In a remarkable partnership, British UAV manufacturer Evolve Dynamics and radar technology specialist Cambridge Sensoriis have achieved a historic milestone in the world of autonomous drone technology. Together, they have successfully executed the world’s first fully autonomous drone landing, thanks to the integration of Cambridge Sensoriis’ ARC radar sensor devices with Evolve Dynamics’ Sky Mantis UAV. This groundbreaking achievement allows for autonomous landing, loitering, and zonal position holding, all without the reliance on other sensors, making it especially well-suited for GPS-denied environments.
Laurence Mallinson, Chief Commercial Officer at Evolve Dynamics, underlined the significance of this technological leap, stating, “Using radar pods that communicate with each other, our UAVs will be able to land autonomously in any weather, on a moving host platform, or in a GPS-denied environment. The key aspect of the system is that it is not reliant on visual navigation methods such as 2D barcodes or LEDs, and therefore is able to operate in adverse weather conditions and complete invisibility, such as fog or mist.”
The collaboration involves ground-based radar beacons from Cambridge Sensoriis establishing communication with an airside radar mounted within the Sky Mantis aircraft, providing precise positioning data to the autopilot.
This innovative technology empowers Evolve Dynamics’ Sky Mantis with robust positioning autonomy, enabling a wide range of operations, including vessel landing, loitering in both static and moving holding positions, and maintaining flight within defined corridors or zones. Thanks to Sensoriis’ radar capabilities, Sky Mantis can now launch from, follow, and land on moving vehicles or boats.
Steve Clark, CEO of Cambridge Sensoriis, expressed his excitement about the partnership, saying, “We’ve believed for some time that our radar-based positional information could add value to drone deployments, but it has taken the expertise and support of Evolve Dynamics to see that come to fruition with actual real-world autonomous maneuvering and landing. It’s a first for us. We’re delighted with the collaborative spirit of this partnership and the opportunity ahead.”
Mike Dewhirst, CEO of Evolve Dynamics, emphasized the importance of this achievement, saying, “This is a major step forward. To achieve resilient autonomy and positioning without existing infrastructure, such as GPS, is essential. This is critical in defense scenarios, where we already have a strong market presence, as well as for the general scalability of industry drone solutions that will require strong resilience and redundancy.”
This groundbreaking achievement marks a significant advancement in the field of autonomous drone technology and opens up exciting possibilities for various industries, including public safety, defense, and energy. Evolve Dynamics and Cambridge Sensoriis are committed to pushing the boundaries of UAV technology and contributing to a better future.
About Evolve Dynamics: Evolve Dynamics is a UK-based UAV/UAS design and manufacturing company that provides aircraft and software solutions to customers across industries, including public safety, defense, and energy. Their mission is to find solutions to real-world problems through UAV technology, focusing on user needs and contributing to a better future.