This Week in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World

In association with JR East Group, Panasonic Corporation and Panasonic Production Engineering Co., Ltd. have launched a mobility service trial using Panasonic's robotic mobility device, an electric wheelchair with autonomous tracking function. The goal of the trial is to verify serviceability of the devices in a sunny, semi-outdoor environment. (Panasonic)

Fetch Robotics has introduced its latest disinfecting robot, the SmartGuardUV. The autonomous robot uses UV-C, UV-B and UV-A light—courtesy of a PURO Lighting Xenon UV fixture—to perform its disinfections. (TechCrunch)

In an effort to further enhance the intelligence gathering capabilities of its Seagull USV, Elbit Systems recently conducted trials dedicated to the integration of a mini-UAS onboard the USV. The shipborne mini-UAS is capable of point water recovery and a takeoff weight of up to 15 kilograms. (Elbit Systems)

Threat detection technologies developer Plymouth Rock Technologies Inc. (PRT) is partnering with Hummingbird Drones for wildfire analysis from PRT’s fleet of drones. Hummingbird developed fire AI., a wildfire-focused, data analytics software. The companies say that bringing fire AI. to the public “provides the global community with the highest quality of wildfire data analytics.” (Plymouth Rock Technologies)

The Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (MAAP), NASA, Collins Aerospace and Textron Systems collaborated to conduct a series of radio tests that accessed licensed wireless spectrum allocated for aviation use, which is considered a major piece of the effort to facilitate long-distance drone communications. (Virginia Tech)

Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Virginia currently offers a drone course for students. The course is designed for those who want to fly drones for commercial purposes, but it also included useful rules and information for drone hobbyists. (Norfolk Daily News)

The Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center’s UAS project was initiated at Joint Base San Antonio-Camp Bullis in late 2019. Under the project, surveying the habitat is expected to become “exponentially easier” by using UAS. (Edwards Air Force Base)

Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) technologies provider AiRXOS has announced a comprehensive UAS solution for energy organizations to plan, schedule, operate and monitor all facets of their UAS operations from a single platform. In one, connected platform, AiRXOS’ new Enterprise Energy Solution provides digital compliance, full situational awareness of airspace and assets, inspection, emergency response/disaster recovery capabilities, analytics, and asset performance tools. (Business Wire)