Exyn Technologies has announced that Velodyne LiDAR’s VLP-16 Puck LITE LiDAR sensors are now integrated into Exyn Technologies’ Advanced Autonomous Aerial Robots (A3R).
The primary sensor for simultaneous localization and mapping, the Velodyne VLP-16 is also part of the sense-and-avoid capabilities and state estimation.
“Using Velodyne’s VLP-16, Exyn’s A3Rs do not need GPS, beacons or markers,” explains Nader Elm, chief executive officer of Exyn Technologies.
Software
Software
Real-Time Innovations' Connext DDS selected as connectivity framework for NextDroid's self-driving vehicles
Real-Time Innovations (RTI) has announced that its RTI Connext DDS has been selected as the connectivity framework for NextDroid's self-driving vehicles.
NextDroid, which is an autonomous vehicle and robotics company, is developing a variety of autonomous systems across both the automotive and maritime space, and the company is utilizing RTI's technology as part of a “modular software architecture” that enables real-time processing of different sensor data across a distributed computing platform.
Wilhelmsen and Kongsberg establish Massterly, the 'world's first autonomous shipping company'
Wilhelmsen, which is a global maritime industry group, and Kongsberg have announced the establishment of the “world's first autonomous shipping company,” Massterly.
Wilhelmsen and Kongsberg say that by joining forces to establish Massterly, they are taking the next step in autonomous shipping by offering a “complete value chain for autonomous ships, from design and development, to control systems, logistics services and vessel operations.”
The companies say that Massterly will benefit from the combined 360 years of experience between them, as Kongsberg brings its “unique technological expertise and solutions” to the table, while Wilhelmsen brings its “world-leading experience in logistics and ship management operations” to the table.
G7, GLP and NIO Capital form joint venture to develop autonomous driving electric trucks
Internet of Things (IoT) technology company G7, modern logistics technologies provider GLP, and private equity fund NIO Capital have announced a joint venture that will focus on developing next generation smart heavy-duty trucks powered by “autonomous driving, new energy technologies, logistics big data and exploring innovative models of 'vehicle-as-a-service.'”
The joint venture, which is controlled by G7, is built on “G7's massive real-time data and fleet management capabilities, GLP's open logistics ecosystem and NIO Capital's extensive automotive industry partnership.” The aim of the joint venture is to create the “next generation of smart vehicles for logistics and transportation through cross-industry collaboration.”
Hubsan launches 'high-quality, affordable' H501A+ UAS
A UAS company called Hubsan has launched its newest signature product, the H501A+ UAS.
Available starting at $199, the UAS is a “high-quality, affordable drone option,” according to Hubsan.
The H501A+ UAS has a variety of unique features. Among them, the UAS has both a high-quality video camera and photo features, it has a flight time of 20 minutes, and it has GPS positioning, automatic take-off and Return to Home features.
“We designed Hubsan's drones, and the H501A+ model, with quality and affordability in mind,” says Kevin Chen, Hubsan's U.S. branch manager.
Ambarella testing its fully autonomous EVA vehicle on the roads of Silicon Valley
Ambarella, Inc., which develops low-power, HD and Ultra HD video processing semiconductors, is demonstrating its fully autonomous Embedded Vehicle Autonomy (EVA) vehicle on the roads of Silicon Valley to industry analysts and customers.
Ambarella says that EVA has been trained to handle different traffic scenarios presented by Silicon Valley’s challenging urban environment.
EVA combines software and algorithms based on more than 20 years of autonomous vehicle research with Ambarella’s “low-power CV1 embedded computer vision processors” based on its CVflow architecture.
NVIDIA introduces cloud-based system for testing autonomous vehicles
During the opening keynote of the GPU Technology Conference, NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang announced NVIDIA DRIVE Constellation, which is a computing platform based on two different servers.
The first server runs NVIDIA DRIVE Sim software to simulate a self-driving vehicle’s sensors, such as cameras, lidar and radar, while the second server contains an NVIDIA DRIVE Pegasus AI car computer that runs the “complete autonomous vehicle software stack and processes the simulated data as if it were coming from the sensors of a car driving on the road.”
NVIDIA says that the cloud-based system for testing autonomous vehicles using “photorealistic simulation” is a “safer, more scalable method” for bringing self-driving cars to the roads.
Thales signs agreement with NASA to support UTM activity
Thales, which is a global leader in air traffic management technology, has announced that it has reached formal agreement with NASA for a Space Act Agreement to support its UAS traffic management (UTM) activity.
Thales says that with the ongoing support of federal, state and local government officials, and economic development organizations, it will create jobs in New York through the agreement.
DJI and Skycatch developing Skycatch Explore1 UAS for Komatsu Smart Construction
DJI and Skycatch have announced that they have extended their partnership to manufacture and deliver a fleet of high-precision UAS for Komatsu Smart Construction.
Known as the Skycatch Explore1 drone, the UAS will be deployed on Komatsu job sites.
The UAS are manufactured by DJI, and outfitted with specialized Skycatch technology. According to DJI, this is the first time that it has manufactured a custom UAS for a partner.
TechnipFMC selects RTI's Connext DDS for its ROVs
The Schilling Robotics business unit of TechnipFMC, a global leader in Oil & Gas projects, technologies, systems and services, has selected Real-Time Innovations’s (RTI) RTI Connext DDS as the connectivity framework for its underwater ROVs.
A longstanding RTI customer that has been working with the company for nearly 20 years, TechnipFMC is using RTI’s technology to build next-generation remote robotics controls, an integration that is enabling “faster and more secure connectivity” within TechnipFMC’s underwater ROVs.
