UAV Navigation-Grupo Oesía unveils 3D Geocaging autopilot feature to elevate flight safety

Introducing a new visual aid for safer and more efficient UAV operations

In the rapidly advancing world of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), precision and flight safety remain the top priorities. UAV Navigation-Grupo Oesía is committed to ensuring the highest standards of safety in its autopilot solutions and has unveiled a new feature within its Visionair flight plan editor and GCS software: The Geocaging functionality. This innovative feature is designed to significantly enhance operator situational awareness and improve flight safety by ensuring that the UAS autonomously remains within the designated volume when using VECTOR autopilot solutions, which serve fixed-wing, rotary-wing, and target drones.

The Operational Volume Functionality enables UAV operators to define and monitor three critical areas around their flight path using an intuitive color-coded interface. This functionality is engineered to help prevent accidents and manage risks by clearly delineating boundaries for UAV operations. The feature provides both visual cues, automatic actions and real-time feedback, ensuring operators are always aware of their UAV's position relative to these safety zones:

• Green Area: Represents the Flight Geography, the primary zone where normal operations occur. When the UAV remains within this area, operations are considered safe and functioning as expected.
• Yellow Area: Denotes the Contingency Volume, a secondary buffer surrounding the Flight Geography. Entry into this zone triggers a medium-priority alert, indicating the need for possible corrective action.
• Red Area: Marks the Ground Risk Buffer, the outermost safety zone. Penetration of this area triggers high-priority alarms and can automatically initiate safety protocols to mitigate risks.

This safety feature simplifies the operator's task, enhancing situational awareness and mission tracking. The VECTOR autopilot continuously monitors and updates the UAV's position within these zones during autonomous flights, ensuring optimal safety and performance.

“Our mission is to innovate and expand our clients' capabilities while keeping flight safety at the forefront. The geocaging functionality is a significant advancement, improving situational awareness through visual aids”, said Miguel Ángel de Frutos, Director and CTO of UAV Navigation-Grupo Oesía.

The Geocaging or Operational Volume Functionality is a powerful tool that redefines UAV flight safety and operational efficiency. With its user-friendly setup and real-time monitoring, operators can manage risks more effectively and ensure their UAVs remain within safe operational limits.

This functionality becomes a key element for certification purposes and enhances flight safety within U-Space, specifically for the integration of UAS into manned airspace. It also supports projects such as U-SCUAR, a project funded by CDTI, co-financed by the European Commission's Recovery and Resilience Mechanism, and supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. The project aims to ensure compliance with European UAS regulations for medium-risk scenarios in the specific category, where the Operational Volume, as part of the Concept of Operations (ConOps), plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety of the operation.

For more information about this safety feature and to learn how UAV Navigation- Oesia ’s autopilots and mission planners can enhance your UAS platform operations, please contact UAV Navigation-Grupo Oesía.