Animal Dynamics. Cascade Way, 4610/4620 Kingsgate, Oxford, OX4 2SU
Copyright 2024 Animal Dynamics
© All rights Reserved
Copyright 2024 Animal Dynamics
© All rights Reserved
Warzones, natural disasters, and damaged and inoperable infrastructure create logistical crises. Today’s technology is consistently challenged when operating in these spaces, whether that be the inefficiency in the engineering or the risk that it brings to human life. Human intervention is required to compensate for tasks where modern technology is yet to provide an autonomous solution; a solution which Animal Dynamics has recognised and will be at the forefront of delivering. The unique form factor of the STORK family of vehicles assures capability within these austere environments, enabling them to get to where they are needed fast, and fly where competitors can’t.
STORK STM was designed to meet the challenges of military middle and last mile resupply, be that shortages of fuel, broken vehicles or the inability to get supplies to the frontline. With its expeditionary nature, STORK STM can be used to deliver goods and effects when other crewed vehicles would be at risk. The modular payload bays can carry resupply, ISR payloads and more, whilst providing 2kW of power and a bi-directional satcom data link.
A key difference the STM possesses from that of a multi-rotor is that it’s also fairly quiet and able to glide where the engine can be shut off, travelling a total of 24km from its height ceiling. This ensures that whilst carrying out a resupply mission it’s much less likely to give away the location, and ideal in situations where it may need to glide and listen out for radio signals. The STM can be piloted remotely or operate under autonomous control even when GNSS and comms are unavailable. This capability also permits flight within complete darkness.
The occurrence of natural disasters such as earthquakes or floods results in broken and damaged infrastructure such as flooded roads, broken train lines or unstable airfields. These challenging environments make the delivery of aid and supplies extremely difficult, heightened by the fact that traditional vehicles’ logistic processes can be inefficient. Currently it takes anywhere between two to three days for aid agencies to mobilise and commence humanitarian logistic missions. STORK STM has been designed so that its autonomy, range and infrastructure independence allows for a faster deployment of aid from afar.
STM is capable of taking off and landing on any terrain type and is capable of supplying communities in remote places otherwise inaccessible to more traditional vehicles. STORK’s precision payload capability ensures these supplies are delivered to isolated groups directly, eliminating the need for distribution from central hubs previously dropped by the likes of helicopter aircraft. Additionally, STM’s greater scalability in a fleet allows for greater land coverage.
LiDAR scanning allows for the generation of detailed and accurate digital terrain models that can optimally guide any decision making about the management of areas such as forest floor mapping. As an example, forest management agencies, whether they be federal or private, require up to date data on the biomass within a forested area in order to make the right decisions for maintaining and improving them. The level of detail in the required dataset cannot be achieved by simple photogrammetry alone because it does not provide accurate sub-canopy data, and therefore it is not possible to generate a precise digital terrain model. LiDAR scanning allows for this generation via the projected lasers penetrating the canopies, reflecting off sub-canopy features and even the forest floor, and then returning to the sensor.
STORK ST 25 is our smaller aerial UAV designed for scanning missions like LiDAR, and thanks to the 10kg payload, gives the choice to use combinations of sensors of different types such as multispectral or RGB. The optimal slower speed compared to fixed wing vehicles allows higher resolution of data collected.
STORK STM has the scope to transform agricultural production. Automated crop-spraying would allow the assessment of crop health and perform precision spraying according to need, rather than traditional “blanket spraying” which aside from being economically wasteful, also greatly damages the environment and our water systems. Globally, food production is the single greatest contributor to deforestation, drought, loss of biodiversity and freshwater pollution on earth, as well as being the greatest driver of climate change. Beyond ecological benefits, STORK STM’s automated and precision assessment, improves crop quality and yield, strengthens the supply chain resilience, and reduces labour demands.
STORK STM has been carefully designed to carry up to 135kg of cargo over a maximum 400km radius, all whilst flying completely autonomously. The 135 kg payload can be swapped for fuel to increase the vehicle’s range and endurance and has been calculated as the optimum weight to resupply an eight-person military squad over two days. The versatile payload bays can be reconfigured and customised to suit multiple missions. STORK STM only requires a 50 m take-off and landing runway, and can operate from any terrain type; ideal for environments where infrastructure may be damaged. The vehicle is operational beyond visual line of sight and able to be remotely-piloted via satcomms and be operational in GPS denied spaces.
Find out moreSTORK ST25 is the smaller of our aerial UAVs and was developed for scanning missions. The slower controlled speed combined with greater range over that of fixed wings and multi-rotors, enables ST25 to be an optimal vehicle for scanning forests with LiDAR whilst maintaining high resolution. The 10 kg payload capacity gives versatility to the end user, offering the choice to use varying models of LiDAR sensors or even in addition to other types of sensors such as multispectral or RBG. STORK ST25 is operational beyond visual line of sight and only requires a 10-30 m runway for take-off and landing. Like the STM, ST25 can take-off from any terrain type; ideal for environments with a lack of infrastructure or forestry/woodland domains.
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