The Munich-based manufacturer of dual-use reconnaissance drones that use multi-sensor technology to collect data for government agencies and commercial users, Quantum Systems, confirms for the first time the deployment of a previously unreleased AI sensor upgrade of the type “Receptor AI” in Ukraine.
The new upgrade kit is based on a Jetson Orin Nvidia chip and several sensors for the Vector reconnaissance drone. The further development enables optical navigation during the day and at night and in poor visibility conditions, as well as automated AI-supported object recognition and identification.
Enabling Navigation in GNSS-Denied Conditions
In times of electronic warfare, navigation is the biggest challenge for the use of drones. The new Quantum Systems upgrade offers a further option for signal-independent positioning of reconnaissance drones and fundamentally improves their use under GNSS-denied conditions. The new module is being tested and further developed at the company’s recently opened development site in Ukraine.
“Receptor AI” enables autonomous flight at night and in bad weather thanks to infrared-supported visual navigation. Object sensor technology has also been significantly improved. Hardware and software upgrades now allow better object detection, classification, identification and tracking of objects.
Equal Weight and Range of the System with Update Kit
“We are implementing the upgrade without any weight changes and with the same range,” says Daniel Kneifel, Director of Software Engineering at Quantum Systems. “We are designing these adaptations without fundamental changes to the existing platform architecture.”
Source: Press Release