Announcing the UAV MegaCam
Now Available!

MegaCam is a multi-megapixel imaging payload for UAVs, optimized for low bandwidth datalinks.

This system enables realtime extremely high resolution image transmission over typical UAV datalinks.

Existing UAV datalinks can be taken full advantage of to send back high resolution images.

 Realtime Transmission

High quality 4 megapixel images can be transmitted in 15 to 30 seconds over a typical UAV datalink (complete cycle time including image compression and decompression is higher but typically 40 seconds to a minute for 4 megapixels, down to about 3 to 5 seconds for smaller images).

The system supports realtime image transmission as well as onboard archiving.

 It works, it works great, and it's here now.

New image compression technology smashes the idea that you need megabit datalinks to send multi-megapixel images.

The system works well over typical 38.2 kilobaud payload datalinks UAV avionics provide (but can operate at bandwidths from 2400 baud to 115.2 kbaud).

Image quality and transmission time can be traded off for optimal performance.

Developers can integrate the imaging system with their own datalink, or users can drop in a ready to go independent imaging system.

**The system can also send multi megapixel images over ultra low bandwidth satellite links such as Iridium.  This pushes multi-megapixel image transmission times into the several minute range, but it's a stunning, practical capability that did not exist before.**

Piccolo Ready

This system is compatible with the Cloud Cap Technology Piccolo avionics, and allows megapixel images to be transmitted over the Piccolo's standard datalink.

The system can also be operated standalone with a transparent datalink, and supports Iridium satcomm.

Features

Power consumption: 3W avg typical
Weight: 110 grams (not including cables)

    • Realtime image transmission over low or high bandwidth links.
    • Onboard archiving of images and metadata
    • Realtime georeferencing and image mosaicing with background map overlay possible.
    • Multiple camera support
    • Multiple channel video capture option
    • Large format digital camera support, mixed digital camera and video capture possible
    • User-customizable image source

    • Compression selectable so the user can trade off quality and transmission time;
    • Ready to use camera & compression module, or customizable to a variety of camera solutions;
    • NMEA GPS and aircraft attitude input and remote mapping features
    • Royalty-free source code available for custom integration.
    • Orthorectification and mosaicing


pdf.jpg Download Imaging System Manual
Sample Images

Click on the following thumbnails for samples of 4 megapixel images capable of being transmitted in 20 seconds over a 38.2 kbaud link (complete cycle time is longer).  Note that these are large downloads to preserve the transmitted quality of the image.  The filesize of these sample photos does not reflect the compressed filesize as transmitted by this system.  These photos provide an indication of the level of detail (in a complex image) that is preserved at this quality setting which is optimized to UHF transmission.  Higher quality or faster transmission times are possible.