Through new testing and educational initiatives on the campuses of Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ), the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) and FSCJ have agreed to expand the JTA’s autonomous vehicle program.
The JTA Board of Directors approved a memorandum of understanding with FSCJ on May 28. The MoU includes the expansion of the Ultimate Urban Circulator (U2C) Test & Learn Program to FSCJ’s Commercial Driver’s License Test Track on the school’s Cecil Center Campus; the development of an autonomous vehicle deployment or “Agile Plan” on an FSCJ campus; and the development of curriculum and educational initiatives relative to autonomous vehicles, and related technology.
Technology
Technology
Collins Aerospace, L3Harris Technologies, Thales USA to help enable BVLOS UAS ops in North Dakota
Collins Aerospace, L3Harris Technologies, and Thales USA have all been selected to provide systems engineering and integration services to build, implement, and operate North Dakota’s first-of-its-kind, aviation-grade, statewide network for flying UAS beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS).
The companies have been contracted to work with the Northern Plains UAS Test Site (NPUASTS) to enable real-world, scalable, commercial and public BVLOS UAS operations in North Dakota.
Autonodyne, Robotic Skies partner to provide support services for UAS
UAS and software design and certification expert Autonodyne LLC has partnered with Robotic Skies to develop field maintenance and other support services for Autonodyne’s mission-critical systems and technologies.
North Carolina A&T researchers to use drones to improve tropical forecasting and modeling
With a goal of improving tropical forecasting and modeling, a computational science and engineering faculty member and two Ph.D. students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (North Carolina A&T) will use drones to collect data from the eye of hurricanes.
In a project supported by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Hyoshin Park, Ph.D., and Ph.D. candidates Larkin Folsom and Justice Darko will look for ways to maximize the collection of data and possible flight paths in future storms. Park visited JPL during the summer of 2019 and used drones to formulate the problem of efficient hurricane data collection, in collaboration with Masahiro Ono, Ph.D., a research technologist at the laboratory.
Weekend Roundup: May 29, 2020
This Week in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World
In an effort to help families in need, Optimus Ride will use its self-driving shuttles to deliver meals to a waterfront development in Washington, D.C. called the Yards. Optimus Ride’s fleet will distribute the meal kits to the families on a weekly basis, serving a total of 5,000 meals. (VentureBeat)
CU Boulder engineer designing artificial limbs that restore sense of touch for amputees
University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) biomedical engineer Jacob Segil is working to restore the sense of touch for amputees, including veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
An instructor in the Engineering Plus Program and program director for the Center for Translational Research at CU Boulder, Segil is designing artificial limbs that may one day allow amputees to feel the world around them through electronic sensors.
“In my field, we have a gold standard, which is the physiological hand,” Segil says. “We’re trying to recreate it, and we’re still so far off.”
Nuro to deliver prescriptions and essential items using autonomous vehicles in Houston
Nuro has officially entered into the health space with its announced partnership with CVS Pharmacy.
Starting in June, Nuro’s fleet of autonomous vehicles will be used to deliver prescriptions and essentials across three zip codes in Houston, Texas.
“We see this moment as an important stepping stone toward delivering all kinds of goods, beyond food and groceries,” Nuro says.
“It is progress towards building a future where through moving goods instead of people, we can lessen the need for unnecessary trips, save time, and create a safer and more convenient way of getting the things we need.”
EHang granted approval to use EHang 216 passenger-grade AAV for air logistics purposes
EHang has obtained the world’s first commercial pilot operation approval to use passenger-grade autonomous aerial vehicles (AAVs) for the purpose of air logistics. The approval came from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), and is for the EHang 216 AAV.
Novant Health, Zipline delivering PPE and medical supplies to frontline medical teams in NC
Novant Health Inc., a not-for-profit, integrated healthcare system headquartered in North Carolina, has partnered with Zipline to launch America’s first emergency drone logistics operation by a hospital for its pandemic response.
Novant Health, which operates 15 hospitals and nearly 700 locations in the southeastern United States, was granted a part 107 waiver from the FAA to begin operation under the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s (NCDOT) UAS Integration Pilot Program (UAS IPP). The operation will provide contactless distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE) and critical medical supplies to Novant Health frontline medical teams in the Charlotte, North Carolina metro area.
UAVOS, KACST introduce Saker-1C unmanned aircraft
UAVOS and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), Saudi Arabia are collaborating on the development of the newest member of the Saker MALE UAS family, the Saker-1C unmanned aircraft.
With ambitions to redesign and improve UAS features extending from engineering to operation, UAVOS and KACST are focusing on using advanced manufacturing technologies and integrating next-generation capabilities including state-of-the-art autonomy, navigation, communications, sensor processing and system of counter electronic warfare.
