The trigger for the upcoming virtual summit, “Disruptive Women Powering Our Autonomous Future,” won’t likely make any history books, but it felt like a milestone – or at least an aha moment.
Pamela Gauci, events director for Velodyne Lidar, was reviewing the lineup for a panel discussion that was to be part of another event that the company hosts, an annual conference on safety and autonomous vehicles. With her was Sally Frykman, Velodyne Lidar’s chief marketing officer.
Neither the general topic of that other conference nor the specific topic designated for the panel – the regulatory road ahead – had anything to do with gender. Yet every expert on the list was a woman.
Education
Education
Wingcopter Secures $22 Million in Series A Funding to Aid in COVID-19 Relief
Wingcopter has secured $22 million in Series A funding to strengthen its leadership in drone-based logistics, with a special focus on healthcare-related applications including the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.
“Our team is driven by tackling the world’s challenges through scalable innovations,” said Wingcopter CEO Tom Plümmer. “This chapter of our journey is dedicated to setting up logistical highways in the sky that leapfrog traditional means of transportation.”
Weekend Roundup: January 8, 2021
This week (and the last two weeks) in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World
Buffalo Automation demonstrated its autonomous water taxi, the “Greycraft,” to city leaders in Knoxville, Tennessee this week. Considered the world’s first autonomous ferry, the solar and electric-powered taxi can give people rides from Volunteer Landing on the north side to Suttree Landing on the south side of the Tennessee River. (WATE-TV)
Global Air Drone Academy works to bridge race and gender gap in STEAM education and careers
During National Drone Safety Awareness Week (NDSAW) in November, students from the Global Air Drone Academy (GADA), a nonprofit organization that is bridging the race and gender gap in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) education and careers, got the chance to sit down and have a discussion with FAA Administrator Steve Dickson.
AUVSI Hosts Unmanned Systems Industry Forecast Webinar December 16th
Contact: Jackie Beckwith, jbeckwith@auvsi.org
For Immediate Release: December 14, 2020
Weekend Roundup: December 4, 2020
This week (and last) in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World
Mississippi State University (MSU) engineers in the university’s Raspet Flight Research Laboratory are leading research efforts that could make UAS operational by the U.S. government, as well as civilian aviation, in icy conditions. The U.S. Department of Defense is hoping that the icing system development and technology team being led by MSU will result in lightweight anti-icing systems, which would lead to certification for UAS to operate in forecasted icing conditions. (Mississippi State University)
SkySkopes' stratification as top Drone Service Provider validates its day one vision
In October, SkySkopes announced that it was named the top drone service provider (DSP) in the U.S., as well as one of the best globally, by Drone Industry Insights (Dii), the leading source for business intelligence in the field of commercial drones.
Equipped with a highly qualified operations and geospatial team, SkySkopes was ranked according to its size, consistent drone-industry development, global UAS market-share, growth, public awareness and online presence and activity.
“I’m truly delighted by Drone Industry Insights’ stratification of SkySkopes as the top DSP in the U.S.,” SkySkopes CEO Matt Dunlevy said at the time.
Weekend Roundup: November 13, 2020
This Week in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World
Scientific Systems Company Inc. (SSCI) has demonstrated a team made up of a fully autonomous UAS and a search and rescue canine working together without intervention from a human handler to conduct a simulated search and rescue mission. During the demonstration, SSCI's newly developed Teammate Aware Autonomy (TAA) system was used together with its Collaborative Mission Autonomy (CMA) and Finding Objects thru Closed Loop Understanding of the Scene (FOCUS) software. (PRNewswire)
ULM joins FAA's Unmanned Aircraft Systems Collegiate Training Initiative
The University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM) has announced that it is joining the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Collegiate Training Initiative (UAS CTI).
According to the FAA, the initiative is a collaborative effort designed to ensure that new technology is safely incorporated into the National Airspace System (NAS) and that qualified professionals are in the pipeline to satisfy the demand of the drone industry, which continues to grow at a rapid pace.
“The FAA is serving as a kind of intermediary for schools that offer this kind of program to get together,” explains Dr. Paul Karlowitz, associate professor of aviation.
Weekend Roundup: October 30, 2020
This Week (and last week) in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World
Australian Defence Force (ADF) Academy has announced that in August, it received two Mk6 UGVs. According to private Jacob Joseph, the academy received the vehicles after undergoing testing at Exercise Talisman Sabre. (Army Technology)
