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Recent advances in small unmanned air vehicles (UAV) lead to robust on-board stabilized platforms ready to use for real-world problems. As a result, many different autonomy functions have been demonstrated, which allow controlling the UAVs at high level. However, the great variety of platforms also poses new challenges when adapting these autonomy functions to new platforms. For instance modifying a trajectory planning algorithm, which was designed for a rotary-aircraft with a moving camera, to work on a fixed-wing aircraft with a static camera is not a trivial task. Often such algorithmic solutions are tailored so specifically to a certain platform that it becomes very complicated to reuse algorithms. This results in a variety of many different approaches trying to solve the same task. We therefore encourage designing algorithms for UAVs autonomy function to be more generic. As an example, we focus on the task to autonomously follow a moving ground object using an UAV.

TRIADE is a European Union project that focuses on the development of technological building blocks for Structure Health Monitoring (SHM) sensing devices in aeronautics. It is funded under the 7th framework program. In terms of objectives, the TRIADE project focuses on providing these technological building blocks and fully integrated prototypes in order to achieve power generation, power conservation, energy management and embedded powerful intelligence for data processing and storage for SHM sensing devices. The principal technological building blocks that the TRIADE project will provide are: - A low profile battery with high energy density which will be able to function in a harsh environment, - An energy harvester from vibration and electromagnetic RF, - Ultra low power sensors which will be designed in SOI technology, and - A neural network for data recording and damage assessment.

Mini UAVs in the ≺20 kg category are widely operated by military and civilian organizations, usually for surveillance purposes, and many are electrically powered for low acoustic and infra-red observability. Despite recent improvements in Lithium Polymer battery technology, endurance is still usually limited to around 1 hour for fixed wing vehicles. For operational reasons, it is desirable to increase endurance and fuel cells can provide the high energy density necessary to do this. Many examples of PEMFC (Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell)-powered UAVs have been flown in recent years, all relying on a supply of hydrogen on board the UAV, giving the usual safety and weight concerns surrounding hydrogen storage.

The experimental results of air evolution research by gravity fuel flow in a pipeline are presented. The pipe-line included an inclined section and a horizontal section connected by a bend. An orifice was installed at the entrance of the inclined pipeline section. The experimental investigations were carried out at pressures ranging from 20 to 80 kPa and temperatures varying between −20°C and +20°C. A significant fuel flow drop was observed by decreasing the pressure to a certain boundary value. This effect was caused by air evolution and the formation of two-phase air-fuel flow. It was shown that the boundary pressure value corresponding to the air evolution onset depended on temperature and fuel velocity values.

Trajectory optimization methods have been successfully used to minimize pollutant emissions during departure and arrivals, and noise over communities near the airports. This has led to the development, within the CleanSky European research project, of a trajectory optimization framework capable of finding optimal flight paths that minimize emissions, flight cost and noise impact on the population, while still taking into account aircraft limitations and operational restrictions. While this can be very useful when the next generation of trajectory-based air-traffic management systems arrives, as being proposed by SESAR and NextGen, it can still provide benefits in the current context, if implemented taking into account the air navigation rules.