Navig8

Navig8  from Canada, produced by 4Front Robotics

Introduce:

The Navig8 family of UAV’s is a set of scalable highly maneuverable, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicles. Their primary use is in helicopter impenetrable environments such as, the inside of a building, mine shaft, or under a forest canopy (but can also be used in open spaces as other UAV types). All Navig8 vehicles share the same core abilities, maneuverability in confined spaces and the ability to hover and land while in a non-zero pitch attitude. All vehicles are based on similar platform layouts as well, with twin ducted fans flanking a central fuselage.

There are four different versions currently available, each fitting a different range of requirements. Currently, two versions run on internal combustion gas engines (Navig8-32 and -56), and two are smaller electric vehicles (Navig8-E09 and -E16).

Navig8 Gas​

Portable & scaleable twin shrouded-prop gas VTOL UAV for operations in open (e.g.pipeline inspectionas well as confined spaces (e.g., urban canyons, forests, etc). The variable-pitch props & the dual ducted optimal design enables the UAV to have greater payload capacity (50-60% more payload) when compared to similar size UAVs. This UAV uses thrust vectoring and a proprietary active CofM change device as primary means of flight control to perform knife-edge maneuvers (e.g., pitched hover), which enables the UAV to take-off and land on highly slopped terrains (e.g., 25-45 degrees of inclination). The shrouded props tilt, individually, about a single common axis for pitch and yaw control. The ducts are easily removed and replaced for ease of transport. The flying and active navigation system characteristics are possible due to a novel CACM-RL control mechanism, MPC navigation, and optimal mechanical design.

Navig8 Electric

Portable twin shrouded-prop, electric VTOL UAV for operations inside confined spaces (e.g., buildings, warehouses, mines, etc.) or in close proximity to critical infrastructure (e.g., power lines & bridge inspection). The variable-pitch props & the dual ducted optimal design enables the UAV to have greater payload capacity (50-60% more) and fly for longer periods of time when compared to similar size UAVs. This UAV has enhanced knife-edge maneuver capabilities (when compared to our gas powered Navig8 UAVs) and can also take-off and land on highly slopped terrains (e.g., 25-45 degrees of inclination). This UAV uses our proprietary zero lift tail rotor for enhanced control and easier to fly and perform autonomous pitch hover and other maneuvers at high speeds (e.g., inside collapsed building. The shrouded props tilt, individually, about inclined axes/spars for pitch and yaw control.