On Oct. 25, President Trump directed U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao to launch the Innovative Drone Integration Pilot Program, an initiative which will “safely test and validate advanced operations” for UAS in partnership with state and local governments in select jurisdictions.
The move is seen as a way to give state and local governments some say in regulating UAS use, while not pre-empting the authority of the Federal Aviation Administration to oversee the nation’s airspace.
Business Solutions
Business Solutions
AVIDRONE Aerospace and PRODRONE announce partnership
Canadian UAS technology company AVIDRONE Aerospace Incorporated has secured an investment and formed a business alliance with a Japanese professional UAS manufacturer called PRODRONE Co. Ltd.
In an effort to revolutionize the commercial and industrial markets with “new ways to gather data, increase security, and deliver goods,” the two companies will combine their decades of UAS research and development to manufacture UAS that are innovative, as well as custom autopilot systems.
The companies say that their products will be able to transport items weighing between 0.5 kilograms to over 250 kilograms at speeds approaching 200 kilometers per hour, thanks to a “specially developed industrial autopilot system and drone designs.”
Measure to provide UAS services for arts and entertainment industry through new division
Measure, which provides UAS services for enterprise customers, has announced its new division called Measure Media (M2), which will be used to service the arts and entertainment industry.
M2 operates the first nationwide network of full-time UAS pilots that specialize in fulfilling the airborne storytelling needs of small screen and big screen projects alike.
During its first two months, M2 operated in stealth mode, but it has already worked with a wide range of customers, including pop star Rihanna, and television networks ABC and CBS.
Delphi signs agreement to acquire nuTonomy
Delphi Automotive has signed an agreement to acquire nuTonomy, Inc. for a total of $450 million.
Through the acquisition, nuTonomy will help accelerate Delphi’s commercialization of autonomous driving (AD) and Automated Mobility on-Demand (AMoD) technologies for automakers and new mobility customers across the globe.
“Our mission has always been to radically improve the safety, efficiency, and accessibility of transportation worldwide,” says nuTonomy co-founder and CEO, Karl Iagnemma.
Premium Inspection and Testing Group acquires LandBros Aerial
Premium Inspection and Testing Group has acquired a Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based industrial UAS services provider called LandBros Aerial.
Through the acquisition, Landbros Aerial’s services and capabilities will be integrated as a specialized department within an Operating Division of Premium Inspection and Testing Group called Capitol Ultrasonics LLC.
LandBros Aerial will keep its current leadership.
“LandBros is excited to bring our strengths to the Premium Inspection and Testing Group team and continuing to stay at the forefront of the industrial drone market,” says Danny Landry, President of LandBros Aerial.
University of Pennsylvania researchers to develop teams of robots for U.S. military
Thanks to a five-year, $27 million government grant from a United States Army Research Laboratory program that seeks to advance robotic technology, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania will develop a team of autonomous, specialized and resilient robots for the United States military.
One of the researchers for this project, Electrical and Systems Engineering Chair George Pappas, says that this research is unique because its focus will be on specialized teams of robots, instead of individual robots.
These robots will also be able to learn from one another in unknown environments.
Marke F. 'Hoot' Gibson named new CEO of NUAIR Alliance
Major General Marke F. “Hoot” Gibson (ret), who most recently served as Senior Advisor on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration to the Deputy Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), has been named the new CEO of the NUAIR Alliance.
As CEO, Gibson, who will begin working in his new role on Nov. 13, will lead NUAIR’s oversight of UAS testing being conducted in New York, Massachusetts and Michigan, as well as a $30 million investment by New York State to build a 50-mile UTM Corridor.
“My vision is to create an unsurpassed ‘innovation friendly’ environment for UAS research, testing and operation,” Gibson says.
AUVSI to Offer Special Membership to Public Safety Professionals Through Partnership with National Council on Public Safety UAS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 19, 2017
Contact: Tom McMahon, tmcmahon@auvsi.org, (571) 255-7786
U.S. Navy selects RE2 Robotics to develop an autonomous robotic cargo handling system
Being that personnel are still responsible for manually loading and unloading cargo from an air vehicle for cargo missions today, the U.S. Navy has tasked RE2 Robotics with developing an Autonomous Robotic Cargo Handling (ARCH) system.
This system will be demonstrated in concurrence with the Autonomous Aerial Cargo Utility System (AACUS) equipped UH-1H Optionally Piloted Aircraft (OPA), which will provide the ability to deliver supplies autonomously.
Israel's first AUV to be commercialized through new BGR company
In Israel, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev’s (BGU) technology company, BGN Technologies Ltd., has announced the launch of a new entity called BGR. BGR will commercialize Israel's first AUV, the HydroCamel II.
Developed by researchers at BGU's Laboratory for Autonomous Robotics (LAR), the 2.5 meter-long AUV is built for commercial use across a variety of industries, including the military, security, and oil and gas sectors.
It can also be used for environmental applications and marine research, as well.