The practice of science is not only confined to the laboratory – between 19 and 27 June, researchers and students from Instituto Superior Técnico participated in the second edition of ARTEX (acronym for ARmy Technological EXperimentation), an event organised by the Portuguese Army, at Campo Militar de Santa Margarida, in Constância that aims to improve the modernisation of the Portuguese Army and brings together companies and higher education institutions to test technological solutions still under development with potential military applications.
“It’s an opportunity to try out things that do not yet have a license or a legal framework for testing in civilian environments”, explains Alexandra Moutinho, a professor at Técnico and a researcher at the Mechanical Engineering Institute (IDMEC). By way of example, the professor shares that the equipment that flew over the military camp was not subject to an altitude limit, whereas in civilian environments it could not have gone higher than 120 metres. In comparison, Técnico’s fixed-wing drone was able to reach an altitude of 3104 metres during the exercises. Additionally, an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) and a high-altitude balloon built at Técnico were showcased at the event.
The ground drone is equipped with a system “that combines a thermal camera and a visible camera, to detect people and classify them as civilian or military”, says Alexandra Moutinho. It is remotely controlled and allows for infrastructure inspection and field surveillance, with a small load-carrying capacity. “It has met its objectives very well”, says Artur Machado, a Lieutenant of the Portuguese Army involved in this project, stressing that speed and manoeuvrability could only be effectively tested in the field. “Técnico has been instrumental in the development of these Defence technologies with the Portuguese Army”, he comments.
The high-altitude balloon and fixed-wing drone are part of the “Eye in the Sky” project (in partnership with the University of Coimbra). They were used in telecommunications exercises in inhospitable locations by mounting a relay on the drone, allowing for communications with a command centre more than ten kilometres away. Additionally, both the balloon and the drone have been previously tested to support wildfire operations and surveillance.
The projects involved IDMEC, the Institute of Systems and Computer Engineering Innovation (INOV) and the Institute for Systems and Robotics (ISR-Lisboa), as well as the participation of seven students, two of them pilots of the equipment tested and members of the Aerospace Engineering Students’ Organisation (AeroTéc).
Following the project, Admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo visited Técnico and met some students and their prototypes, such as the Técnico Solar Boat, TLMoto, the Mobile Energy Sustainability Project (PSEM), AeroTéc and Técnico Formula Student (FST Lisboa), as well as the equipment tested at ARTEX.
In September, some of these projects – Técnico Solar Boat and AeroTéc’s projects Rocket Experiment Division (for building rockets) and ATLAS (autonomous aircraft) – will participate in REP(MUS) (Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping using Maritime Uncrewed Systems), an annual NATO military exercise that Portugal hosts. The event will bring together military forces from other member states.
