Airports, power plants, prisons, power forces, but also the protection of important people - everywhere in the near future will find a use for the robotic "hunter" Eagle.one. It traps airspace intruders near critical infrastructure objects or so-called soft targets in the air in a net that deploys from the suspension before the hit. The Czech robot differs from similar products on the market in that it can catch even fast-flying targets moving along difficult-to-predict trajectories.
"Our robot reaches speeds of up to 100 km per hour and during flight it reaches the very limits of contemporary robotics. We had to significantly improve its sensory perception of space using lidar and cameras, and also work on its acceleration capability. The result is a very powerful machine that cannot escape even agile drones capable of changing their flight trajectory very quickly," said Assoc. Prof. Martin Saska, head of the Multi-robot Systems Group (MRS) at the Department of Cybernetics at FEE CTU.
AI helps to catch intruders in the net
It is the capabilities of catching fast-flying targets that make Eagle.one far superior to available competing solutions. To enable the robotic "hunter" to catch the movement of an intruder in the airspace, researchers from FEE CTU used artificial intelligence methods. Thanks to on-board artificial intelligence, it is able to work completely independently and plan the optimal trajectory to catch the enemy drone without any human intervention.
The Eagle.One control system is being developed at the Department of Cybernetics of the FEE CTU. "We use machine learning methods that evaluate data based on simulations of thousands of hours of real flight. First, we analyzed the current most advanced methods for capturing uncooperative drones. We then incorporated all key aspects into our planning, which we further optimized to enable the fastest possible capture on hundreds of different types of intruders," describes Assoc. Prof. Martin Saska the development of AI algorithms that will help the robotic hunter get the intruder into the net. In addition to optimal control of the drone and strategic planning of the intervention itself, AI is used to recognise the flying object and to assess its danger.
MRS researchers at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering are also working on coordinating multiple drones to work together to catch multiple targets. With artificial intelligence, they could then act in a group similarly to a pack of beasts attacking their prey.
What does capturing an enemy drone look like?
Eagle.One's eight-propeller, 15kg drone can normally be on standby 365 days a year in a protected mobile hangar that provides suitable conditions - from temperature to battery charging. The system includes a localization unit composed of 3D lidar (lidar is a method of recognizing the surroundings based on the reflection of a pulsed light beam). It protects the perimeter of the guarded object and if it detects a suspicious flying object, the intervention drone is automatically activated and ready for action in the air within seconds.
Compared to the previous version of Eagle.One, which was tested in a space provided by the Prison Service of the Czech Republic, the newer drone allows to increase the number of captures of hostile drones. "The previous hardware allowed only one attempt, the new one has an unlimited number of attempts," says Assoc. Prof. Martin Saska, listing the innovations in the latest version, mentioning also the higher reliability of the robot, which is able to hunt drones with a maximum weight of 5 kg (up to 20 kg in the case of slow-flying drones) at an altitude of up to several kilometres above the ground. The maximum flight time is 40 minutes.
The essential advantage of the Eagle.One system is that it disarms the enemy drone in the safest possible way. If it carries explosives or other dangerous substances, it could cause a disaster if shot down with a firearm or electromagnetic cannon. With the captured drone in the net, Eagle.One carefully lands the drone in a safe location determined in advance by bomb technicians.
"The target group for the use of Eagle.One is quite broad, as there are many places where drones are not desirable. However, we most often encounter interest from airports where the presence of an unauthorised drone causes a major threat to flight operations. There is also interest from prisons and border crossings, where drones are often used to smuggle prohibited substances, items and weapons. Mention should also be made of operators of critical infrastructure and factories, where even a small drone carrying explosives can cause enormous damage. Defence forces are a separate chapter," said Ing. Ladislav Urbánek from Eagle.One, who is in charge of sales of the Eagle.One drones in Europe.
However, this unique solution attracts interest from all over the world, which is so great that the company will be able to satisfy the current orders only during the next year. Further development of Eagle.One, including the financing of the company's expansion, was discussed by Assoc. Prof. Saska during his recent trip to the United States of America, during which he was part of the delegation of the President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel.
