hold something light. And unlike other drones, DreamQii says the retractable landing gear and camera’s positioning allow for an unobstructed 360-degree field of view; you won’t have to crop out anything from a scene later. Also, you will not be worried about trespassing onto drone-prohibited territory, as the PlexiDrone has geofencing built in: Without the user input, the PlexiDrone’s software uses known data of where it can and cannot fly, and will avoid (or prohibit you, rather) from flying in those areas.
Klever Freire, DreamQii’s CEO and cofounder, tells that PlexiDrone is designed to be flexible. Want a larger payload? In the near future, you could swap in more powerful propellers and attach a camera gimbal for a DSLR or cinema camcorder. Accidentally crash and break one of the propellers? Instead of replacing the whole unit, you can just replace the part you need. The PlexiDrone is easily controlled through the PlexiGCS software for iOS and Android. You don’t need any expertise to control it. Through GPS and the 3D map on the app, you simply draw a flight path for the drone, and tell it what to do. There’s also a “GPS follow me” feature, where you can have the PlexiDrone automatically follow and film you, without you having to manually control it. The wireless router, called the PlexiHub, also lets you create and control a swarm of PlexiDrones. A single pilot can capture multiple footages. DreamQii says swarm technology also lets you “accomplish goals like following search grid patterns or surveying larger surface areas.”
You can also control the attached camera via the app, so you won’t need to switch between apps or have a second pilot. Ultrasonic on the PlexiDrone will alert the unit if there’s an obstacle in its path while in flight. Users can also pilot the PlexiDrone with remote control unit, if they wish. Instead of LED lights, the PlexiDrone uses customizable voice prompts to give you status reports (you can even add theme music, let you personalize your drone).
Making these milestones even more significant is the fact that the GPS IIR and IIR-M satellites were designed to last 7.5 years, or collectively about 150 years. All 12 IIR satellites are currently operating beyond their design life with the oldest operating for more than 16.5 years. Three of eight GPS IIR-M satellites have surpassed their expected life span and all satellites will have done so in 2017.
Originally launched between 1997 and 2009 to add capabilities to the GPS constellation and to replace other aging satellites, the 12 GPS IIR and eight IIR-M satellites have maintained an availability record of 99.96 percent, which represents only 10 minutes of down time per satellite during all their years of operation.
The 200-year milestone will be celebrated with a brief cake-cutting “ceremony” during ION GNSS, on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m., at the Lockheed Martin booth. “This is a tremendous GPS operations and sustainment performance milestone, and we applaud the men and women of the Second Space Operations Squadron of the Air Force’s 50th Space Wing, as well as the industry team who support them,” said Mark Stewart, vice president for Lockheed Martin’s Navigation Systems mission area. “The world relies on GPS every day for things like synchronizing global banking and investing, shipping and transportation, search and rescue operations, ATM transactions and even precision farming.”
To meet evolving GPS user demands, Lockheed Martin is developing the next-generation GPS III satellites. These satellites will deliver three times better accuracy, provide up to eight times improved anti-jamming capabilities, and include enhancements which extend spacecraft life to 15 years, 25 percent longer than the newest Block IIF satellites. GPS III will be the first generation of GPS satellite with a new L1C civil signal designed to make it interoperable with other international GNSS.
UAVs will soon be a mainstay of agriculture -according to experts- as UAVs outfitted with multi spectral cameras can alert growers to crop diseases, inadequate moisture content and many other problems.
Ron and Mary Bitner, founders of Bitner Vineyard, have grown grapes at Sunny Slope (Idaho) for 33 years using as few chemicals as possible: "Rather than spraying the whole field, if we can identify spots of disease or pests, we can do spot spraying," Bitner says. "That will reduce chemicals. We can reduce water stress. There will be some real benefits to it."
Robert Blair has flown hobby-kit drones over his 1,500-acre farm 34 miles northeast of Lewiston since 2006. Blair says he was the first American grower to deploy UAV technology for agricultural purposes, outfitting his 3-pound fixed-wing Styrofoam UAV with a GPS autopilot system that tracks coordinates to traverse his barley, wheat, lentil, alfalfa and garbanzo bean fields.
A digital infrared camera snaps photos that Blair downloads and scrolls through. He finds patches of crops needing attention and keeps an eye on plants after storms when the fields are too muddy for on-the-ground scouting. "I can't cover 100 percent of my fields by traditional scouting," Blair says. "This allows me to see better and realize, 'Hey, I do have a problem out there. Maybe it's something I can fix.' "Blair says drones can help growers improve their yields while accommodating the swelling demand for more eco-friendly farming practices.
"Agriculture has the tremendous responsibility of feeding people and doing so sustainably," Blair says. "This technology will allow us to better manage our inputs and make better management decisions."
Una empresa majorera, Guirre UAV, presentó en Feaga 2013 las distintas soluciones que ofrecen sus dos vehículos no tripulados en distintos ámbitos como el medioambiente, los usos del suelo, las obras públicas y privadas o la planificación y ordenación del territorio. Los dos socios de Guirre UAV explican como "a partir de las imágenes captadas desde el aire y luego procesadas mediante un programa informático, es posible georeferenciar cualquier terreno, conseguir una ortofoto digital de una superficie de gran tamaño, o incluso reproducir en 3D un espacio con relieves". (Leer más)
Hace varios meses, una unidad del Tzahal recibía una extraña llamada telefónica desde el Aeropuerto Internacional Ben-Gurion. Acto seguido, se procedió a realizar de inmediato una inspección en el sistema de telecomunicaciones del aeropuerto, descubriéndose un "pinchazo" en una caja de comunicaciones conectada directamente a un switch del Tzahal.
En un país tan obsesionado con la seguridad como Israel, cabe imaginar el nerviosismo que se les puso en el cuerpo tanto a los responsables de seguridad del aeropuerto, como a los responsables del departamento de ciberdefensa del Tzahal, quien tomó cartas en el asunto y envió de inmediato una dotación de hombres para estudiar de cerca el problema.
La conclusión que sacaron fué que la caja estaba allí desde la guerra del Yom Kippur, cuando miles de reservistas fueron llamados a filas y eran enviados desde el aeropuerto a sus respectivas unidades. La caja de comunicaciones se colocó para mejorar la coordinación entre varias unidades, y fue olvidada aunque permaneció activa.
Los ciberataques (como el gusano Stuxnet introducido en el proyecto nuclear iraní, así como los ciberataques iraníes contra las industrias petroleras de los estados del Golfo) demuestran cada vez con mayor frecuencia que algo está cambiando en las modernas tácticas de guerra. Y esto esta siendo tenido muy en cuenta por Israel, cuyos dirigentes militares insisten cada vez con mayor frecuencia en la necesidad de invertir más recursos en la ciberesfera, sin por ello descuidar las inversiones en defensa aerea y Cuerpos de Inteligencia.
Israel es consciente de que los ciberataques constituyen una amenaza para el correcto funcionamiento de los ordenadores que gestionan sus misiles de precisión, sus GPS y sus UAVs. Son conscientes de que las habilidades informáticas de sus enemigos declarados constituyen un reto al que deben hacer frente, y a tal efecto existe desde 2010 un Cibercuartel General Nacional cuyo funcionamiento está encomendado al Shin Bet para lo referente a protección de infraestructuras nacionales, y al Tzahal para lo referente a protección de los ordenadores militares. Es evidente que dadas las circunstancias actuales, la supervivencia del Estado de Israel depende en gran medida de su capacidad de hacer frente a un hipotético ciberataque por parte de potencias enemigas.
