On Wednesday, Nov. 13, DroneResponders formalized the DroneResponders Major Cities Working Group, which is designed to unite and help public safety agencies that use UAS in urban and large metropolitan areas.
Charter members of the working group include representatives from the Fire Department of New York (FDNY), the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), and the New York Police Department (NYPD). Leaders from each of these organizations have accepted appointments on the leadership council for the working group, and will work directly with DroneResponders to establish communications with other public safety agencies interested in using UAS for missions in dense population centers and large metropolitan areas.
Technology
Technology
Navya launches autonomous shuttles in Lyon, France
In an effort to support the technological development of the public transport network in Lyon, France, Navya has launched two autonomous shuttles in the city that will be fully integrated into Lyon's public transport network over the next two years.
The shuttles will provide a regular service Mondays through Saturdays, except on match days and during other events.
TomTom, University of Amsterdam launch research lab focused on developing HD maps for self-driving vehicles
TomTom (TOM2) and the University of Amsterdam (UvA) have announced the launch of the Atlas Lab, which is a new public-private research lab that will focus on using artificial intelligence (AI) to develop “advanced, highly accurate and safe” high definition (HD) maps for self-driving vehicles.
TomTom and UvA are working together to research how AI can be used to create HD maps suitable for all levels of autonomous driving.
“At the UvA we are already doing research on automated recognition of items in images and videos. Yet the recognition of items and creation of HD maps in highly complex situations like a moving car, is still a huge challenge,” explains Theo Gevers, one of the scientific directors at Atlas Lab.
University of Houston welcomes Starship Technologies' autonomous delivery robots to its campus
The University of Houston (UH) has become the first institution of higher education in the state of Texas to offer robotic food deliveries on its campus.
The result of a partnership between the University of Houston and Chartwells Higher Education, which manages UH Dining, the robotic delivery service utilizes Starship Technologies’ autonomous delivery robots.
“This revolutionary delivery method will make it more convenient for the campus community to take advantage of our diverse dining program from anywhere on campus while expanding the hours of operation,” says Emily Messa, UH associate vice president for administration.
Airbus Helicopters' VSR700 UAS flies for the first time
On Friday, Nov. 8, Airbus Helicopters’ VSR700 UAS prototype performed its first flight at a drone test center near Aix-en-Provence in the south of France.
The UAS performed several take-offs and landings, with its longest flight lasting approximately 10 minutes.
The VSR700 UAS was tethered with 30-meter cables to fully secure the flight test zone, so that it was in compliance with airworthiness authority that provided the flight clearance. Going forward, the flight test program will move towards free flight, with plans to progressively open the flight envelope.
RTI unveils Connext Drive platform for autonomous vehicles
Real-Time Innovations (RTI) has unveiled Connext Drive, a platform that the company says provides the necessary software and tools to automotive manufacturers to build highly autonomous vehicles and fleets.
RTI says that Connext Drive allows autonomous vehicle makers to develop and build vehicles without the high risk and cost of in-house technologies. The platform also eliminates the difficulty of adapting legacy connectivity, as it bridges both research and production technologies, and supports development from prototype to end use.
Equipped with a native Software Development Kit (SDK) for developing and integrating vehicle applications, Connext Drive supports software from the research phase all the way through to production.
New York Gov. Cuomo announces completion of 50-mile drone corridor
New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has announced the completion of New York’s 50-mile unmanned traffic management (UTM) drone corridor, which runs from Central New York to the Mohawk Valley.
Considered the first of its kind in the nation, the corridor will provide companies with the space to test UAS and UTM technologies in real world settings to collect data that will help inform the industry and regulators, and push society towards regular commercial drone use.
Oceans Unmanned, partners expand drone training to Scotland
In an effort to provide UAS support for marine mammal disentanglement response efforts in Sweden, Oceans Unmanned Inc. (OU), the Scottish Entanglement Alliance (SEA) and DARTdrones have expanded their freeFLY initiative into the country.
Through the freeFLY program, which was launched in 2018, networks of local volunteer drone operators that are available to support regional response groups are provided with equipment and hands-on training.
OU notes that UAS operators were provided with initial flight training and advanced safe launching, operating, and recovering drones from small boats and support vessels over the course of a two-day session that it hosted.
European Maritime Safety Agency extends contract for Schiebel's Camcopter S-100 UAS
The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) has extended the contract for Schiebel’s Camcopter S-100 UAS to the end of the year after two months of successful maritime surveillance services for the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Croatia.
Based on the Croatian island of Brač, EMSA’s Camcopter S-100 performs regular day and night patrolling flights, on-demand incident monitoring missions and specific inspection operations.
Thus far, the UAS, which is equipped with Harris L3 Wescam Electro-Optical / Infra-Red (EO/IR) camera, an Overwatch Imaging PT-8 Oceanwatch payload and an Automatic Identification System (AIS) receiver, has completed 67 missions and 210 flight hours during two months of maritime operations.
