Blue Bear launches Heads-Up AR tech for drones
Blue Bear Systems has launched its latest Augmented Reality (AR) system for swarming drones and BVLOS operations, called Heads-Up.
Image courtesy Blue Bear
The Heads-Up technology allows an operator, wearing AR glasses, to see where all the drones in the swarm are and visualise their health status and other parameters. Individual drones can be selected for a more detailed view on the system status.
This technology is particularly useful for drone swarm operators and safety pilots, especially when multiple drones are returning to a single landing area. When operating BVLOS, the system provides valuable information and context as to where the drones are, and in poor weather could be vital to safe operations. The next evolution of the software will add in additional external data sources such as ADSB to enhance the situational awareness picture for the safety pilots and operators.
Ian Williams-Wynn, MD of Blue Bear, said: “This is a key component to add to our CenturionTM swarming drone command and control system, and our Manned Unmanned Machine Teaming (MUM-T) technology. By layering different information, using AR, we can significantly enhance the operator’s ability to understand what a single drone, or swarm of drones, is doing, how much endurance is left, and obtain a host of other information about the platform and payloads.”
The technology has been developed with joint funding from the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), an in conjunction with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl).