MAROKO133 Eksklusif ai: Royal Navy transforms Wildcat helicopter into drone command hub in

📌 MAROKO133 Hot ai: Royal Navy transforms Wildcat helicopter into drone command hu

The UK’s Royal Navy has successfully transformed one of its Wildcat helicopters into an airborne command hub capable of receiving and managing live data from multiple drones during flight.

The Wildcat helicopter crew utilized real-time information from two surveillance drones, called Puma and Providence, to located and track a moving vehicle. The data was instantly shared over a decentralized mesh network.

“We turned a Wildcat helicopter into a flying command center,” Lt. Cmdr. Rhydian Edwards, head of the Wildcat Maritime Force Operational Advantage Group, said.

This enabled the helicopter to operate beyond line of sight and over the horizon. The trials were carried out at Predannack airfield on Cornwall’s Lizard Peninsula as part of an initiative known as Eagles Eye.

“For the first time, while flying a mission, a Royal Navy crew sent and received live data from multiple drones from within the aircraft across a node network,” Edwards added.

Royal Navy drone control

According to the Royal Navy, the major effort brought together crewed aircraft, uncrewed systems and ground-based sensors into a single, resilient network. It laid the groundwork for more complex future operations.

During the demonstration, the Wildcat crew received live video and sensor data streamed from a Puma surveillance drone. The drone was run by the Royal Navy’s specialist drone unit, 700x Naval Air Squadron.

The crew received additional live feeds from a smaller Providence drone operated by UAV Aerosystems. These streams were combined with other inputs to give the helicopter crews a clearer picture of the battlefield environment.

For the operation, the team used a multi-node mesh network that could reroute data automatically through other available noted, if certain parts of the network were disrupted. This ensured continuous data flow between aircraft, drones and ground units.

“We are building a system that is modular and survivable – embracing the latest tech to make us deadlier and harder to defeat in a fight on the modern battlefield,” Edwards pointed out.

Advanced naval aviation

According to Edwards, the mesh network has proven crucial in Ukraine, where it has been used successfully by allied forces. It is seen as a key enabler of future hybrid air operations.

“It’s not just about the drone, it’s also about the network access,” he noted. “By learning lessons from the war in Ukraine we are securing these links into MESH networks, increasing interoperability and proving we can connect sensors and strike assets across the battlefield instantly.”

He said the system acts as a universal translator. It replaces the need for separate interfaces for each new drone or sensor. “This breaks that cycle,” he concluded in a press release.

The Eagles Eye trials involved personnel from multiple Royal Navy squadrons, as well as industry partners including MarWorks, TeleplanForsberg, C3IA, General Dynamics, UAV Aerosystems and Collins Aerospace.

Together, they tested how crewed aircraft could coordinate with drones operated not only by the Navy, but potentially by other branches of the UK Armed Forces and NATO allies.

The Royal Navy now intends to build on these results during upcoming exercises in Norway. Wildcats will reportedly operate alongside the Royal Norwegian Navy to test helicopter-drone teaming in fjord environments, focusing on fast attack craft and other asymmetric threats.

🔗 Sumber: interestingengineering.com

📌 MAROKO133 Eksklusif ai: Sulfur tweak accelerates ion flow, unlocks faster perfor

Researchers at Kennesaw State University are developing a sulfur-modified solid electrolyte designed to improve lithium-ion movement in solid-state batteries, addressing one of the main technical barriers preventing the technology from wider use.

Solid-state batteries replace the flammable liquid electrolyte used in conventional lithium-ion cells with a solid material, reducing fire risks and improving thermal stability.

However, lithium ions move more slowly through solid materials, limiting charging speed and overall performance.

The research is led by Beibei Jiang, an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, whose team is working on a composite solid electrolyte that combines ceramic and polymer components.

By modifying this composite with sulfur-based chemical groups, the researchers aim to lower resistance at material interfaces and allow lithium ions to move more efficiently.

“Our goal is to replace all those flammable components, so the battery becomes much safer,” Jiang said. “By removing the liquid electrolyte and redesigning the solid materials inside the battery, we can reduce the risk of overheating, short circuits, and fires while also improving performance.”

Solid-state batteries are widely viewed as a next step for electric vehicles, grid storage, and consumer electronics, but slow ion transport has remained a persistent challenge.

Jiang’s team focused on improving the internal bonding between different solid materials rather than redesigning the entire battery architecture.

Smoothing lithium’s pathway

The team introduced sulfur-based chemical groups into the composite electrolyte, improving bonding between the ceramic and polymer phases. This reduced interfacial resistance, allowing lithium ions to move more freely through the solid structure.

“The lithium ions are like cars on a highway,” Jiang said. “Our sulfur modification is like smoothing that highway so lithium ions can move faster, which means the battery can charge faster and perform better.”

During the experiments, the researchers also identified a strong interaction between sulfur and zirconium in the ceramic portion of the electrolyte.

According to the team, this interaction plays a key role in the observed performance improvements and has not been previously documented in solid-state battery research.

“We are the first group proposing this strong interaction between sulfur and zirconium,” Jiang said. “We believe that this interaction is the main reason for the improved performance we are seeing.”

The discovery emerged unexpectedly when students noticed a reaction occurring much faster than anticipated during early tests. Rather than discarding the result, the team investigated the cause and adjusted the process to make it controllable.

“It was almost accidental,” Jiang said. “The reaction happened in just a few seconds and quickly got out of control.”

From lab to cells

Most of the work is being carried out in Jiang’s laboratory on Kennesaw State’s Marietta Campus, where students synthesize materials, assemble prototype batteries, and test their performance using coin-cell designs.

The project is supported by a $200,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, along with internal seed funding.

“Our focus right now is to prove that this design works and that it is stable and reliable,” Jiang said. “Once we can show that, then we can think about scaling and manufacturing.”

While the technology is still at an early stage, the researchers believe the materials approach could be adapted for a range of battery applications if long-term stability and manufacturability can be demonstrated.

🔗 Sumber: interestingengineering.com