BAE Systems has been awarded a Phase 3 contract worth $3.1 million from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to further the development of autonomy software, in an effort to improve the resiliency of air mission planning for the military. ​The goal of the Resilient Synchronized Planning and Assessment for the Contested Environment (RSPACE) program is to develop human-centered software decision aids that can help air operators better control daily operations in a complex battlespace. As part of the RSPACE program, BAE Systems has created software called the Distributed, Interactive, Command-and-Control Tool (DIRECT) to improve air battlespace awareness.

Cambridge Consultants has unveiled its autonomous robot, Mamut, which is built to explore crop fields, and capture data on health and yield at the level of individual plants on a large scale. According to Cambridge Consultants, Mamut automates data capture, providing growers with regular, precise and actionable information on their crops, which allows them to predict and optimize yields. Powered by artificial intelligence, Mamut is equipped with a wide range of sensors, and can map and navigate its surroundings without GPS or a fixed radio infrastructure. Its cameras capture detailed crop data at the plant level as it makes its way through rows of a field, orchard or vineyard, allowing for accurate predictions of yield and crop health.

From Feb. 26 to 28, the 412th Test Wing’s Emerging Technologies Combined Test Force (ET CTF) conducted its first autonomy flight test. During the test, the team collected data on the Testing of Autonomy in Complex Environments (TACE) system, which was developed by Johns Hopkins University. According to Capt. Riley Livermore, 412th Test Wing ET CTF Autonomy lead, the TACE system is test middleware that sits between an autonomy/artificial intelligence computer and an aircraft’s autopilot. The system monitors the commands being sent from the autonomy to the autopilot, and then sends back the aircraft state information such as position, speed and orientation to the autonomy. 

On Wednesday, Feb. 27, FedEx Corp. unveiled its FedEx SameDay Bot, which is an autonomous delivery robot designed to help retailers make same-day and last-mile deliveries to their customers. According to FedEx, retailers will be able to accept orders from nearby customers and deliver them directly to customers’ homes or businesses the same day using the robot. ​FedEx notes that on average, more than 60 percent of merchants’ customers live within three miles of a store location, which shows the potential for on-demand, hyper-local delivery. With this in mind, FedEx has also announced that it is partnering with several companies including AutoZone, Pizza Hut, and Target to help assess retailers’ autonomous delivery needs.