When Canada’s Aeryon Labs decided to set up a separate defense-focused company so it could work with the U.S. military on unmanned systems programs, it quickly settled on Colorado — and specifically Denver — as home for the new Aeryon Defense, which just launched on Feb. 1.
Tom Jackson, a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer and AH-1W Super Cobra pilot who is the company’s vice president and general manager, was already in the area, as were other employees who formed the nucleus of the new venture.
Beyond that, however, the state and city offered some unique attributes. Colorado is very centrally located, so it’s easier for the company to support multiple time zones and for company officials to travel to defense facilities around the country.
Business Solutions
Business Solutions
Lehigh Valley Drone providing UAS for broadcasts of Minor League Baseball team
Service Electric TV2, which is considered the leader in local sports broadcasting in Lehigh Valley, has partnered with a company called Lehigh Valley Drone to add a UAS to its broadcasts of the Lehigh Valley Ironpigs games.
The Lehigh Valley Ironpigs are a Minor League Baseball team, and the Triple-A affiliate of Major League Baseball’s Philadelphia Phillies.
This will be the first time that a UAS is used to provide a live video feed to a professional sports team in Lehigh Valley.
“We are adding a new dimension to an already excellent production,” says John Fries, Co-founder of Lehigh Valley Drone.
“I’m super excited by our test shots and I think the viewers at home will be in for a special treat too.”
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.
Fotokite named winner of Genius NY competition
On April 10, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that Switzerland’s Fotokite was the winner of the $1 million grand prize from Round II of the Genius NY accelerator.
Fotokite has created a “kite-like tethered drone system” by combining aerial and ground-based robotics with patented flight control algorithms. Using the tether, the system can fly for 24-hours fully autonomously.
“This is tremendous support from the Genius NY program and CenterState CEO and a total game changer for Fotokite,” says Chris McCall, CEO of Fotokite.
Kongsberg Geospatial and Survae announce partnership to help UAS operators manage multiple UAS simultaneously
Ottawa-based Kongsberg Geospatial and Wilmington, North Carolina-based Survae have announced the integration of the Kongsberg Geospatial IRIS UAS Ground Control Station (GCS) with Survae’s digital asset management platform for geolocated video, imagery and data.
With this integration, a single operator will be able to seamlessly manage the real-time display and storage of multiple video streams from the multiple UAS being managed by the IRIS GCS.
In addition, videos will be meta-tagged and stored for “near real-time analysis or for post-mission archival search of missions flown.”
USPTO issues patent for HorseFly Truck Launched Drone Package Delivery System
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a patent for the HorseFly Truck Launched Drone Package Delivery System, according to American technology company Workhorse Group Inc.
The HorseFly UAS Delivery System, which is a “custom-built, high efficiency” delivery UAS, is fully integrated with the Workhorse line of electric/hybrid delivery trucks, and it meets FAA guidelines for UAS operations in the United States.
Microsoft announced as exclusive data and cloud provider for American Center for Mobility during ACM's grand opening
During the grand opening of the American Center for Mobility (ACM) on April 4, it was announced that Microsoft will be the exclusive data and cloud provider for ACM.
In an effort to advance the testing and development of connected and automated vehicles (CAV), as well as mobility technologies, Microsoft will provide ACM with cloud resources and data infrastructure, according to John Maddox, ACM president and CEO.
“We are excited to collaborate with Microsoft in our efforts to lead the world in the safe development of CAV technologies and to enable the safe deployment of these vehicles onto the nation's roads,” Maddox says.
SenseFly's software integration with Trimble optimizes UAS mapping workflow for geospatial professionals
SenseFly has announced a new software integration with Trimble that optimizes the UAS mapping workflow for geospatial professionals, ultimately ensuring the smoothest possible end-to-end mapping UAS workflow.
Within their drone's recently launched eMotion 3.5 software, senseFly operators can now transform a senseFly S.O.D.A. camera’s georeferenced imagery into an “automatically-collated project (in .jxl format).”
This allows for the simple, one-click import of UAS imagery into the Trimble Business Center Aerial Photogrammetry module, without having to manually create a project and organize images.
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.”