Keynote speakers at Xponential's "Unmanned for Good" session stressed the benefits of unmanned aerial systems for the humanitarian and public safety communities and the responders who risk their lives to make everyone safer.   UAS and the data they provide are becoming so effective for tasks like fighting fires that it is becoming unethical not to use them, said Robin Murphy, professor of computer science and engineering at Texas A&M University.   This, said AUVSI President and CEO Brian Wynne, is "extremely meaningful."   "We have an obligation" to provide technology, said Commander Tom Madigan of the Alameda, California, County Sheriff’s Office.  

The City of Peachtree Corners, Georgia and Prototype Prime, which is Peachtree Corners’ start-up incubator, have announced plans to create a city-owned and operated 1.4-mile autonomous vehicle track and an Advanced Vehicle Technology Accelerator. Construction of the track is expected to begin shortly, and it has an anticipated open date of January 2019. The track will be located just outside of Prototype Prime’s front door. The start-up incubator will serve as the “innovation, collaboration, and testing hub” for the city's advanced vehicle project.

Survae and autonomous amphibious robots' developer C-2i Innovations have announced that Survae’s digital asset management platform is now connected to C-2i’s Sea Otter device, which is used for all-weather inspection, sampling and mapping of shore and water regions, from oceans and harbors to rivers, estuaries, marshes and tailing ponds. The Sea Otter, which is portable and deployable from beaches and small boats, provides persistent sensing where UUVs and ROVs cannot, the companies say. Operating up to 10 miles from shore, the Sea Otter is highly maneuverable, and in a single deployment it can cover multiple stations, providing versatile station keeping for up to five months in all weather/all season situations.

Altavian, Inc. has been awarded a $250 million Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity contract with the US Army. Altavian will support the largest small UAS program in the world, under the Program Executive Office Aviation, Products Office for Tactical Unmanned Aircraft (TUAS). The US Army Family of Systems, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (FoSUAS) includes the RQ-11 and RQ-20 UAS, as well as supporting control and communications equipment, and other technologies to be fielded over the contract period of performance. All systems are designed to be carried by a “single dismounted warfighter,” quickly assembled, and deployed to provide “immediate over-the-hill surveillance and reconnaissance.”