Through a pilot program with the City of Loveland, Ohio and the FAA, the HorseFly truck-launched Autonomous Drone Package Delivery System is currently making package deliveries to homes in the Cincinnati area, Workhorse Group Inc. has announced.
Consumers in select Cincinnati zip codes opted-in to accept packages from Horsefly via the Workhorse Ares Drone Package Delivery App, which is designed to “seamlessly integrate with existing online e-commerce platforms.”
“We feel this is a game-changing moment to innovate the way packages are delivered for many years to come,” says Steve Burns, Workhorse CEO.
Technology
Technology
Entities join forces to create statewide UAS Working Group in North Carolina
In partnership with N.C. Emergency Management, the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s (NCDOT) Division of Aviation UAS Program Office is working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to create a statewide UAS Working Group that includes local, state and federal governments, and the private sector.
According to NCDOT, the goal of the UAS Working Group is to “establish a partnership where government and private sector partners can forge strong relationships by sharing best practices and training for disasters and other emergencies.”
From Unmanned Systems Magazine: Nvidia brings artificial intelligence to automobiles
Imagine cars so fully autonomous that the interiors have no steering wheels, pedals, or rear-view mirrors. Imagine them being able to carry passengers safely along any route in any weather, in any traffic conditions — skillfully spotting, assessing and avoiding hazards even more reliably than human drivers.
It’s a vision that would require immense artificial intelligence computing power to realize. And that is what deep-learning innovator Nvidia says its Drive PX Pegasus provides.
In announcing Pegasus in October, Nvidia billed it as the “world’s first AI computer to make (fully autonomous) robotaxis a reality.” Pegasus is scheduled for distribution to auto manufacturers and other customers in the second half of 2018.
GA-ASI demonstrating its Guardian RPA in Japan
On May 13, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) conducted a “Public Day” demonstration of its Guardian Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) for the community of Iki City and Nagasaki Prefecture in Japan.
GA-ASI will spend three weeks conducting demonstration flights out of Iki Airport, in an effort to promote the “civil and scientific applications” of the RPA.
“We thank the Mayor of Iki and the many other public and private stakeholders for their making this demonstration possible,” says Linden Blue, CEO GA-ASI.
CPS Energy using UAS technology to perform routine inspections of overhead infrastructure
San Antonio’s CPS Energy has announced that it is now utilizing UAS technology to perform routine inspections of overhead infrastructure in a “safer and more efficient way.”
This announcement comes a year after the energy company tested using this technology to inspect transmission towers and associated high voltage lines in May 2017. Through this testing, CPS Energy found that UAS inspections of 50 transmission line towers were completed in just two and a half days, which is a far cry shorter than the nearly two weeks it would have taken to complete these inspections using conventional methods.
Canada's Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service launching UAS program in June
In an effort to provide “safer, quicker, and more efficient response” to emergency situations, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) will launch its UAS program in June.
Equipped with a thermal imaging camera, WFPS' UAS can help first responders locate individuals and fire hot spots, and it will also be able to identify potential structural issues.
Using the UAS, incident commanders on scene will be able to see what the UAS sees in real-time, which will allow them to deploy resources “more effectively” to the emergency.
Boston Dynamics to start selling its headless robotic SpotMini in 2019
Starting in 2019, Boston Dynamics will begin selling its headless robotic SpotMini, according to Marc Raibert, the company’s founder.
During a robotics conference in California, Raibert said that SpotMini is currently in pre-production, and is scheduled for large-scale production and general availability “from middle of 2019.”
Weighing approximately 66 pounds, the SpotMini is capable of operating up to 90 minutes between charges, but it can also be driven semi-autonomously. Using its series of cameras, it can even navigate fully autonomously.
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K2 Unmanned Systems releases first American made Law Enforcement tactical UAS
During the 29th Annual APSA Fly In Training, K2 Unmanned Systems LLC, which is a California-based commercial UAS manufacturer, flight ops and training company, unveiled its Knight Hawk UAS. The company says that the Knight Hawk is the first American made Law Enforcement tactical drone.
Designed with first responder operations and infrastructure inspection in mind, the Knight Hawk UAS is equipped with a variety of features including high pound payload capacity, infrared optics, and encrypted HD video downlink; all of which make it a useful tool in critical situations.
