OFF-SCREEN SPEAKER: The joy in the team when we first heard the message that the other
aircraft was detected... that was a major, major milestone.
PROFESSOR DUNCAN CAMPBELL -- ARCAA DIRECTOR: So Project ResQu really underpins the mission
and the vision, the objectives for ARCAA. So ARCAA is all about aerospace automation,
and in particular guided by the integration of unmanned aircraft in civilian airspace.
ROWLAND MARSHALL -- PROJECT MANAGER, PROJECT RESQU: The key thing we'd like to see them
used is in places like precision agriculture or search-and-rescue applications.
And so ResQu itself was put together to basically bring the technologies required to allow that
civilian integration to occur as fast as possible, and we've been able to successfully detect
onboard a ScanEagle of an oncoming Cessna. And that's really big step for us, that's
a major milestone.
NIGEL MEADOWS -- CHIEF REMOTE PILOT, INSITU PACIFIC: There are a lot of organisations
trying to get the answer solved for UAV detect-and-avoid. This is one of the leading ones.
ScanEagle is a small UAV, at about 20 kilograms. It's launched by a pneumatic-powered catapult.
It's basically operated from a ground control station remotely. It recovers by catching
a vertical rope on a skyhook.
ROWLAND MARSHALL: In a project like this you really need to have a big-thinking end user,
like the state government, to provide the applications that we want to drive to.
We need to have a commercial partner like Insitu Pacific or Boeing that provide the
technical know-how and also the commercial experience to deliver those applications.
We've taken ideas that researchers have had and we've demonstrated them over time, and
now we're working really hard to commercialise them and get them over to industry.
DR JASON FORD -- SENIOR LECTURER, QUT: The key innovations in this technology relate
to the algorithms inside the system, and the way in which the information received, the
sensor and images are processed to determine if the target is present.
You do design about how the algorithms should be designed, and then you go and fly it and
that's this amazing feeling.
ROWLAND MARSHALL: The aim of this project has been to take the system that we've previously
demonstrated in Smart Skies onboard a Cessna and migrate that to a ScanEagle.
DUNCAN GREER -- ENGINEERING MANAGER, ARCAA: Essentially we fly directly towards the ScanEagle
and the see-and-avoid payload that's fitted to the ScanEagle is attempting to detect us
before we get too close.
ALEX WAINWRIGHT -- RESEARH ENGINEER, ARCAA: So when it detects something which is on a
collision course it will send a warning down through a wireless downlink to this ground
control station.
Further development of the system is going to have this fully automated and a closed
loop where it'll detect other aircraft and by itself it'll manoeuvre the aircraft out
of the way.
DUNCAN GREER: But this data processing is actually done by a graphical processer unit
- a GPU - which is a technology found in video cards, which are designed for gaming. Everybody
wants to be able to play Angry Birds on their phones really fast, and we're using that same
sort of technology to bring the size, weight and power down of the see-and-avoid sensor
to enable it to fly on small UAVs.
DR DMITRY BRATANOV -- RESEARCH ENGINEER, ARCAA: I was involved in similar projects working
with research and production centres in Russia, and I also spent six months working with German
colleagues. But in Australia it's most advanced.
DUNCAN CAMPBELL: Projects like Project ResQu and this research centre here at ARCAA, I
think there are lots of opportunities and exciting activities that we engage in terms
of students, within researchers. We get out there and we fly things.
[Group cheers]
ON-SCREEN TITLE: Project ResQu is conducted with the support of our sponsors: CSIRO, QUT,
Queensland Government, Boeing, Insitu Pacific.