Kozminski Techblog

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Startup Aevum from Alabama (USA) presented on December 3 aerial vehicle Ravn X, designed to launch small spacecraft into orbit. It weighs in at approximately 55,000 pounds when it’s carrying a full payload, making it one of the heaviest unmanned aircraft in existence today.

The promise of the drone is that it can put a payload in low-earth orbit in approximately three hours, a fact Aevum claims will allow it to shorten lead times on satellite launches from years to months. Outside of its ominous-looking exterior and record-setting mass, the Ravn X isn’t so different from other aircraft. It only needs about 1-mile of runway to get in the air, allowing it to take off from almost any commercial airport. It also uses the same fuel as a traditional jet.

Once the Ravn X gets up to a suitable altitude, the two-stage rocket it’s carrying drops from its belly, igniting in about half a second. Eventually, Aevum says 95 percent of the launch vehicle will be reusable, but to start about 70 percent can be used again. When the Ravn X finishes a delivery, it simply lands and heads back to a hanger to prepare for another launch.

Aevum says the Ravn X represents a new paradigm of putting a rocket into space. And while the autonomous aspect of its approach is different, there are other companies working to put rockets into space from aircraft. Virgin Orbit is one such company — though it has yet to successfully complete a test launch.

One of the key differences between Aevum and other space launch startups is that Ravn X already has been awarded prestigious government contracts totaling over $1 billion including the upcoming ASLON-45 mission with the United States Space Force. ASLON-45 is the first formal small launch mission contracted by the U.S. Space Force under its SRP-O program. Other active contracts include an AFWERX Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract for rapid launch and space logistics, a broad scope, under a special topic developed for rapid transition of the SBIR program which includes sole-source eligibility for Aevum, a nod to Aevum’s unique value proposition to the government market relative to other small launch companies.

In addition, USAF Space and Missile Systems Center’s Launch Enterprise Small Launch and Targets Division awarded Aevum its Orbital Services Program-4 (OSP-4), Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract, giving Aevum the ability to compete for 20 missions over a 9-year period.

The sum-total value of these 20 missions is $986 million. With the OSP-4 IDIQ, Aevum stands alongside some of the most well recognized and established players in the industry to support the USAF with flexible and responsive launch services.

Sources:

https://www.universetoday.com/149181/the-ravn-x-is-a-new-autonomous-aircraft-designed-to-launch-small-satellites/

https://3dnews.ru/1027060/predstavlen-bespilotnik-aevum-ravn-x-kotoriy-smoget-bistro-i-chasto-vivodit-sputniki-na-orbitu

https://news.yahoo.com/aevum-ravn-x-233606617.html

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201203005732/en/Aevum-Rolls-Out-Ravn-X-The-World%E2%80%99s-First-Autonomous-Launch-Vehicle-and-the-Largest-Unmanned-Aircraft-System-UAS

Reading Time: 2 minutesTriton Submarines, the creator of the first 24-seat tourist submarine DeepView, has developed a new six-seat bathyscaphe. The name “3300/6” refers to a dive depth of 3300 feet (1000 meters) and the number of sites for which it is designed.

The ship’s cockpit is the world’s largest acrylic sealed spherical hull with a diameter of 2.5 m. Five seats look outward, while the sixth is turned inward, oddly enough, the pilot sits there. The seats are removable, so that unnecessary ones are removed as unnecessary. The cockpit has air conditioning – a must for submarines due to the lack of fresh air. Entry and exit is through a hatch behind the cockpit.

The dive seems to be long, although 1000 m is only the third depth of the Titanic crash site. And yet it is much deeper than scuba gear allows, the record for which is 307.6 m. Then the athlete took 12 minutes to descend, and 15 hours to rise again for safe decompression. The 3300/6 sealed bubble will not have such problems, it has enough air and battery power to explore the underwater world for more than 10 hours.

 

The movement is carried out by two main and two auxiliary engines with a power of 12.5 kW, and piloting is carried out using an intuitive joystick and touch screen. The maximum speed of the bathyscaphe is 3 knots or 5.5 km / h. In deep water, the submarine’s path is illuminated by six 20,000 lumen floodlights.

The complex 3300/6 weighs about 11 tons with a length of 4.55 m. In addition to some models, there is a robotic arm. The price of the bathyscaphe is $5.5million (£4.1million). That’s the biggest disadvantage because one dive on such bathyscaphe will cost you much more than scuba diving. Therefore, ordinary individual in most cases will prefer the second option. Nevertheless, the product will be in demand among rich people and experienced divers.

Resources:

https://www.techcult.ru/technics/9108-triton-submarines-vypustila-novyj-shestimestnyj-batiskaf

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/escape/article-8982027/Incredible-4-1million-luxury-Triton-submarine-dive-3-280ft.html

Reading Time: 2 minutesBMW is trying to reclaim its mantle as a leader in electric mobility. As part of a suite of announcements outlining the German automaker’s latest products, BMW revealed a bold new electric scooter concept: the Motorrad Definition CE 04.

CE 04 is the result of an attempt to create a “smart” car for getting around the city, although its appearance can make you smile. The e-bike is equipped with a flat battery at the bottom, providing 120 kilometers of range. Conveniently and compactly placed the engine and the associated belt drive system.

Under the oblong single seat is an unusual luggage compartment where, for example, you can store your helmet. An important design feature is the specially left open suspension parts. CE 04 is equipped with an on-board computer displaying the technical condition of the scooter and a built-in navigator.

According to scooter producers, CE 04 – exclusively urban. Its future owners are townspeople who drive within 15 kilometers a day. But even though e-scooters are cheap to run, they can be expensive to buy. Prices are coming down but e-scooters from major brands like BMW are far more expensive than petrol versions. For example, the BMW C-Evolution costs just under £13,000 while a standard scooter can cost anything between £1,000-£1,500. You’d be lucky to find a good e-scooter for less.

Of particular interest is an accessory that has nothing to do with the scooter, but nevertheless, created by BMW especially for it – the “smart” driver’s jacket. It is made of waterproof material and has LEDs integrated into its sleeves and hood. You can make it glow with the help of sensors sewn into the sleeves. This jacket also has its own powerbank built in, with the capability of wirelessly charging your phone when it’s in the pocket, and that’s another nice touch. It’s lightly armored and designed to be worn on and off the bike. Again it’ll be interesting to see if, and how this gear makes it through the certification process.

It is obvious that BMW will have a lot of competition if and when it decides to move the CE 04 out of the concept category and into the realm of reality. There are a variety of relatively inexpensive motor scooters available today and more on the way. Of course, the more choice will be, the better for customers, but it is still unknown whether BMW will live up to the expectations imposed on them.

Soutces:

https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/11/21560306/bmw-electric-scooter-concept-motorrad-definition-ce-04

https://www.techcult.ru/technics/9025-bmw-gotovitsya-zapustit-v-proizvodstvo-sobstvennyj-elektroskuter

https://newatlas.com/motorcycles/bmw-definition-ce-04-electric-scooter/

Reading Time: 2 minutesIn the UK, in the Lake District mountainous region, a prototype jetpack is being tested for paramedics in the rescue service. The customer is the Great North Air Ambulance Service, the jetpack developer is the well-known company Gravity Industries, founded by Richard Browning. Medical jetpacks will not replace the air ambulance, but will significantly speed up the provision of assistance in mountainous areas. As the undulating peaks and valleys can often mean that helicopter is unable to safely land close to the casualty, forcing travel by vehicle or foot.

There are two main scenarios where a jetpack paramedic is especially helpful. Firstly, if it is impossible to deliver the doctor to the patient except by helicopter, then the doctor can personally go to him. Secondly, which is more common, when the injury is not dangerous, like a simple fracture, but ordinary rescuers will climb to the goal for at least half an hour. With a jetpack behind you, this can be done in 90 seconds, injecting painkillers and providing first aid until the group arrives.

A paramedic with a jetpack flies directly, ignoring obstacles on the ground, and therefore there is no price for such a vehicle in the mountains. According to Andy Mawson, the head of the rescuers, with such equipment, he will be able to defibrillate the victim at an altitude of 1 km, a maximum of 8 minutes after receiving a cardiac arrest signal. In theory, a jetpack from Gravity Industries can lift its operator to a height of up to 4 km, but so far no one is aiming at such boundaries for safety reasons.

But there is a huge problem – each jetpack costs $ 435,900. And Gravity Industries is still working on a design that will be optimal for paramedics. Most likely, they will have to reduce the power of the system and there is no need to maintain such a high speed of 136 km/h. So, there is still a lot to work on. But the main thing is that a start has been made, and jetpacks made of expensive toys for adults will finally begin to be used with real benefits.

Sources:

https://interestingengineering.com/uk-rescue-service-tests-jetpacks-for-mountain-paramedics

https://www.techcult.ru/technics/8825-britanskie-spasateli-testiruyut-moshnye-dzhetpaki

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One of the main characteristics of modern electric multicopters is the autonomous flight time on a single battery charge. On average, such devices can fly no more than 30 minutes. However, for hybrid units, a petrol and electric drive system is used. One of these quadrocopters, created by the company Quaternium from Spain, recently broke the record and spent 10 hours 14 minutes in the air.

In the basic configuration, the HYBRiX 2.1 weighs 13 kg, lifts up to 10 kg of payload, accelerates to 80 km / h and stays in the air for up to 2 hours with such a load, which is more than the “electric trains” show. And most importantly, a drone with a hybrid installation can continue to work immediately after refueling.

The first model developed by Quaternium under the HYBRiX 2.0 brand flew in a hybrid engine for four hours and forty minutes in December 2017. This time became a new world record for autonomous quadcopters. To further improve the model, the company will release the HYBRiX 2.1 model, which in February 2020 set the next world record for autonomous flight time, which was already 8 hours 10 minutes.

Further improvement of the parameters of the HYBRiX 2.0 was carried out by changing the parameters of the drone’s fuel system. The developers have increased the volume of the fuel tank to 16 liters and installed a fuel injection system for the two-stroke quadcopter engine. The injection system is made by the Spanish company Löweheiser, is quite compact and affects the total weight of the device.

The quadrocopter can be used in many areas, for example Benidorm’s Police is using the HYBRiX to solve problems more efficiently, such as search and rescue missions or control of illegal dumping, and to improve the protection of Benidorm citizens.

“As a Police tool, this device has the advantage of endurance, enabling us to start and finish the job without needing to return to the takeoff point to change the batteries in order to extend the flight time,” Benidorm Local Police Agent Francisco Albero Clemente said. “This aircraft allows us to perform operations similar to those of a helicopter, at a reduced cost.”

Furthermore, today the world is suffering from recurrent catastrophes caused by climate change. From floods to forest fires, generating huge damages to critical infrastructures, communications systems access and basic services. For over 10 years, quadcopters have proven their value in evaluating the aftermath of earthquakes such as the case of the Sichuan earthquake or Hurricane Florence’s landfall. In both disasters, multirotors were used to search the land and identify as many people as possible. Although they were useful, they all had the same limitation, flight endurance. Being only able to cover small areas.

During these situations, every second counts. This is what motivated Quaternium to develop a drone that could have a much longer endurance. With HYBRiX, rescuers and firefighters will be able to identify hot spots and access property damage while searching for survivors. Thanks to the unique features of HYBRiX, these situations can be managed safely while achieving faster results.

Resources:

https://24gadget.ru/1161071304-gibridnyj-kvadrokopter-hybrix-21-postavil-rekord-avtonomnosti-

https://www.commercialuavnews.com/forestry/quaternium-s-hybrix-20-multicopter-enables-companies-to-stay-in-the-air-longer

http://robotrends.ru/pub/2045/hybrix-2.1-gibridnyy-rekordsmen-ot-quaternium

https://www.techcult.ru/technics/8943-dron-hybrix-ustanovil-mirovoj-rekord