This Week in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World

On July 13, Roborace’s Robocar became the first fully driverless race car to successfully complete the Hillclimb at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Robocar’s run was the first in the history of Goodwood to be completed by a race car that didn’t have a human driver in the car. (Goodwood Festival of Speed)

A company called Zoox Inc. has built an autonomous vehicle from the ground up, as opposed to retro-fitting existing cars with various sensors and software. Among its many features, the vehicle communicates with pedestrians by making noises, and it also has screens on the windows to issue custom welcome messages to passengers. (Bloomberg)

Aston Martin recently presented its Volante Vision Concept, which is a luxury concept aircraft with vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capabilities. With the goal of bringing luxury personal transportation to the sky, the concept will take advantage of the latest advances in aerospace, electrification and autonomous technologies. (Aston Martin)

Bosch and Daimler have selected California as the pilot location for their first test fleet of driverless vehicles. The companies will offer customers a shuttle service with automated vehicles on selected routes in a Californian metropolis during the second half of 2019. (Bosch)

A few days after Rio Tinto completed the first delivery of iron ore by an autonomous train in the Pilbara, Western Australia, Australia’s first driverless passenger train passed a major test by traveling over a cable-stayed bridge and an elevated viaduct at Rouse Hill, Australia. A fleet of 22 driverless single-deck trains are due to carry their first passengers on the North West Metro line by early 2019. (The Sydney Morning Herald)

Lone Star UAS Center of Excellence & Innovation (LSUASC) has selected UAV Factory’s Penguin C UAS to provide low-altitude reconnaissance, storm damage, and other aerial information. The UAS has a number of notable features that led to its selection by LSUASC, including but not limited to, its engineering and construction, payload versatility and long-range performance. (sUAS News)

Two Nolensville High students in Nolensville, Tennessee have become their school’s first certified UAS pilots. The students have also launched their own business called Next Generation Filming, which they use to offer aerial photos to local real estate offices. (The Tennessean)

Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has signed a strategic collaboration agreement with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to support the development of a new tactical Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) UAS able to take off, fly and land vertically for the U.S. market. The companies see a lot of potential in this collaboration for special mission applications in the American tactical UAS market over the next decade. (Sierra Nevada Corporation)

In Mount Clemens, Michigan, the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office has launched a new UAS unit. The UAS unit can be activated for a variety of operations, including in the search for a missing person, when encountering a barricaded gunman or hostage situation, and when conducting traffic crash and crime scene investigations. (Macomb County Sheriff’s Office)