An AutoNaut USV has been launched alongside “Wilson,” which is the Ocean Cleanup System 001 from a non-profit organization called The Ocean Cleanup that is deploying advanced technologies to remove plastic from the world’s oceans. While deployed, the AutoNaut USV will conduct long-term monitoring of the surrounding environmental conditions. It will also provide information on “Wilson” itself, which is currently undergoing sea trials approximately 350 nautical miles from San Francisco to test the behavior of the system. “We are thrilled to be playing a role in Boyan Slat’s vision,” says Phil Johnston, BD at AutoNaut.

A startup robotics company called Iron Ox opened its first production facility in San Carlos, California on Oct. 3. The company’s 8,000-square-foot indoor hydroponic facility is attached to its offices, and will produce leafy greens at a rate of roughly 26,000 heads a year, which is the production level of a typical outdoor farm that might be five times bigger, according to MIT Technology Review. Iron Ox has 15 human employees that share their work space with robots that tend rows of leafy greens. Robotic arms individually pluck the plants from their hydroponic trays and transfer them to new trays as they increase in size, which maximizes their health and output. Robotic movers carry the 800-pound water-filled trays around the facility.

On Oct. 1, the FAA announced nine new partners to its Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) initiative, which is described as an “innovative collaboration between the FAA and the drone industry that provides near real-time processing of airspace authorizations for Part 107 drone operators nationwide who fly in controlled airspace.” After the success of the FAA’s prototype, the initiative was simultaneously opened to other air traffic control facilities, as well as to new industry partners. A five-month onboarding process began back in April, resulting in nine new LAANC partners. Those partners are: Aeronyde, Airbus, AiRXOS, Altitude Angel, Converge, DJI, KittyHawk, UASidekick and Unifly.

By March 2019, May Mobility’s low-speed autonomous shuttle service will be operating in at least three U.S. cities, according to TechCrunch. Founded less than two years ago, May Mobility's low-speed autonomous shuttles are designed to run along a specific route in business districts or corporate and college campuses. After launching its first autonomous shuttle service in Detroit, Michigan this summer, the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based company plans to expand to Columbus, Ohio, and it recently announced plans to add another route in Grand Rapids, Michigan through a one-year pilot set to begin next March.