Australia's Redland City Council and Queensland, Australia's peak motoring body RACQ have announced that Karragarra Island on Redlands Coast will be the first location in Queensland to test a driverless bus.
According to Mayor Karen Williams, the Council began looking into new technologies because better transportation options was a priority for residents.
“Redlands Coast has unique transport challenges that need innovative solutions, which is why we’re partnering with RACQ and Easy Mile on the Smart Mobility trial,” Williams says.
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Business Solutions
Four Virginia companies chosen for new initiative to improve state agency access to UAS service providers
The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) has announced a contract that will improve state agency access to UAS service providers.
Considered a first for the UAS industry, the initiative now connects state agencies with approved vendors, which will allow state agencies to have “more affordable access” to problem solving data and imagery, CIT says.
Four Virginia companies— Draper Aden Associates, DroneUp LLC, ERUdyne Inc., and SkyShots—were chosen for the initiative.
UPS invests in TuSimple; testing self-driving tractor trailers in Arizona
UPS has announced that its venture capital arm, UPS Ventures, has made a minority investment in self-driving truck company TuSimple.
Building off of an ongoing commercial relationship between the two companies in which UPS has purchased transportation services from TuSimple, UPS and TuSimple are testing self-driving tractor trailers on a route in Arizona to determine if the vehicles are capable of improving service and efficiency in the UPS network.
“UPS is committed to developing and deploying technologies that enable us to operate our global logistics network more efficiently,” says Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer, Scott Price.
WhiteFox acquires east coast company to strengthen positioning in UAS security industry
WhiteFox has announced its acquisition of the assets and key personnel of a company headquartered on the east coast.
According to WhiteFox, the acquisition will allow it to expand its product lines, and ensure “continued technological leadership” in the UAS security industry.
“This acquisition is a significant leap forward for WhiteFox, and cements our position as the global leader in airspace security,” says Luke Fox, founder and CEO of WhiteFox.
“Our mission is to ensure drones will enhance our quality of life, by providing an ecosystem in which drones can be securely operated, detected, identified and, if necessary, mitigated.”
Liberty Dynamic, ReconRobotics collaborating to develop throwable robot with mounted flash-bang
Liberty Dynamic has announced that it will begin working with ReconRobotics Inc. to equip the company’s tactical Throwbot 2 robot with an Enhanced Diversionary Device.
Equipped with a flash-bang, the robot will save military and law enforcement users “precious seconds” before detonation, while also providing them the benefit of real-time intelligence.
“It’s all about giving operators tactical advantage,” says John Chapman, CEO of Liberty Dynamic.
The Enhanced Diversionary Device is described as a “reusable, microprocessor-controlled flash-bang.” It is designed to be safer and more economical than the standard stun grenades that police officers and military personnel currently use.
Electrify America, Stable Auto partner to deploy robotic charging platforms for self-driving vehicles
Electrify America, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Volkswagen Group of America, has announced that it will work Stable Auto, a San Francisco-based electric vehicle (EV) fleet charging company, to deploy robotic charging platforms for self-driving vehicles in a pilot demonstration site in San Francisco.
Together, the companies will deploy a pilot platform in San Francisco, which will seek to charge autonomous EVs without human intervention using a robotic platform attached to a 150-kilowatt DC fast charger.
Expected to open in early 2020, the charging location will be Stable’s first commercial autonomous charging site.
Recogni seeks to make autonomous vehicles a reality with low-power AI processing
A company called Recogni Inc. that designs a vision-oriented artificial intelligence (AI) platform for autonomous vehicles has emerged from stealth with the announcement of $25 million in Series A financing.
Wing launching UAS delivery service in Queensland, Australia
Wing, a subsidiary of Google’s parent corporation Alphabet, has announced that it will soon begin using UAS to deliver various items such as fresh bread, hot coffee and food items directly to homes in Queensland, Australia in just minutes.
The service will start in Logan, which is one of Australia’s fastest growing communities and home to the eighth largest population in Australia. Wing attributes several factors to what made Logan attractive for this service.
“One of the things we’ve learned from our first several thousand deliveries in Australia is that families with young children seem to particularly enjoy our service,” Wing says.
Ford acquires Quantum Signal to boost its autonomous vehicle efforts
Ford has announced its acquisition of a Saline, Michigan-based company called Quantum Signal that works on mobile robotics for a number of different clients, including the military.
With a mindset towards further advancing its goal of launching a self-driving vehicle business, Ford says that it plans on leveraging Quantum Signal’s “extensive experience” in real-time simulation and algorithm development to develop its Transportation as a Service (TaaS) platform, as well as vehicle controls that support the customer experience, functional safety and other vehicle systems.
Liteye Systems, Red Six Solutions partnering on counter-UAS tech
Liteye Systems Inc., the provider of manufacturing, integration, training, and services of the Anti-UAS Defense System (AUDS), has announced a partnership with a red team strategic advisory company called Red Six Solutions LLC.