For Immediate Release: November 1, 2018
Contact: Tom McMahon, tmcmahon@auvsi.org, (571) 255-7786
AUVSI Launches Trusted Operator Program
New TOP certifications will further enhance safety, allow operators and training organizations to distinguish themselves in a growing marketplace
Business Solutions
Business Solutions
MBIE and Airbus partner to develop New Zealand's capability in UAS and space data technology
New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has signed an agreement with Airbus to collaborate on the development of New Zealand’s capability in the UAS and space data technology sectors.
Enabled through MBIE’s Innovative Partnerships program, the Letter of Intent “sets out a commitment to seek opportunities for Airbus to test and trial its UA technologies in New Zealand, and to work together to support the development and adoption of new and innovative space data technologies and applications,” according to MBIE.
From Unmanned Systems Magazine: Drone industry expansion leads to acquisitions, partnerships
The commercial unmanned aircraft systems industry has been expanding for some years, with investments for the first time exceeding $1 billion in 2017, enabling deployment of experimental concepts in various sectors of the economy and military. However, this rapid investment of capital is shifting the industry from saturation into consolidation.
Textron prepares for Navy deployment, boosts COCO work
A new task order from the U.S. Naval Air Command (NAVAIR) will include putting the newest generation of Textron Systems’ Aerosonde unmanned aircraft on a Navy ship for up to 32 months, and increasing the percentage of Textron’s contractor owned, contractor operated (COCO) work with the U.S. military.
Textron Systems introduced the latest version of the venerable Aerosonde UAS last year and will be prepping it to serve on the USNS Hershel “Woody” Williams, an expeditionary sea base (ESB) ship aimed at supporting a variety of missions, next year, says David Phillips, senior vice president and general manager of Textron Systems.
Textron Systems plans to acquire robotics developer Howe & Howe Technologies
Textron Systems is positioning itself as a global leader in autonomy across the air, land and sea domains, after entering into a letter of intent to purchase Howe & Howe Technologies Inc., a developer of advanced robotic land vehicles.
Built and proven for the most extreme conditions in the world, Howe & Howe’s vehicles have earned the trust of customers in the U.S, as U.S. government customers have selected Howe & Howe’s small, highly mobile Ripsaw Super Tank for its speed, mobility and off-road performance, while Howe & Howe’s RS2-H1 SMET was down-selected to compete to be the U.S. Army’s first platoon load-carrying robot, after completing a 60-mile test through swamp and jungle terrains.
Delair acquires key assets of Airware to enhance standing in commercial UAS industry
Delair has announced that it is acquiring the “key assets” of Airware, which develops “innovative software analytics tools” for UAS-based data.
Delair says that the acquisition will result in it getting “leading edge technology assets,” including a proven software offering, a highly skilled engineering and customer success team in Paris, and an installed base of customers and dealers across the world.
Ultimately, Delair’s acquisition will not only accelerate its global growth, but it will also broaden its end-to-end technology for the commercial UAS market, according to the company.
DJI unveils business-themed Mavic 2 Enterprise with added accessories
Dronemaker DJI has unveiled the Mavic 2 Enterprise, a compact, foldable drone with a zoom camera that can be outfitted with accessories such as a beacon or loudspeaker.
The Mavic 2 Enterprise is aimed at businesses, governments, educators and other professionals, the company says, with accessories aimed at boosting its capabilities for firefighting, emergency response, law enforcement and infrastructure inspections.
Insitu equipping its line of UAS with Persistent Systems' Wave Relay MANET technology
Persistent Systems has entered into a five-year agreement with Insitu that will result in Insitu equipping its line of UAS with Persistent’s Wave Relay mobile ad hoc network (MANET) technology.
By incorporating Persistent’s MANET radios on its line of UAS, Insitu will now be a member of the Wave Relay Ecosystem, which is an “alliance of industry-leading companies using Wave Relay MANET radios in their products,” Persistent says.
As a member of the Wave Relay Ecosystem, Insitu’s platforms will work seamlessly with all other Wave Relay MANET-enabled products.
Insitu successfully completes first interim Type Certification Board Meeting in support of ScanEagle3 FAA type certification program
Insitu has successfully completed the first interim Type Certification Board Meeting (TCBM) in support of the ScanEagle3 FAA type certification program.
Key FAA teams including Aircraft Certification (AIR), Aircraft Flight Status (AFS), Air Traffic Organization (ATO), and Aircraft Unmanned Systems (AUS) recently came together at Insitu’s Bingen, Washington headquarters for the TCBM, which was a first for the group of FAA teams.
The FAA teams participated in an overview of Insitu’s Project Plan for Certification. During this overview, they examined Insitu’s “Detect and Avoid” (DAA) capability planning, along with its Safety Management System and proprietary model–based engineering.
Lyft boosts its self-driving efforts with acquisition of Blue Vision Labs
With a mind towards revolutionizing transportation, Lyft has acquired Blue Vision Labs, an Augmented Reality (AR) company that is enabling the next-generation of AR and robotics.
Thanks to the acquisition, Blue Vision Labs will be the first Lyft office in London, and will become part of Lyft’s Level 5 division to build technology for the ride-hailing service’s self-driving efforts.
“We are very excited to be working with Lyft to contribute to their efforts in enabling the future of autonomous mobility,” Blue Vision Labs says in a company blog post.