This Week in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World

Urban Aeronautics has announced the launch of Full Scale Development for the CityHawk hybrid-power, eVTOL Flying Car. The company says that the pre-production 'configuration freeze’ for CityHawk is the result of having successfully completed a series of customer demonstrations of Cormorant, the company's unmanned variant. (Urban Aeronautics)

Self-driving truck startup Embark recently raised $30 million. The money will help the company not only expand its fleet of trucks from five to 100, but it will also help equip those vehicles with Velodyne lidar sensors, cameras, radar and computing system. (Forbes)

UAV Coach has announced new, in-person drone flight training classes. Available across the Southeast United States, the classes are designed to give UAS pilots hands-on flight time with an instructor, practice with intelligent flight modes, and the chance to build their knowledge of UAS compliance and safety. (PR Newswire)

Students of Sapthagiri College of Engineering in Dharmapuri, India, have developed a miniature prototype of an autonomous car. The prototype moves in a pre-trained path by lane detection, obstacle avoidance, path planning and behavioral cloning tech. (The New Indian Express)

UAS have given farmers more control over their crops and are saving them time and money. With this in mind, a farm in New Jersey has become one of the first in the state to utilize the technology, ultimately helping farmers become more efficient. (NJ.com)

Nexteer Automotive is one the latest companies to jump into the world of developing autonomous vehicles. The company recently held its “Nexteer's Ride and Drive” event in Michigan, and has debuted its prototype of an autonomous vehicle. (MLive.com)

A payment processing company called Worldpay has developed Drone Pay, which is a proof of concept that delivers online packages and checks that a recipient is who they say they are. Drone Pay is designed to reduce fraud, and process payment in a smooth action. (Worldpay)

The College of Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is once again offering its UAS Summer Institute day-camp. Designed to connect South Texas high school students, the camp introduces students to engineering concepts, their application and ultimately, how to operate and control UAS.  (KRIS-TV)

NOVAerial Robotics Inc., the research & development, engineering and manufacturing division of Global UAV Technologies, has successfully test flown a UAS using the 4G cellular network for command and control as well as flight data telemetry feedback. Global UAV says that the ability to operate a UAS using a 4G cellular network is aimed at bringing a “more robust command and control and datalink telemetry link to the operational personnel and pilot on the ground.” (Global UAV Technologies)

The Police Foundation, which is a national, independent non-profit organization dedicated to advancing policing through innovation and science, will launch a new Center for law enforcement agencies considering using small UAS for their operations. Known as the Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems in Public Safety, the center will “help law enforcement navigate the equally important community policing aspects of adopting the technology.” (Business Wire)

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has signed a collaboration agreement with DOK-ING D.O.O (DOK-ING) on manufacturing, marketing and sales of a robotic system. The robotic system will be used in high risk areas, including those contaminated by chemical, biological and radioactive agents. (Israel Aerospace Industries)

On July 25, Meituan Dianping launched the Meituan Autonomous Delivery (MAD) Platform, which features driverless delivery vehicles that shuttle meals from restaurants to consumers. The MAD Platform is being tested in three destinations in China. (e27)