Oklahoma State University (OSU) and Vigilant Aerospace Systems recently conducted a demonstration flight that used OSU’s 13-mile beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) corridor east of Stillwater, Oklahoma. The demonstration, which took place on Oct. 8, evaluated BVLOS capabilities, while also demonstrating Vigilant's latest FlightHorizon software, which provided airspace situational awareness throughout the flight. The fully autonomous demonstration flight covered more than 18 miles. The first full exercise of the FAA-authorized 13-mile UAS corridor—located in central Oklahoma—the flight was considered a “major field test” for the latest version of Vigilant Aerospace's management and active detect-and-avoid (DAA) system, FlightHorizon 2.

AeroVironment has launched its Puma Long Endurance (LE) UAS, which is the next generation in the company’s Puma All Environment (AE) small UAS product line. With new capabilities, increased range, and expanded payload capacity, the Puma LE builds on the Puma AE legacy, delivering Group 2 capabilities in a Group 1 footprint. The UAS is equipped with Mantis i45 gimbaled EO/IR sensor and NVG-visible laser illuminator, helping to provide the warfighter with superior imagery for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) during day, night and low-light operations on land and in maritime environments.

Eureka Robotics has unveiled Archimedes, a new robot capable of picking up delicate optical lenses and mirrors with the care and precision of a human hand. A robotics technology start-up from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), Eureka says Archimedes can slot lenses and mirrors of different sizes into a custom loading tray to prepare them for coating. Archimedes features a six-axis robot arm controlled by algorithms that use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to plan its motion and how much force to exert in its grip, creating a system that can mimic the dexterity of human fingers and the visual acuity of human eyes.