Complaints about the Czech Republic's lagging behind in robotic and drone systems are very loud. Especially in connection with the country's security. You don't need much imagination to imagine the following situation. A small drone is heading to the Bor prison in Pilsen with a shipment of mobile phones for prisoners. It is not an official delivery, but it is faster and easier than bribing staff and risking the seizure of contraband... This is a fictitious situation, but with a real basis.
The prison service, like large airports in our country, records the movement of drones around the facilities. They can map possible security holes due to planned prison escapes, smuggle drugs by air, or check airport security. Drone hunters instead of headhunters Human resources professionals often act as brain hunters for employers. But they are not the only hunters. “Our drone is capable of capturing another drone, weighing up to five kilograms,” says Michal Pliska from Eagle.one and a doctoral student at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering (FEE) at the Czech Technical University in Prague. When developing this machine, the company, which works closely with the faculty, also took into account suggestions from potential future customers. Drone hunters, as the company presents its ideas to the outside world, can work in a system with radars and other detection devices, and the trigger for launch can of course also be visual contact between the observer and another drone. “We are improving both the interception nets and working to ensure that the capture of a drone does not cause any damage in the vicinity of the capture,” adds Pliska. Cooperation with the army However, the demonstration of not only this system as part of the specialized defense research day proves that ideas and specific projects already exist in the country, they are being developed not only here at the FEL, but also in private companies, and the research and practical spheres are increasingly interconnected. One of the FEL departments has constructed a mobile drone that is capable, for example, of inspecting the exterior and interior of a production plant or warehouse area alone or in pairs with another robot. CTU. “I think both,” adds this officer.“Inhuman” mine clearance and virtual reality for commanders Robotic vehicles as carriers of the wounded, as vans bringing food and ammunition to the front line, as already tested fire systems that can eliminate enemy manpower. This is the current line of contact between the Ukrainian and Russian armies. Systems developed in the Czech Republic are already being used there. For example, the FEL is currently working on autonomous ground “drones” that are capable of tracking another vehicle without human navigation. Work is also underway on an orientation system that will allow the vehicle to evaluate the terrain, determine the permeability of vegetation or mud, and will also be able to provide pyrotechnic events. “Virtual reality, which is currently very advanced and can reliably simulate the real environment, can also be used for teaching,” comments David Sedláček from the Department of Computer Graphics and Interaction at the FEL.
The university has created a virtual command post, for example, that allows for computer processing of a specific environment and thus solving a combat situation. Heliports near hospitals are threatened by drones * The Karlovy Vary Regional Hospital, in cooperation with the army, installed a modern system for detecting unmanned systems, or drones. * The system will determine the machine's position, altitude, speed and direction of flight, but also determine the type, manufacturer, take-off location and the current position of the pilot himself.