The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued RE2 Robotics a patent for the invention of a fluid rotary joint that is capable of precise positioning while being driven by both fluids and gasses, including water, hydraulic fluid, and air.
According to RE2 Robotics, the patent, “Fluid Rotary Joint and Method of Using the Same,” further adds to its mobile manipulation intellectual property and underwater robotics expertise.
“The issuance of this patent further solidifies RE2’s position as a world-class intelligent mobile manipulation provider,” says Jorgen Pedersen, president and CEO.
Technology
Technology
Velodyne Lidar, Ford Otosan collaborating to develop and test autonomous heavy commercial trucks
Velodyne Lidar and Ford Otosan will work together on product development and testing of autonomous heavy commercial trucks.
To enable safe navigation and collision avoidance in next generation vehicles, Ford Otosan is testing and planning to use Velodyne Velarray H800 lidar sensors, which are described as a “powerful solution that can greatly improve automated safety and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).”
“Autonomous vehicle technology, powered by lidar, can bring multiple efficiency and safety benefits to the trucking industry,” says Burak Gökçelik, assistant general manager, Ford Otosan.
Boeing completes tests of its advanced autonomy technology
Boeing has announced that it recently completed flight tests with five high-performance surrogate jets operating autonomously in a team at the new Queensland Flight Test Range in Cloncurry, Australia.
The 11-foot aircraft were used to test Boeing’s advanced autonomy technology, including on-board command and control and data sharing capabilities.
“The tests demonstrated our success in applying artificial intelligence algorithms to ‘teach’ the aircraft’s brain to understand what is required of it,” says Emily Hughes, director of Phantom Works International.
Drone Harmony decides to embed its flight mapping solutions with Altitude Angel's market-leading data
Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) technology provider Altitude Angel has announced that software company Drone Harmony has opted to equip its flight mapping solutions with Altitude Angel’s market-leading data.
Drone Harmony is developing a data capture platform that enables enterprises to capture quality data of infrastructure assets. According to Altitude Angel, this addresses the main hurdle encountered when attempting to tap into digitalization benefits: the lack of complete, quality, and up-to-date digital databases representing the enterprise assets.
DJI announces that drones have helped rescue more than 500 people around the world from danger
According to new statistics collected by DJI, drones have helped rescue more than 500 people around the world from danger.
The milestone was achieved in mid-October, when a DJI drone with a thermal imaging camera was used to find a missing 93-year-old woman in a dark field in Missouri.
“With more than 500 people now rescued by drones operated under basic rules, we can see how reasonable regulations with low barriers to entry literally save lives, and how useful expanded drone operations at night and over people will be when they are permitted at scale,” says Brendan Schulman, DJI vice president of Policy & Legal Affairs.
Conversations with AUVSI: Miso Robotics
Miso Robotics is creating innovative robotics and artificial intelligence solutions designed to revolutionize the restaurant and prepared food industries. The company was founded with a mission to leverage AI technology to help chefs cook food perfectly and consistently and enable restaurants to increase labor productivity, reduce costs and drive profitability while improving the overall dining experience.
In the fourth edition of “Conversations with AUVSI,” Buck Jordan, president and chairman of Miso Robotics, took the time to answer some questions about Miso Robotics’ background, the company's robotic kitchen assistant, Flippy, and the company’s various partnerships with different restaurants and kitchens.
Gatik, Loblaw partner to launch Canada's first autonomous delivery fleet
Autonomous technology company Gatik has announced a multi-year partnership with Canada’s largest retailer, Loblaw Companies Limited, to deploy a fleet of autonomous delivery vehicles in Toronto, Ontario. This will be Canada's first autonomous delivery fleet.
Walmart, Intel partner to bring holiday drone light show to communities across U.S.
In an effort to uplift families following an unprecedented 2020, Walmart has announced the “Walmart Holiday Drone Light Show,” which the retail giant describes as “an all-new magical experience that brings the joy and wonder of the holiday season to the skies of select communities across the country, and to all families through a special live-streamed event.”
SkySkopes' stratification as top Drone Service Provider validates its day one vision
In October, SkySkopes announced that it was named the top drone service provider (DSP) in the U.S., as well as one of the best globally, by Drone Industry Insights (Dii), the leading source for business intelligence in the field of commercial drones.
Equipped with a highly qualified operations and geospatial team, SkySkopes was ranked according to its size, consistent drone-industry development, global UAS market-share, growth, public awareness and online presence and activity.
“I’m truly delighted by Drone Industry Insights’ stratification of SkySkopes as the top DSP in the U.S.,” SkySkopes CEO Matt Dunlevy said at the time.
Weekend Roundup: November 20, 2020
This Week in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World
Students and faculty at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia are working on an autonomous vehicle that can transport the elderly. The JMU Autonomous Cart (JACart) research group tested its second autonomous (AV) golf cart on the university’s campus in a fixed course on Wednesday, Nov. 18. (WHSV-TV)
