This Week in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World
Software
Software
AeroVironment delivers UAS to DoD customers, unveils new Pocket Digital Data Link AE
AeroVironment, Inc. has delivered M1/M2/M5-compatible Raven and Puma All Environment (AE) UAS to two DoD customers.
The company has also announced that in December, it will begin taking orders for M1/M2/M5-configured Wasp AE micro air vehicles (MAV), for delivery next spring.
“Integrating the new M1/M2/M5 radio frequencies into our family of small UAS gives our customers the ability to seamlessly and securely conform to the Department of Defense‘s new frequency spectrum allocation and proceed with certainty,” says David Sharpin, vice president of AeroVironment’s Tactical UAS Business Unit.
Real-Time Innovations announces connectivity software that can be used for autonomous vehicles
Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity company Real-Time Innovations (RTI) has announced its RTI Connext DDS 5.3, which is the “first connectivity software designed to build layered-databus architectures for IIoT systems of systems.”
Some of the features of RTI Connext DDS 5.3—which has a number of possible use cases, including with autonomous vehicles—include interoperable security, a historical data query, and seamless device mobility, which is especially important for autonomous vehicles because of how critical it is for systems to maintain connectivity even as devices roam across networks.
Self-driving shuttles being tested in Japan to help rural elderly population
According to Reuters.com, self-driving buses are being tested in rural communities in Japan, in an effort to provide elderly residents with additional transportation options.
In these communities, elderly residents don’t have access to many bus and taxi services. These communities are also home to populations that are aging and shrinking.
With this in mind, mobile gaming software maker DeNA Co (2432.T), which has branched into automotive software, is testing its driverless six-seater Robot Shuttle in these towns to see if this technology is a realistic form of transportation for the elderly.
Lyft and Drive.ai partner to work on self-driving cars
In an effort to bring self-driving cars to the Bay Area on its open platform, Lyft has announced a partnership with Drive.ai, which is a Silicon Valley startup that uses deep learning to create artificial intelligence (AI) software for autonomous vehicles.
May Mobility to test autonomous vehicles in Detroit in October
From October 9 to 13, Ann Arbor, Michigan-based May Mobility Inc., which is a startup that became incorporated in January of this year, will operate a pilot program using autonomous vehicles to shuttle Bedrock LLC employees in downtown Detroit to and from a parking structure.
A total of 15 hours of testing will be conducted, as the service will be provided to staff from 7 to 10 p.m.
Two Polaris Industries Inc.-manufactured electric vehicles, which will be manned during testing, will be used during the program, and according to May Mobility CEO Edwin Olson, the vehicles have six doors for six seats.
This pilot program will be the sixth major autonomous vehicle project for the May Mobility team, which currently stands at 15 members.
Washington state's Spokane Fire Department to add fourth UAS to its fleet
According to The Drive, the Spokane Fire Department (SFD) in Washington state is preparing to welcome a fourth UAS to its fleet of unmanned aerial systems, as a part of the SFD’s UAS program.
Currently, the SFD has three UAS that cost approximately $1,150 each, but the latest UAS will cost more than those three UAS combined, with a price tag of $9,000.
Including the costs of the actual UAS themselves, the SFD has spent approximately $28,000 so far on various UAS-related items such as cameras, batteries, and accessories, according to City spokesman Brian Coddington.
Aeroprobe adds two new micro air data computers to its product line
Aeroprobe Corporation, which is a global producer of air data measurement tools to aerospace, automotive, turbomachinery, wind turbine, and wind tunnel industries around the world, has added two new Micro Air Data Computers (μADC), the Pegasus and Destiny models, to its product line.
These models offer the accuracy and economical size of Aeroprobe’s current models, while introducing new and streamlined features.
Used to collect and process air flow data across a variety of applications and industries, μADCs offer a “complete system for air flow data acquisition and analysis” when used in combination with an air data probe like those from Aeroprobe’s extensive product line.
SolAero Technologies completes and delivers first solar wing for Bye Aerospace's StratoAirNet UAV
SolAero Technologies Corp (SolAero) has completed and delivered the first solar wing for Bye Aerospace’s solar-electric UAV, the “StratoAirNet.”
Using “proprietary methods to maintain the critical laminar flow surface on the wing,” SolAero is integrating its “advanced high-efficiency solar cell technologies” on the graphite composite StratoAirNet wing.
This initial wing-solar cell combination will provide ample power— approximately 2,000 Watts— under ideal daylight conditions at altitude, resulting in sustained flight of the StratoAirNet UAV being achieved.
EPFL student uses UAS to rescue fawns in danger
Upon reading an article about baby deer—also known as fawns—being accidentally killed by farm machinery during the harvest season, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) student Simon Jobin decided to use his UAS to save the animals from these dangerous situations.
According to Jobin, when fawns hear tractors approaching, they lie down in the tall grass instead of running away, which makes them virtually invisible.
With this in mind, the UAS is used to scan the field following a set course, as it covers every part of the land. It is crucial that Jobin is up early enough in the morning to conduct these scans, because once the sun warms up the ground, the UAS’ thermal camera can't effectively detect the animals' body heat.
