The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) has announced a contract that will improve state agency access to UAS service providers.
Considered a first for the UAS industry, the initiative now connects state agencies with approved vendors, which will allow state agencies to have “more affordable access” to problem solving data and imagery, CIT says.
Four Virginia companies— Draper Aden Associates, DroneUp LLC, ERUdyne Inc., and SkyShots—were chosen for the initiative.
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AFRL, DZYNE Technologies successfully test Robotic Pilot Unmanned Conversion Program
On Aug. 9, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and DZYNE Technologies Inc. successfully completed the first flight of ROBOpilot, which they describe as a “revolutionary Robotic Pilot Unmanned Conversion Program.”
The flight, which lasted two hours, was conducted at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah.
“This flight test is a testament to AFRL’s ability to rapidly innovate technology from concept to application in a safe build up approach while still maintaining low cost and short timelines,” says Maj. Gen. William Cooley, AFRL Commander.
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KDOT IPP team to conduct landmark BVLOS UAS flight leveraging only onboard detect-and-avoid systems
The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP) team has been granted permission to conduct the first ever beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) UAS flight that utilizes only onboard detect-and-avoid systems.
According to the KDOT team, this is the first-ever FAA authorized Part 107 operation to fly without visual observers or ground-based radar in place, as the flight will leverage Iris Automation’s onboard collision avoidance system, Casia.
Swarms of air and ground robots tested during second field experiment for DARPA's OFFSET program
DARPA has announced that during the second field experiment for its OFFensive Swarm-Enabled Tactics (OFFSET) program, teams of autonomous air and ground robots tested tactics on a mission to isolate an urban objective.
During the experiment, which took place in June at the Selby Combined Arms Collective Training Facility in Fort Benning, Georgia, the robots started off by identifying locations of interest, and then created a perimeter around the focal point, similarly to how a firefighting crew establishes a boundary around a burning building.
Drone Rescue Systems GmbH supports FALCon research project
Drone Rescue Systems GmbH is supporting the European research project known as Formation flight for in-Air Launcher 1st stage Capturing demonstration (FALCon).
Research is being conducted under the leadership of DLR on how launch vehicles can be returned to the launch site as efficiently as possible for re-use.
“We are proud to be part of the FALCon research project together with five international partners and DLR as part of HORIZON2020 (EC grant 821953), the EU’s largest research and innovation program to date,” says Andreas Ploier, CEO of Drone Rescue Systems GmbH.
“The capture and towing of rocket stages in flight, i.e. an autonomous and safe landing, is a particularly interesting topic for us as a manufacturer of parachute safety solutions.”
EHang to test autonomous aerial vehicles in Guangzhou, China
Autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) company EHang has selected Guangzhou, China as its first urban air mobility (UAM) pilot city in the world to establish a low-altitude aviation transportation network that shuttles passengers and goods in a “safe, fast, environmentally friendly, cost-efficient and intelligent way.”
Through the pilot program, EHang will help the Guangzhou government establish a command-and-control center to make sure that multiple AAVs flying at the same time in the city can remain in the air in a “safe and efficient manner,” and can respond to emergencies quickly.
EHang also plans on helping the city build up the basic infrastructure to support urban air mobility, which will include designing safety rules and market entry thresholds.
HAPSMobile to fly HAWK30 UAS in stratosphere above Hawaiian island of Lanai
The FAA has granted HAPSMobile Inc. a Certificate of Authorization (COA2) to fly the HAWK30 solar-powered UAS to provide a stratospheric telecommunications platform system in the Hawaiian island of Lanai’s stratosphere.
HAPSMobile has been working with the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) and the University of Hawaii to conduct stratospheric test flights using HAWK30, as part of collaborative activities with the Pan-Pacific UAS Test Range Complex (PPUTRC).
The entities received the authorization after UAF, which manages the PPUTRC, applied for the COA2 on behalf of the three parties.
DroneResponders' research offers insight into public safety drone programs
DroneResponders, a non-profit program that supports public safety UAS, has unveiled a new report called the 2019 Mid-Year Public Safety UAS Report, which offers insight into how new public safety UAS programs are developing, and takes a look at the challenges that first responders who are using this techn
DJI introduces DJI Digital First Person Viewing Transmission System for drone racing
DJI has introduced its DJI Digital First Person Viewing (FPV) Transmission System, which it describes as an “advanced digital ecosystem” that includes FPV goggles, an FPV Air Unit Transmission Module, an FPV remote controller and an FPV camera.
