by David Geer
Contact the author at geercom@windstream.net
Discuss this article in the
SERVO Magazine forums at http://forum.servomagazine.com
Scout UAV by Aeryon
The new Scout tactical aerial intelligence UAV is a silent, diminutive flying
robot with four vertically facing propellers. The Scout is easily disassembled
(don’t worry Johnny Five), transported, and reassembled for use. The robot
affords aerial intelligence gathering via its onboard camera which operators
can use to take video or still pictures. Flight is automated and autonomous
via flight plan software and onboard computing using several proprietary
processors, freeing the operator’s hands, eyes, and mind to focus on
gathering images or video.
Let’s examine the robot’s design and capabilities, as well as its use in a critical application in one of the world’s
most important ecological environments.
Greg Walker, Program Manager at the University of
Alaska’s Unmanned Aircraft Program, uses the Scout,
camera, and sensor payloads to examine shorelines and
terrain before and after oil spills
along Alaska’s Arctic coast.
Walker and crew take a baseline
of the shorelines before potential
oil spills happen, then image the
shoreline after to note the
differences and direct clean-up
efforts.
The Scout UAV sitting
peacefully on rocky ground
near the Alaskan coast.
Flight + Sight
= Might
The Scout has a number of
capabilities including vertical
takeoff and landing (VTOL),
flying in any direction including
up and down, vertical, left and
right, forward and backward, and
any combination of these. “It can reliably fly as low as one
to two meters in altitude for close-up camera work. It flies in
winds up to its maximum speed of 50 km/hr,” Walker touts.
The utility that makes its airborne capabilities
worthwhile is the fact that it can see, stream, and record
what it views through a camera. Manipulating or yawing
10 SERVO 01.2012
the camera is done by flying the aircraft sideways rather
than by yawing the camera to look sideways. “This is
hidden from the operator as you direct where the camera is
to point and the direction the aircraft is to fly independent
of each other,” Walker notes.
The touchscreen interface on the tablet enables the
user to tell the Scout where to go
— to an exact position — and
point the camera at the desired
subject, according to Aeryon. The
camera uses GPS targeting so the
user can select the position on
the ground for the camera to
center on during flight.
The AutoGrid software that is
utilized enables the user to select
the area the camera must cover,
and then takes the pictures or
video in such a manner that they
overlap, therefore imaging all the
desired area. This makes GIS
(Geographic Information Systems)
analysis possible by taking a
complete image. All images
collected by the Scout are geo-tagged and stored within the
system. The information is downloaded to the user system
for further processing. Aeryon does not provide GIS tools,
but provides the data for use by them.
The Scout’s flight system establishes the flight plan that
is necessary to take the required images. “At that point, all
