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From: fitz@frc.ri.cmu.edu (Kerien Fitzpatrick)
Subject: Re: UAV launch & recovery robot
Message-ID: <CG0x6C.664.2@cs.cmu.edu>
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Reply-To: fitz@frc.ri.cmu.edu
Organization: Field Robotics Center, Carnegie Mellon University
References: <2bbrsa$poo@carroll1.cc.edu>
Date: Fri, 5 Nov 1993 14:49:23 GMT
Lines: 58

In article poo@carroll1.cc.edu, dtroup@carroll1.cc.edu (David C. Troup) writes:
> In article <CFz19y.7p1@ra.nrl.navy.mil> vogt@kahuna.nrl.navy.mil (Rob Vogt) writes:
> >
> >I am conducting some research to determine the feasability
> >of catching a small unmanned air vehicle with a robotic arm.
> >The robotic arm will be moving aboard a stable platform at the 
> >same relative speed as the aircraft.
> 
> 	 I guess I dont see the practicle applications - why not just use a
> netting type of capture (like they use now). It's cheap, it works, you wont
> spend alot of the R&D and it's practicle. Ah! I just noticed that the arm
> will be moving at the same speed as the airborn vehicle...when would this
> situation arise? (inquiring minds want to know!)
> 
> 	Many of the UAV's use a netting type of recovery - research has
> proved this to be the most cost-effective method of recovery. I do recall a
> project called "Sky Hook" that used a crane to snare British Harriers from
> small ships as sea. I only saw the on-land tests of this project, and I
> dont know if they ever proceeded any further. You might want to check
> Aviation Week and Space Technology for more information on Sky Hook and
> UAV/RPV recovery techniques. 
> 
> 	Hope this helps...
> 
> 	David C. Troup
> 	Project RUSH - Robot Under a Subsumption Heuristic
> 
> 
> -- 
> David C. Troup  DC12	   !                Primary Sponsors:                !
> dtroup@carroll1.cc.edu     ! SEATREND   SIMMER STYLE    FIBERSPAR   O'NEILL  !
> 414.547.4719	           !_________________________________________________!
>     "Bones heal, pain is temporary, chicks dig scars and glory is forever!"


Netting a UAV has a number of detrimental side-effects.  A number of the new
UAV designs (and a number of old) use tilt-rotor technology.  Tilt-rotor
aircraft provide capabilities (hovering or very low speed) beneficial to
tasks such as reconnaissance and target-tracking.  Netting a tilt-rotor
aircraft just about destroys the thing.  We had a commercially-funded project
to look at development of an autoland system for a tilt-rotor aircraft.

Serious inquiries should probably be directed to:
	Tony Stentz
	axs@frc.ri.cmu.edu



---
Kerien Fitzpatrick			Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Field Robotics Center			(412)268-6564
The Robotics Institute			Internet: fitz@frc.ri.cmu.edu
Carnegie Mellon University





