Zubax Robotics unveils next-generation electro-permanent magnet, the EPM 4 payload release

Zubax Robotics OÜ announces the release of the Zubax EPM 4, an electro-permanent magnet.

As light UAVs become more relevant in the defense sector, the UAV industry has increasingly required
robust and efficient payload release systems for light aerial vehicles. The European market is currently
experiencing a spike in demand for such systems due to the recent developments in the region. Zubax
Robotics addresses this demand by releasing an efficient and reliable payload attach-and-release system
designed for mission-critical applications in hostile environments — the Zubax EPM 4 .

Zubax EPM 4 is an improved successor to OpenGrab EPM v3 — the prior generation product designed 2
by a collaboration of Nicadrone and Zubax Robotics. As the predecessor is no longer in production and
is impossible to procure, many UAV manufacturers that have designed the old product into their vehicles
are experiencing a severe supply chain crisis. For the benefit of such manufacturers, the Zubax EPM 4 is
designed to be nearly a drop-in replacement of the old EPM v3.

Just like its predecessor, the EPM 4 is a solid-state, zero-maintenance electropermanent magnet with no
moving parts in its construction. The device is a remagnetizable magnetic assembly with built-in control
electronics that enables it to switch between the on and off states on demand while consuming zero
power in either state. It completes a full state transition in approximately 1 second, while 80% of the
magnetization is achieved virtually instantaneously, allowing precise control for time-sensitive
applications. The magnetic system of the device is designed to eliminate the risk of interference with the
navigation avionics of the UAV.

To facilitate easy integration into any end system, Zubax EPM 4 supports the following communication
interfaces: the industry-standard RCPWM input, the modern Cyphal/CAN FD, and a voltage level
control. Cyphal is the next-generation intra-vehicular communication protocol that replaces its
predecessors, UAVCAN v0 and DroneCAN, and addresses their architectural limitations. The EPM 4 uses Cyphal to publish telemetry data, providing insights into the state and performance of the device,
thus facilitating dependable operation in high-reliability systems.

Zubax Robotics is a developer of advanced unmanned vehicle and robotic technologies and plays an
active role in the development and maintenance of the Cyphal/UAVCAN standard and in the Dronecode
project.

Zubax has supported the robotics and unmanned vehicle markets with efficient electronic speed
controllers, reliable GNSS receivers, and innovative avionics since 2015. Learn more at
https://zubax.com.