DroneX Expo – Review and Roundup 2023
Last week many drone and UAV enthusiasts had just attended the DroneX trade show 2023, which is now currently the largest event of its kind in the UK. DroneExpos has been proud to be both a 2022 and 2023 partner to DroneX, and we would like to thank Adnan Hiroli and his team from Fortem International, for putting on such a seamless show this year. We were overwhelmed by the amount people reaching out following the show.
DroneX 2023 was held at the Excel Exhibition Centre in London, with over three hundred exhibitor trade stands, with many dedicated dedicated to the UAV and Drone sector including services, parts and accessories. Attending the show were more than three thousand visitors over the two days.
The show featured innovative live talks from experts and demos covering various disciplines and technology related to the UAV industry. We attended an excellent seminar on inflight icing which is a high risk for UAVS, that was well presented by Senior Design Engineer Brock Harden from CAV Systems. They are at the cutting edge of technology deployed in severe weather environments, protecting UAVs from flight disruption.
CAV Systems Ltd is a global aerospace supplier of airborne ice protection systems and drag reduction technology for civilian, commercial, and military aircraft. https://www.cav-systems.com/
On the Floor -Tradeshow Tour
For those of you that may not have been lucky enough to attend, we have put together a small tour of some of the highlights that we observed this year:
As you walked into the expo this year, you were met by huge and very impressive autonomous agricultural drones. Autospray Systems supply electric, multi-function autonomous drones and robots for use on farms and in forestry. They are helping farmers to improve efficiency and increase margins, while reducing chemical usage, lowering carbon emissions, and improving worker safety. They were explaining to us how they had been working on spraying the outside of greenhouses. They have some excellent explanation videos on their YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@autospraysystems You can also learn more on their website here: https://autospraysystems.com/
Wings For Aid a Dutch initiative renowned for their remote piloted aircraft systems. They deliver humanitarian goods to people in isolated areas and had on display their innovative cardboard carton delivery system. www.wingsforaid.com
We observed some groundbreaking designs and concepts such as the ADIFO (All Directions Flying Object) from Delphs Dynamics CEO, Razvan Sabie and team. Razvan was extremely happy to share the principles behind how these objects move through the air and the aerodynamics involved. It was extremely eye opening to see something completely new in shape and design and imagine the future possibilities of development from this team. http://www.adifoaircraft.com/
Continental Engineering Services discussed their mapping and analytics services for surveying applications, as well of the benefits of their software solutions for agricultural surveying. They use proven technology which is tried and tested to high standards in the automotive industry. For more information https://conti-engineering.com/
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No… it’s a bio inspired Drone! Silent Flyer with their seagull sized drone designed to mimic birds, all the way from Reykjavík, Iceland to demonstrate! We met with their CEO Björg and Technical Specialist Ingólfur. Their Silent Flyer is a wing-flapping drone that looks and flies like a bird. Natural flight characteristics and quiet gliding makes the drone an ideal solution for security and surveillance applications. We absolutely love the animations on their website, if you get chance please go and pay them a visit here: https://www.silentflyer.tech/
Manta Air Parachutes who specialise in the development and manufacturing of innovative recovery systems for UAS and drones were showing their latest parachutes and parachute launchers. Repack, Reuse for the next time! For more information https://manta-air.com/
The Future Flight Challenge a UK Research & Innovation programme to help create the aviation industry of the future were showcasing some of their recent linked projects. Here you can see our friends from Skyports showcasing a drone project supported by the programme. To learn more about the Future Flight Challenge https://www.ukri.org/what-we-do/our-main-funds-and-areas-of-support/browse-our-areas-of-investment-and-support/future-flight/
Skyports Drone Services uses drone technology to enable businesses to develop their logistics, capture key data, and improve operational efficiency. They are active in the rural deliveries, survey, surveillance and maritime verticals. https://skyports.net/
Cambridge Sensoris Radar Solutions gave an excellent real-time demonstration on their stand. They manufacture pioneering micro-radar and sensing systems for the commercial drone industry along with many other applications. You can see their offering here https://www.cambsensoriis.com/
We could have spent half our day with Bulent Tanilli, CEO of Semai. He gave us a thorough overview of his platform Dynotis, which was impressive. Dynotis is a testbench built to assist you in your engineering decision to compare the performance of different motor-propeller combinations for a given mission. It measures and collects high-fidelity data of your propulsion system and derives its efficiency. Take a look yourself to see how their software may benefit your next project https://semai.com.tr/en
MGI Mission-Led Engineering – A high quality consultancy and contracting services, with their novel and innovative solutions. Their ethos is based on a track record of using an F1 mindset, which definitely brings something extra to the game! www.mgiengineering.com
Angoka Encrypted Systems working in sectors such as air mobility and aerospace and defence. Their team explained that drones depend on machine-to-machine communication – if this is lost, the devices are effectively lost. Using Angoka’s protocols ensures the accuracy and security of the communications between devices. https://angoka.io/
Devonshire company, Extreme Cases – Showed us over their cases for extreme environments including aluminium containers, panel mounted cases and shock mounted backpacks for safely containing drone and UAV equipment. To learn more about them www.extreme-cases.com
ZEUS UAV – based in the UK in Dorset, a company with a global reach. Having both military and technical experience that has helped them to design and manufacture a series of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Their offering includes ground-based stations & controllers alongside a stable and secure cost efficient satellite communication network. Their Director, Shaun Weatherhead drew a lot of attention with his fleet out on display. Pictured above the ZEUS 1, with an impressive 6kg payload and an endurance between 8-10 hours. To learn more https://zeusuav.co.uk/
Mark 3D laid out their capabilities on the table with an offering of parts that showed their technical potential for creating parts for our industry. Their team are specialists in additive design and manufacturing for strength critical applications and high strength fibre reinforced 3D printed parts. Their Markforged 3D Printers allow you to print extremely stable and high-quality, three-dimensional parts – in the shortest possible time, at a fraction of the cost and with maximum stability! For more information https://www.mark3d.com/en/
Greenjets, pioneers of bespoke electric jet engines which are quiet, safe and efficient were showing a few things that caught our attention and curiosity. Pictured above, a drone with its blades covered up, that they were teasing onlookers with, before product release shortly. Their next generation electric propulsors were designed with the vision to accelerate the adoption of sustainable aviation https://www.greenjets.com/
A very informative and interactive demonstration from Hannu Lesonen (CEO) from Anarky Labs. His patented software AirHUD is the first real heads-up display for professional drone pilots giving them unlimited situational awareness and allowing them to see the drone in the sky at all times. They use augmented reality to raise situational awareness to completely new levels! Check it out here https://anarkylabs.com/airhud/
The XER X8 from Xer Technologies sitting proud which is a heavy-duty hybrid drone designed for demanding missions. It has a flight time of over 2.5 hours, with the ability to carry up to 7 kg payloads. The key to this drone is its resilience against adverse weather conditions. It definitely sets a new standard in the drone industry. https://www.xer-tech.com/drones/x8/
Intelliports had on display AIIDA, a state of the art Autonomous Inter and Intra Droneport. This company is at the cutting edge of aerial logistics. Their solutions fully automate all key tasks involved in drone operations. This includes drone garaging, drone transport, drone charging, parcel loading/unloading, inventory management, and flight preparation. https://www.inteliports.com
ALVA Technologies showed us the next-generation in electric motor technology. An advanced manufacturer from Norway, are definitely one to keep an eye on for future! They use a unique production technology called FiberPrinting™ which they developed for electric motors. The unique production technology revolutionizes the way electric motors can be designed and produced, introducing a new benchmark for custom motor development. They really are on a mission to develop the world’s best and most reliable electric drive systems. https://www.alvaindustries.com/
We also spoke with Visualskies who are global leaders in 3D Scanning & Data Capture. Their models boast millimetric precision and high-fidelity textures. They have been an authority on some of the biggest projects in Film/TV, Heritage & Archaeology, Construction, Gaming and Fashion. Their recent projects also included: Ridley Scott’s Napoleon / Glastonbury / UK Parliament – Restoration / Game of Thrones / University of Chicago – Jordan Archaeological Survey / National Geographic – Lost Cities. Joe Steel, Duncan Lees and Ross Dannmayr, along with their team really are a shining example of where the drone industry can take you! Learn more https://visualskies.com/
So what’s next? DroneX 2024 of course!
We look forward to seeing you next year at DroneX. Some items to look out for will be the advancement of hydrogen powered drones, and how AI will evolve in correlation with UAV. Also keep in mind the ground-breaking work, which is nonstop in the sector of propulsion, including huge advances in blade design.
Remember if you are a manufacturer or offer services related to the Drone industry, be sure to send us your news and press releases which we will feature for free on DroneExpos and also share through our social networks! Email your news to info@droneexpos.co.uk with a supporting image.
