An autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) named Boaty McBoatface is preparing to embark on its first research mission to Antarctica on March 17.
Boaty McBoatface will travel on the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) research ship, the James Clark Ross, as a part of the DynOPO (Dynamics of the Orkney Passage Outflow) expedition. The ship will depart from Punta Arenas in Chile.
During its mission, the AUV will be tasked with researching water flow and turbulence in the depths of the Orkney Passage, which is a 3.5km deep region of the Southern Ocean, and is known for having some of the coldest and deepest abyssal ocean waters on earth, which are known as Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW).
Autonomy
Autonomy
Driverless Vehicles Could be Headed to Calgary as a Part of Pilot Project
Driverless vehicles could be tested in Calgary, Canada, if a pilot project presented to the city's transportation committee on May 17 is approved.
If approved, a low-speed autonomous shuttle service would be tested in the city next year. The shuttle, which would be capable of holding up to 10 people while traveling just under 20 km/hr, would be used to carry guests to and from the Calgary Zoo LRT station and Telus Spark.
“This could be a very interesting pilot and a way to celebrate the good that autonomous vehicles can bring,” says City Councillor Gian-Carlo Carra through the Calgary Sun.
FirstGroup to work on shared autonomous vehicle research at automated vehicle proving ground in California
A transport operator called FirstGroup will conduct research on shared autonomous vehicles at the Concord, California-based GoMentum Station, after signing an agreement with the federally designated automated vehicle proving ground.
Through the partnership, First Transit, which is a United States division of the United Kingdom-headquartered FirstGroup, will use the 2,000-hectare test facility as a test site for “innovative transport applications.”
One of the applications that First Transit will use the test facility for is a pilot project that began back in 2016, which seeks to deploy the “first commercially operated shared autonomous vehicle on public roads in the United States.”
RE2 Robotics chosen to develop technology that will convert manned aircraft to robotically piloted, autonomous aircraft
The United States Air Force has selected Pittsburg-based RE2 Robotics to develop the Common Aircraft Retrofit for Novel Autonomous Control (CARNAC) robotic system, which will serve as “a drop-in robotic system to rapidly convert a variety of traditionally manned aircraft to robotically piloted, autonomous aircraft under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.”
The CARNAC robotic system, which will utilize existing aviation assets and advances in vehicle automation technologies during its development, will be used to operate the aircraft in a similar fashion to how a human pilot does, and there will not be any modifications required to the aircraft.
Kongsberg Maritime’s HUGIN AUV chosen by University of Gothenburg for marine research
Kongsberg Maritime’s HUGIN AUV has been selected by the University of Gothenburg, and the AUV will be used to expand the capabilities of Sweden in the field of marine research, using unmanned vehicles and platforms.
The AUV, which is expected to be delivered in February 2018, will be recognized “as a national asset for marine research projects around Sweden and further afield.”
“In order to map the ocean environment to the degree that vital climate change research requires, we need to focus more on increasing our use of autonomous observation platforms,” says Anna Wåhlin, Professor in Oceanography, University of Gothenburg, through an article from Marine Technology News.
Company to oversee first phase of construction of automated vehicle proving ground
After being awarded a $24 million contract, Angelo Iafrate Construction, which is a Michigan-based company that has experience in heavy civil and transportation construction, will oversee phase one of the construction of a connected and automated vehicle proving ground at Willow Run for the American Center for Mobility.
The first phase of construction, which is expected to be complete and open for testing in December of this year, will include the building of a two-and-a-half-mile highway loop with on- and off-ramps and a 700’ curved tunnel.
A garage for customers will also be constructed, and an operations center will be built out.
Weekend Roundup
This Week in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World
Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper has signed a bill that mandates the creation of a study on how UAS can help public safety agencies with their missions, and in turn, lower their dependence on manned aircraft. Through H.B.1070, a UAS pilot program will be established, and the Department of Labor and Employment will receive authorization “to provide resources for the training and development of eligible pilot program members.” The results of the program (which will be funded through gifts, grants and donations) and the study will be submitted to General Assembly committees. (Unmanned Aerial)
Audi performs first autonomous vehicle demonstration in New York State
Representatives from Audi of America Inc. performed the first demonstration of an autonomous vehicle in the state of New York on June 13.
Using Audi’s Highway Pilot technology, the vehicle, which was occupied by two trained engineers who monitored the system and made sure that everything transpired safely, drove autonomously for approximately 6.1 miles once reaching Interstate 90, after being guided there by a driver.
Boeing and Huntington Ingalls Industries will work together to develop UUVs for U.S. Navy’s Extra Large UUV program
Boeing and Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) have announced a partnership to work on the design and production of UUVs, which will be used in support of the U.S. Navy’s Extra Large UUV program.
Design and production facilities in Huntington Beach, California, Newport News, Virginia, and Panama City, Florida, will be leveraged through the partnership. Access to all of Boeing's and HII's expertise and capabilities will also be offered.