Remote tower technology has been developed by a Fremantle, Australia-based company for defense, mining and natural disaster situations. Critical Infrastructure Technologies (CiTech) designed the 52+ foot portable tower to withstand tornadic winds, and powered it with solar panels and lithium batteries, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The Nexus 16 Self Deploying Platform tower folds up inside a shipping container-sized box, which can lift itself off a truck with built-in robotic legs. It extends into the air using scissor-lift technology in under 10 minutes once it has been delivered to a location.
The tower, which is powered by solar panels and lithium batteries capable of 1,200 watts, was originally developed to service autonomous trucks and machinery in remote mining sites, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. However, CiTech hopes it will be deployed in war-torn areas, like Ukraine, to get towns back on the air. In fact, the U.S., Latvian and Ukrainian governments have expressed an interest in the product, according to CiTech Chief Executive Brenton Scott.
Nexus 16 has been hardened to withstand extreme environments, including mining dust, lightning, rain and wind. It features redundant systems, high fault tolerance, self-diagnosis and status reporting.
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