Attention-Based Road Registration for GPS-Denied UAS Navigation

Matching and registration between aerial images and prestored road landmarks are critical techniques to enhance UAS (Unmanned Aerial System) navigation in the Global Positioning System (GPS)-denied urban environments.

Current registration processes typically consist of two separate stages of road extraction and road registration. These two-stage registration approaches are time-consuming and less robust to noise.

To that end, it has been investigated the problem of end-to-end Aerial-Road registration. Using deep learning, it has been developed a novel attention-based neural network architecture for Aerial-Road registration.

In this model, it has been constructed two-branch neural networks with shared weights to map two input images into a common embedding space. Besides, considering that road features are sparsely distributed in images, it has been incorporated a novel multibranch attention module to filter out false descriptor matches from the indiscriminative background in order to improve registration accuracy.

Finally, the results from extensive experiments show that compared with state-of-the-art approaches, the mean absolute errors of the approach in rotation angle and the translations in the x- and y-directions are reduced down by a factor of 1.24, 1.38, and 1.44, respectively. Furthermore, as a byproduct, the experimental results prove the feasibility of a neural network multitask learning approach to simultaneously achieve accurate Aerial-Road matching and registration, thus providing an efficient and accurate UAS geolocalization.

More info:

https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9184263

Autopilot programming and operations within an unmanned aerial systems course

Students majoring in Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), commonly known as drones, are expected to have a diverse background of hands-on and theoretical skills.

Since the UAS industry is rapidly growing at approximately 30% per year, quality graduates are in high demand. A junior level course on autonomous aerial vehicles has been created to provide this blend of these essential skills required by the UAS industry.

Concepts related to navigation, control, regulations, guidance, airspace, and autopilot programming are introduced during the twice weekly, one-hour lecture. These topics are reinforced during a once weekly, two-hour laboratory where students in groups of two work during the first third of a fifteen-week semester to integrate an open source, open hardware autopilot into a 3d Printed Quadcopter.

The second third of the semester involves students flight testing their vehicle in outdoor conditions and obtaining real-time telemetry for post flight review. The final third of the semester requires students to fly a simulated package delivery mission where the quadcopter auto takes off, navigates through a series of waypoints, auto lands on a target, and finally returns to launch. The vehicle must fly the entire missions without human interaction.

By combining both hand-on and theoretical skills, students who complete this course have a valuable skillset which is in high demand by the UAS industry.

More info:

https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/aseeil-insectionconference/2019/technology/3/

SDLE mostrará en FEINDEF su sistema de realidad virtual para pilotar UAS

Durante los próximos días 29, 30 y 31 de mayo, Star Defence Logistics & Engineering (SDLE) presentará en IFEMA, en la Feria Internacional de Defensa y Seguridad (FEINDEF), sus últimos desarrollos en sistemas aéreos no tripulados (UAS) para uso militar y de seguridad civil. Más concretamente, mostrará su sistema de aprendizaje inmersivo apoyado en realidad aumentada para formar a pilotos de UAS especializados en operaciones de inteligencia y reconocimiento.

Gracias a su apuesta por la innovación y la integración de las últimas tecnologías, en 2018 SDLE fue reconocida Pyme Innovadora por el Ministerio español de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades. La compañía con sede en Madrid está ampliando sus instalaciones y recientemente ha puesto en marcha nuevos departamentos de optrónica, electrónica,  y seguridad en las comunicaciones, que se unen al departamento de ingeniería de la compañía para el desarrollo de software de apoyo logístico en operaciones militares. 

Realidad virtual para el manejo de UAS

La división de drones de Star Defence Logistics & Engineering, Aeronáutica SDLE, es especialista en desarrollo, fabricación e integración de UAS, y en FEINDEF mostrará su sistema de aprendizaje inmersivo para formar a pilotos de UAS especializados en operaciones de inteligencia y reconocimiento. Se trata de un sistema apoyado en realidad virtual, con el que los usuarios pueden aprender el funcionamiento de las aeronaves y vivir en primera persona la simulación de vuelo en espacios interiores y en escenarios críticos.

Otro equipo que podrá verse en FEINDEF es el Sistema Portátil de Seguridad Antidron de SDLE. Es de los pocos equipos antidron en el mercado que neutraliza un número ilimitado de drones, 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. 

Aeronáutica SDLE diseña software para diferentes misiones a petición del cliente e investiga para adaptar el potencial de los drones a las necesidades sociales en escenarios civiles.  Además de su gama de UAS, disponible para operaciones de inteligencia, vigilancia y reconocimiento (ISR), emergencias e inspección de infraestructuras sensibles, la división de drones de SDLE ofrece soluciones autónomas personalizadas que aumentan o mejoran el alcance de las  capacidades humanas y eliminan el riesgo para las personas en entornos de difícil acceso o de alta exposición a agentes nocivos.

En el pabellón número 8 de IFEMA, en Madrid, FEINDEF contará en su primera edición con más de 150 expositores nacionales e internacionales. Está prevista también la asistencia de más de 50 delegaciones de organizaciones internacionales y ministerios de Defensa de todo el mundo.

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.

STAR DEFENCE LOGISTICS & ENGINEERING S.L

Calle C, Nº 24

28938 –Móstoles-

Madrid - España

Tel +34 91 498 91 96   Fax +34 916 977 657  

Email: info@sdle.es   Web: www.sdle.es

Additive Manufacturing to build UAVs for extreme weather conditions

Additive Manufacturing or 3D Printing materials originally developed for the motorsports industry by CRP Technology in Modena, Italy, and Mooresville, North Carolina, are being used to manufacture Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), commonly called drones.

Engineers at CRP Technology and Hexadrone, crafted a modular UAS using Laser Sintering technology and Windform composite materials. CRP Technology, CRP Group’s specialized company in advanced 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing solutions, developed the Windform family of high-performance composite materials.

Engineers implemented a rugged, waterproof design to construct Hexadrone’s first fully modular, easy-to-use UAS made for extreme weather conditions and industrial and multipurpose applications. Rapidly swappable arms and three quick release attachments make the Tundra-M extremely flexible to meet the needs of any profession, while making operational conditions easier to maintain, officials say.

Hexadrone officials asked CRP to devise the functional prototype of the Tundra-M, Hexadrone’s very first mass-produced drone: “We have engineered our drone by means of a cautious, multifaceted, and collaborative based approach with the involvement of broad-based stakeholders,” Hexadrone CEO Alexandre Labesse says. “In the course of two years of consulting, research, and development, we have gathered all the advice and customers’ testimonials useful to its design and which finally helped us in the process of devising an ideal UAV solution.”

Suitable for different flight scenarios and professional uses, the multifunctional Tundra-M boasts four quick-connect arms and three accessory connections. The body and other main parts are made of composite polyamide-based material. Carbon-filled Windform SP and Windform XT 2.0 materials are shaped into pieces using the Selective Laser Sintering 3D Printing Technology. The four arms supporting the body frame of the Tundra were 3D printed using Windform XT 2.0 composite material. The rest of the components were developed with the Windform SP composite material.

Understanding the limitations with traditional manufacturing technologies, the companies identified the opportunity to develop a unique UAS based on the use of Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies. Additive Manufacturing technologies in UAS applications has presented both opportunity and challenges to engineers in the field. The ability to produce parts and components using AM technologies hold promise in both metals and plastics, whereas traditional subtractive manufacturing technologies can be restrictive in design development and material selection.

Advanced Aircraft Hybrid Successful US Navy Trials

On November 28th and 29th, Advanced Aircraft Company conducted a flight demonstration of its HARM (Hybrid Advanced Multi-Rotor) on the US Navy’s M80 Stiletto, based in Little Creek, VA.

The HAMR UAS (Unmanned Aerial System) is a vertical takeoff and landing multi-rotor that has a greatly increased range and endurance relative to today’s battery powered multi-rotors.

The HAMR launched and recovered aboard the M80 Stiletto with zero support equipment. It simply launched and recovered under its own power from the open deck space.

The HAMR spans the gap between the Group 1 (hand launched) and the Group 2 (catapult launched) UAS. The HAMR can fly longer and carry larger payloads than today’s Group 1 UAS, but avoids the logistical burden of the Group 2 size UAS because of its dramatically smaller footprint. The entire HAMR system fits inside one case which is small enough to fit inside a small hatchback car. The HAMR UAS is targeted for commercial users and the military.

¿Can 3D Printing get married with traditional technologies?

More and more, Additive Manufacturing is now seen as a complementary technology, as witnessed by the increased in hybrid printers that combine 3D Printing and CNC machining.

Now, Stratasys, one of the leading players in the 3D printing industry, is sharing some of that expertise via a new whitepaper titled "How Additive and Traditional Manufacturing Mix".

The whitepaper is free to download from 3dprint.com after you fill out a brief form, by clicking here: https://3dprint.com/stratasys-how-additive-and-traditional-manufacturing-mix/.

Introduction to Additive Manufacturing for Composites

Additively manufactured composites offer advantages that include greater design flexibility, decreased costs and production efficiency. In this e-book, you’ll learn more about:

• Reinforced thermoplastics for high-performance applications
• Multi-axis motion platforms for design optimization
• Lightweight, agile mold tooling capabilities
• Sacrificial tooling for easier production of hollow composites
• Autoclave cure- and high-temperature-capable materials

Download this FREE e-book to learn how additive manufacturing enables a new era of lightweight structures with degrees of geometric complexity, part consolidation, and design optimization not previously possible.

Low-cost approaches to UAV design using Additive Manufacturing

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) platforms are of major interest to Defense, Government, and commercial industries. The ability to remotely control an aerial vehicle capable of surveillance, offensive and defensive maneuvering, reconnaissance, or numerous other applications without the need to put a human life in jeopardy is a major attraction to their use. Furthermore, there exists opportunities to make these airborne vehicles largely autonomous, further reducing the need for even remote human operators. However, for all of the significant advantages of UAVs, there is a significant negative: the cost of manufacture, and the cost of design. Due in part to the substantial amount of complex electronic equipment on board, UAVs become not only a design of aeronautics, but an experiment in energy conservation through optimization. A limited range of UAV power becomes a limiting factor of UAV application. The challenge becomes to optimize the size, weight, and aerodynamics of the UAV based on the application. 

(Read More)

General Atomics Jobs: Project Engineer

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI), an affiliate of General Atomics, is a world leader in proven, reliable remotely piloted aircraft and tactical reconnaissance radars, as well as advanced high-resolution surveillance systems.

They have an exciting opportunity for an experienced Project Engineer with a focus in integration to support the Quick Reactions group. This position supports the Project Engineering Payload Integration Team, providing systems engineering and technical management of new sensors and payloads onto GA-ASI, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS).

More info at:

https://www.glassdoor.com/job-listing/project-engineer-general-atomics-and-affiliated-companies-JV_IC1147311_KO0,16_KE17,57.htm?jl=2450988353&ctt=1497093584449

General Atomics Jobs: Systems Engineer

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI), an affiliate of General Atomics, is a world leader in proven, reliable remotely piloted aircraft and tactical reconnaissance radars, as well as advanced high-resolution surveillance systems.

They have an exciting opportunity for a Systems Engineer within their Certified Predator B UAS group. This position will be responsible for coordinating effort across multiple functional engineering departments to produce functional and performance based specifications from the UAS level down to the component level.

System level understanding of the UAS design will be used to evaluate quality and completeness of specification documents.

AMONG OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Analyze and interprets requirements at the UAS, segment and component level and compiles requirements into test point at the appropriate test level.

More info at:

https://www.glassdoor.com/job-listing/systems-engineer-general-atomics-and-affiliated-companies-JV_IC1147311_KO0,16_KE17,57.htm?jl=2451405499&ctt=1497092486437

The Face of the Bubbling Armed UAV Industry

The extensive use of UAVs by the US in Iraq and Afghanistan has raised debates over issues like civilian deaths, international law, efficacy of strikes and deterrence.

The Israeli Air Force used a weaponized drone, the Pioneer, in the 1982 war in Lebanon which impressed US for increased UAV procurement and research. Nineteen years after, the 9\11 terrorist attack created a new demand to hunt down terrorists in remote areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Today, the US uses three types of drones built by General Atomics with offensive capabilities: the MQ-1 Predator, the MQ-1C Sky Warrior, and the MQ-9 Reaper. The US military uses them in two broad ways: Reconnaissance and hunter-killer missions.

Drone surveillance and attack capabilities have been effective psychologically as fear keeps also plays a major part. While drone attacks are the most effective weapon against terrorism, its net effects are difficult to judge. The presence of armed drones is a reality of the modern battlefield, but only a limited group of countries has the technological ability to produce them or the military capacity to operate them.

Currently, US and China export armed drones, and Israel is in the vicinity. As Russia, Turkey, South Korea and others join the market, a surge in globally available systems for a fruitful market could lead to a new dangerous era.

(Read more...)

Afghanistan: Germany to Operate Heron-1 for Additional Year

Germany has extended a leasing contract to operate the Israeli Heron-1 unmanned aerial system (UAS) for another year in support of ongoing operations in Afghanistan.

Estimated at tens of millions of dollars, the contract concluded between the German Defence Procurement Agency and Airbus DS Airborne Solutions, a subsidiary of Airbus Defence and Space, extends Heron operations in Afghanistan until February 2018. 

In its news release, IAI noted that its Heron-1 recently marked 30,000 hours in Afghanistan since the German Air Force began operating the system in 2010. The German Air Force also is operating the Heron-1 in Mali as part of a United Nations policing mission. “Our connection with the German Air Force is of course highly important, and we are proud to continue to provide an operational solution together with the excellent cooperation we have with Airbus,” said retired Israeli Air Force Brig. Gen. Shaul Shahar, IAI's executive vice president and general manager of the firm’s Military Aircraft Group.  

UAVs for 3D Mapping

Lockheed Martin has released a commercial software, named Hydra Fusion Tools, that allows to create a real-world 3D Map of any site. Hydra Fusion runs on commercial computers leveraging state-of-the-art graphical processing units, to render the entire evolving scene in real time, as the UAV flies: The images are geometrically stitched together into an immersive three dimensional world view, showcasing buildings, trees, vehicles, terrain, etc.

“Hydra Fusion Tools’ stand-out feature is its ability to turn big data into actionable intelligence,” says John Molberg, business development manager at Lockheed Martin CDL Systems. “This is true world-leading technology – there is nothing else out there that does this, everything else is just post-processing.”

The system comes in two variants: the baseline Hydra for commercial use, with agriculture and first responder application, and Hydra Tactical, which is specifically for military use.

Bayraktar UAV Now Deployed By Turkish Police

The Turkish National Police is now putting the Bayraktar TB2 Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) into service. The Bayraktar TB2, which was developed and produced in Turkey, is used in terrorist operations in the country’s eastern and southeastern Anatolia regions. The Bayraktar TB2 proved its accuracy during shooting tests made with integrated national missiles in April.

Aleppo: SDF Shoot Down ISIL ISR-UAV

The SDF shot down an ISIL ISR-UAV equipped with imaging devices and bombs, flying over their positions near the town of Manbij in Northeastern Aleppo. The UAV was brought down after it was intercepted over positions of Manbij Military Council, affiliated to the Kurdish-led SDF.

Significant Aspects of the FAA’s Drone Rules

The Federal Aviation Administration has released its much anticipated Part 107 rules, which cover the use of drones for non-recreational purposes in the U.S. airspace system. The Part 107 rules are based on a document called the Notice of Proposed Rule-making (NPRM), which was released in February 2015. (Read more)

US To double Drones in Afghanistan

For the Pentagon, it seems, drones are invaluable: The United States is looking to reduce its man presence in Afghanistan, and instead “the Air Force aims to double the number of drone squadrons over the next five years,” the Hindustan Times reports. Drones are already a major presence in Afghanistan in particular, and in US missions around the world at large. “In the wars we fight, this is the future,” said drone pilot Lt. Shaw, who operates out of the US Air Force drone base in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar. The US doesn’t release detailed statistics of drone involvement in Afghanistan, but it is clear that they play a major role in operations in the country. (Read more)

Vídeo: El Harop en acción

El IAI Harop es un vehículo aéreo no tripulado de combate (UCAV) desarrollado por la división MBT de Industrias IAI. En vez de portar separadamente una ojiva explosiva, el Harop es en sí mismo la munición. Está diseñado para merodear por el campo de batalla y atacar objetivos, autodestruyéndose con ellos.

IAI comienza la producción en serie del Bird Eye 650D

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) ha dado comienzo a la producción en serie del Bird Eye 650D. Este UAV de pequeño tamaño capaz de ser configurado con diferentes cargas de pago, está concebido para misiones tácticas y ofrece una autonomía de más de 15 horas a una distancia de hasta 150 km.

Airobotics desarrolla un sistema de vigilancia aerea completamente autónomo

La firma israelí Airobotics ha desarrollado un sistema de vigilancia aerea completamente autónomo, basado en el uso de UAVs. El sistema recibe un programa de vuelo y lo lleva a cabo de manera totalmente autónoma desde el despegue hasta el aterrizaje. Más aún: Si detecta un nivel de batería por debajo de un umbral establecido, regresa a la base y un brazo robótico le cambia las baterías para que pueda continuar la misión.