Cloud County Community College will become the first college in Kansas to adopt the Unmanned Safety Institute’s (USI) drone curriculum, as the school will reportedly use the curriculum as a “precursor to drone operations involving renewable energy assets.”
The UAS courses are also a part of the school’s Precision Ag program, and could be used to support other careers, such as those in mass communications, or that of a substation technician.
Business Solutions
Business Solutions
NIAS and SkyOp partner to provide West Coast with UAS training programs and courseware
The Nevada UAS Test Site and the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems (NIAS) are partnering with a New York based training and education provider called SkyOp LLC, to offer UAS training programs and courseware to the West Coast.
Las Vegas will serve as the West Coast affiliate training center, where the next generation of the workforce will be prepared and trained so that it can answer “future demand for highly specialized drone-enabled employment opportunities.”
“UAS workforce development is the engine that will grow the Nevada UAS Industry,” says Dr. Chris Walach, Director of the FAA-designated Nevada UAS Test Site.
Cool New Applications in Unmanned Maritime Systems
The changing nature of Naval/Maritime Operations with the introduction of Autonomous Systems.
Unmanned Systems in the airborne arena, drones, have dominated the media, but there is considerable innovation and exciting activity in the unmanned maritime systems domain. San Diego, with the Navy's presence and UCSD's Scripps Institute of Oceanography, is a fertile ground for this innovation. This evening, we will feature a panel which addresses the emerging and developing technologies of Unmanned Maritime Systems (UMS) as well as business and operational employment in various industries. Come hear experts from Video Ray, SeaBotix (Teledyne), SeaByte and Ocean Wings.
The 2017 Bridger Cup
BridgerCup 2017 from Digital Aerial Media on Vimeo.
The 3rd Annual Bridger Cup is a fun event for all, to be held this Sunday, July 23rd at 1:00 pm at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds in Bozeman, Montana -- gateway to Yellowstone Park. The event will take place during the fair itself, so attendees will enjoy access to all of the attractions, rides, exhibits and other amenities of this excellent county fair.
Microsoft and Baidu partner to advance autonomous driving
In an effort to “take the technical development and adoption of autonomous driving worldwide,” Microsoft Corp. and Baidu Inc. have announced a new partnership.
Through the partnership, the two companies will, among many things, look into opportunities on how to deliver “connected vehicle solutions and unique customer experiences that aim to digitally transform the autonomous driving industry.”
“Today’s vehicles already have an impressive level of sophistication when it comes to their ability to capture data,” says Kevin Dallas, corporate vice president, Microsoft.
Autonomous vehicle technology company Nauto raises $159 million
An autonomous vehicle technology company called Nauto has closed a $159 million Series B financing round, which was led by a subsidiary of SoftBank Group Corp. and Greylock Partners.
According to Nauto, the funds will be used to “fuel Nauto’s growth and the deployment of its retrofit safety and networking system into more vehicles around the globe.”
The funding will also support the Nauto data platform’s expansion in autonomous vehicle research and development across a variety of automakers.
Webinar on Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Inspection Methods, July 26
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 18, 2017
Contact: Tom McMahon, tmcmahon@auvsi.org, (571) 255-7786
Ride sharing a first step to automated vehicles, speakers say
Shared rides — such as are offered by Lyft’s Lyft Line and Uber’s Uber Pool — are likely the first step to getting riders to accept future automated vehicles, representatives of those on-demand services said at the second day of the Automated Vehicles Symposium in San Francisco.
Joseph Okpaku, vice president of government operations for Lyft, said Lyft Line is available in 60 cities worldwide. In those cities, 20 percent of Lyft rides are shared rides, and some places, such as San Francisco, are much higher, verging on 50 to 60 percent.
Describing the company as “bullish” on automated vehicles, Okpaku said in five years, most of the company’s rides will be in automated vehicles, at least in urban core areas.
NAVYA will build its autonomous shuttle vehicles at new plant in Michigan
In a joint announcement with project collaborators Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and Ann Arbor SPARK, NAVYA has announced that it will open its first U.S. production plant in Saline, Michigan.
NAVYA plans on building approximately 25 of its ARMA fully autonomous shuttle vehicles at the 20.000+ sq. foot plant by the end of the year.
“We at NAVYA could not be more pleased to call Saline, Michigan home to our first assembly plant in North America,” says NAVYA CEO Christophe Sapet.
“As the greater Ann Arbor area continues to establish itself as a hub for autonomous vehicle development, we feel it’s the perfect location for us.”
BAE Systems to develop United Kingdom’s first dedicated autonomous systems testing service
BAE Systems, a company that provides “advanced, technology-led defence, aerospace and security solutions,” will “design and deliver the UK’s first dedicated autonomous systems testing service,” after being awarded a grant of £457,000 from the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).
The new service, which is expected to be ready for use later this year, will give customers a “safe, controlled and realistic environment in the Solent” where they can conduct trials and test a variety of systems such as unmanned boats, air vehicles and autonomous sensors.