Tecknisolar-SENI, a small independent research laboratory based
in St Malo, in Brittany on the French Atlantic coast, is developing
a unique range of UAV-related products. Among them is a remarkable
head-mounted display and control unit with a video screen that
is cantilevered two feet in front of the user's face, and a vertical
antenna on top of the user's head. The entire system is solar-powered.
Use during an electrical storm is probably inadvisable.
Tecknisolar's other projects include solar-powered UAVs, including
two vehicles-the ten-ounce Coccinelle and the 6.6-pound Bourdon-which
share an unusual near-circular wing planform. The Coccinelle micro-UAV
is made from a flexible plastic foam and carries a miniature fixed
camera, while the larger Bourdon can accommodate a miniature steerable
turret. Another Tecknisolar project is the solar-powered, high-altitude
Libellule. The company also claims to have invented a resin material
that absorbs radar waves from K band to VHF and renders an aircraft
stealthy.
