Ford Motor Company and Michigan State University (MSU) recently announced the renewal and expansion of their collaborative research alliance, which will facilitate continued collaboration between the two entities in a variety of fields, including autonomous technology and mobility.
Ford and MSU say that by strengthening their research and development partnership, they will be able to develop a broad range of innovations, with a focus on the aforementioned autonomous technology and mobility, as well as sensors and lightweight materials.
Over the course of their four-year partnership thus far, Ford and MSU have worked together on several successful projects, including collaborations in advanced engines, composite materials and information technology.
Business Solutions
Business Solutions
uAvionix selects Leesburg, Virginia, as the location for its 'HQ2'
Amazon isn't the only company to select northern Virginia for its second headquarters. On a smaller scale, uAvionix has announced plans to establish an office location in Leesburg, Virginia.
Known as “HQ2,” the location was selected after uAvionix compared important criteria such as transportation options, talent availability, and local craft beer quality during a nationwide search for the perfect location.
Expected to open in Feb. 2019, HQ2 will focus on business operations, development, and regulatory engagement, especially in the UAS market.
Robotiq to use funding to enhance its standing in collaborative-robotics market
Robotiq, which provides tools and software for the collaborative-robotics market, has announced that it raised $31 million in funding during its first round of institutional financing. The funding will be used to develop products, expand internationally, and enhance support of the company’s partner ecosystem.
Robotiq develops equipment such as specially designed, plug-and-play “grippers” that can handle manufacturing tasks previously done by human hands. The company also develops force sensors, camera technology and related software, which can be used to help with a variety of manufacturing tasks such as picking up and placing certain components or products, light assembly, finishing, and quality testing.
Cape partners with Consortiq to offer best-in-class UAS training and management consulting services to its customers
Cape, which builds software that unlocks the “true potential of drones,” has partnered with Consortiq to provide its customers access to best-in-class UAS training and management consulting services.
One of just three commercial companies certified to deliver training for AUVSI’s Top Operator Program (TOP), Consortiq was also awarded first place in the Training & Education Organization category during AUVSI’s inaugural Xcellence Awards earlier this year.
WhiteFox to use latest funding to help advance its mission of safely integrating UAS into airspace
WhiteFox Defense Technologies Inc. has raised an additional $12 million in a Series Seed round, bringing the total investment in the company to $14 million so far.
WhiteFox says that it will use this funding to scale its operations, prepare to launch new product lines into the market and continue to develop its proprietary technology to advance its mission of safely integrating UAS into the airspace.
“This is an enormous step forward for safely ushering drones into the national airspace system,” says Luke Fox, CEO of WhiteFox Defense Technologies.
DriveOhio and Ohio UAS Center partner to support UAS research and development
DriveOhio and the Ohio UAS Center have announced a new strategic plan to support UAS research and development.
Through the strategic plan, three main initiatives— FlyOhio, Ohio UAS Center Operations, and workforce development—will be addressed.
In an effort to facilitate the widescale use of UAS for delivery and transport, FlyOhio will seek to develop an unmanned traffic management (UTM) system; Ohio UAS Center Operations will facilitate the use of UAS for a variety of business services; and workforce development will educate and create the skills needed for smart mobility jobs around this technology.
May Mobility selected to deliver autonomous transit pilot to Rhode Island
After a competitive request-for-proposals process that started earlier this year, May Mobility has been selected by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) to deliver a “limited and controlled automated vehicle service” to help fill a transportation gap between downtown Providence and Olneyville.
While the service is in operation, RIDOT will seek to get a better understanding of the potential of new technology to improve mobility options for residents in the state, by testing and researching a variety of factors relating to the service.
The service will be available and free to the public for a year.
Rite-Solutions selected to help US Navy develop future generations of UUV Family of Systems
A software development, systems engineering, information technology and learning development firm called Rite-Solutions has been selected to participate in a 5-year, $561.2 million contract to help the U.S. Navy develop future generations of its UUV Family of Systems (FoS).
Announced by the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) in Newport, Rhode Island, the contract will develop core technologies in 12 functional areas including payloads, vehicle control, and command and control. Rite-Solutions was one of 23 companies selected to participate in the contract.
