Equipment

During operation, ARCAA was equipped with unique flight test capabilities and leading edge technology providing researchers with the exclusive opportunity to translate research concepts from paper to flight tested reality. This equipment will become available as part of the new Research Engineering Facility (REF) established by QUT's Institute for Future Environments.

Indoor Flying Lab
Indoor Flying Laboratory (IFL) & Vicon System ARCAA’s Indoor Flying Laboratory was a custom space fitted with a VICON camera system to allow controlled flight testing for research domains such as collision avoidance, vision based navigation and human factors.
TAAATs Feed
TAAATS Feed ARCAA gained access to a near real-time data feed from the Australian Advanced Air Traffic Systems (TAAATS) through an agreement with Airservices Australia in 2011. This allowed ARCAA researchers to operate on real traffic networks to develop strategic level separation algorithms and propose advanced human machine interfaces. ARCAA successfully ported the feed to a graphically rich user interface for operation on a multi-user, multi-touch interactive table.
Airborne Systems Laboratory
Airborne Systems Laboratory The ARCAA Airborne Systems Laboratory (ASL) was a Cessna 172R model general aviation aircraft which was custom modified into a sophisticated, low-cost, flexible flying laboratory. The ASL was the primary ARCAA flight test aircraft and was used to support research into automated separation management concepts, guidance and control algorithms, vision-based sensor systems and a range of other autonomous payloads.
Fixed Wing UAV
Fixed-Wing UAS ARCAA operated a number of different UAS platforms capable of supporting a wide range of experimental requirements. Platform types owned by ARCAA included:
  • Flamingo: A small fixed-wing UAS with a wingspan of 4m and maximum take-off weight of 20kg. and has an endurance of up to 4 hours.
  • CyberEye II: The platform has a maximum take-off weight of 80kg, wingspan of 4.5m and capable of carrying up to 20kg of payload.
Rotorwing UAS
Rotorwing UAS ARCAA operated several rotary UAS to support research. They were teamed with advance sensing equipment including multispectral, hyper-spectral, LiDAR and gas sensors. This provided researchers with a new toolset in addressing biosecurity, precision agriculture, environmental monitoring and infrastructure assessment applications. Platforms operated by ARCAA included:
  • Four DJI S800 EVO
  • Two DJI F550 multi-rotor platforms
Mobile Operating Centre (MOC)
Mobile Operating Centre (MOC) The MOC allowed ARCAA to take research concepts from paper to field-test reality by deploying people and assets to remote and inhospitable locations. The MOC was the hub of most ARCAA flight testing activity, providing ground personnel with the communications and computing systems necessary to safely and efficiently coordinate flight test activities within a comfortable and controlled environment.