This Week in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World

From April 19 to 20, the UAS/Drones for Disaster Response conference will help key stakeholders that are responsible for responding to disasters better understand how UAS and other unmanned systems can enhance their efforts during missions. The conference will be held at the Biscayne Bay Campus of Florida International University. (PR Web)

The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) is developing a new type of USV that will be used to improve the country’s maritime security and homeland defense capabilities. According to the Singapore Ministry of Defence, RSN will use the USVs to patrol the Singapore Strait, and detect and neutralize mines on the seabed, in an effort to ensure that the country’s shipping lanes are safe for navigation. (Naval-Technology)

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey recently signed an executive order that makes it legal for self-driving cars to operate without a safety driver behind the wheel, “as long as they abide by all federal and state safety standards.” This executive order was signed just a few days after California announced that it will allow fully driverless cars to operate on its roads beginning in April. (Engadget)

The Taipei City Government in Taipei, Taiwan has announced the availability of Taiwan’s first testing ground for driverless vehicles. During the press event in which the availability was announced, several driverless vehicles were running their field tests, including a self-driving golf cart that was developed by National Taiwan University, and a self-driving PEV tricycle that was developed by National Taipei University of Technology. (Taiwan News)

A company building “autonomous mobile robots to be part of everyday life” called Ava Robotics has announced the launch of Ava, which is a new video collaboration technology that offers users “practical teleportation,” with the ability to “transform remote work and site visits.” Ava combines autonomous mobility with high definition video conferencing, allowing users to “easily and safely move around a distant location, as if they were physically there,” according to the company. (Ava Robotics)

Endeavor Robotics has received a $9.2 million order to deliver more of its small UGVs to the U.S. Marine Corps. This latest DLA award comes after the company received a $15 million contract in 2017 to provide the Marines with its small UGVs for various missions. (Endeavor Robotics)

On March 8, Marines with 2nd Intelligence Battalion, II Marine Expeditionary Force conducted UAS training at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The training was used to improve the Marines’ proficiency with operating UAS. (DVIDSHub.net)

On April 19, the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Division of Aviation will host a free UAS workshop for commercial and government operators. State and local government UAS operators, along with local commercial operators, are invited to “attend, network, and learn more about how emerging UAS technology can benefit their operations.” (NCDOT)