HAIFA, Israel-By combining a patented computer program and Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) with an existing minicopter, an Israeli company has developed an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that could be the next homeland-security defense tool.

The craft does not have a pilot-not even one who controls it remotely from the ground. All the aspects of flight-takeoff, hovering, and landing-are completely autonomous, making this UAV a first.

“This is the first system that can guide a helicopter through its entire flight without any human intervention,” says Amir Rochman, chief executive officer of Steadicopter Ltd., the company that developed the UAV. “There are miniature helicopters that can be flown with remote control or from a ground-control station, but none that are completely autonomous like ours.”

He adds that even the big-budget developments coming out of the U.S. Army and Navy are controlled by an operator in a ground station.

The technology for Steadicopter was conceived in 1999 at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, and was nurtured in the Technion Entrepreneurial Incubator Company. Its first prototype was stolen last fall, but a new one is ready for demonstration.

Currently, the system uses a 5-foot, 18-pound minicopter, but the technology can work with any helicopter, from hobby-size to a full-size, rotating-wing aircraft. Before the flight, an operator-who needs no special training-enters flight instructions and routes into a standard PC. The helicopter flies at an altitude of a few hundred feet with an operating range of six miles from ground control for about 90 minutes, and can adjust to winds of as much as 25 knots. Changes in direction, flight speed, and altitude can be made throughout the flight. The helicopter can be outfitted with cameras that survey areas up to 8.8 miles away, and transmit real-time video images.

Steadicopter has security and civilian uses. Military surveillance, search and rescue, and inspection of damage in hard-to-reach places hit by terror or natural disasters are among its many security options. Civilian uses include high-tension-wire inspections, forest-fire monitoring, media coverage of live events, and traffic control.

The most important advantage of the Steadicopter is that anyone can “fly” it, eliminating the need for a trained pilot or operator. In addition, it can fly anywhere within its range, and is not limited to the operator’s field of vision. In case of lost communication, it will continue its mission, return, and land safely. Another advantage is its relatively low price. The current model will cost $125,000 to $150,000. In addition to the minicopter, the package includes a camera with real-time transmission capabilities, a PC with special software, and a monitor.

For more information, see www.steadicopter.com.