British engineers build flying camera for battlefields

Lightweight camera weighs just 230 grams and can fit in a soldier's backpack

A team of engineers from Middlesex University have developed the UK’s first lightweight outdoor flying video camera which can fit in a soldier's backpack.

The ‘unmanned aerial vehicle’ (UAV) is designed to help spot hidden dangers and feed the real-time footage to goggles worn by the operator. The flying camera - nicknamed SQ-4 - is around the diameter of a Frisbee, weighs just 230 grams and is operational in less than a minute.

SQ-4 reaches heights of up to 400 ft and can quietly hover or even perch on objects. Its miniature cameras also have a night lens for surveillance operations in the dark.

Currently, similar systems used in Afghanistan are much more expensive, resulting in fewer being deployed. As SQ-4 is a fraction of their cost, say the Middlesex University researchers, many more soldiers could be equipped with them. Existing systems are also usually larger, heavier and have fixed wings meaning that they are unable to hover above targets and are more likely to be detected and targeted.

The SQ-4 is controlled by a handheld remote control and goggles which provide the wearer with information like the latitude and longitude of the vehicle, the distance between the location and the home point and the direction to home point, ensuring the soldier remains orientated at all times. The intelligent system also allows SQ-4 to autonomously fly from its last position to its launch point.

Middlesex University robotics specialist Dr Stephen Prior: “It’s vital that soldiers surveillance work goes unnoticed and SQ-4 is far smaller than current devices which look very much like large model aircraft and are over a metre in size. We’re providing a bird’s eye view with a vehicle that’s literally the size of a bird.”

Middlesex University PhD student Mehmet Ali Erbil said: “This could make solders even more effective at scanning areas for bombs, traps or suspicious activity as current systems are cumbersome and costly so their use is more limited. SQ-4 could give British troops the competitive edge and reduce their vulnerability in unfamiliar terrains.”

Flying camera facts: 

• Range - 1.5 km
• Altitude – 400 ft (120 m)
• Endurance - 15 min per battery

Flying camera features:

• Remote video downlink to head-mounted goggles
• GPS technology
• Return to launch switch
• Night lens cameras
• Altitude hold