During DSEI 2019 in London, Milrem Robotics unveiled its fifth generation THeMIS UGV, which is designed to help warfighters and enhance combat effectiveness.
The vehicle leverages the knowledge obtained during tests conducted in the US, Europe, and the Middle East, as well as a deployment in Mali in the French lead Operation Barkhane. Its architecture, safety, air transportability, power offload and other aspects all follow NATO STANAG standards.
Technology
Technology
Flirtey unveils Eagle drone and launch portal, sets sights on commercial delivery next year
Drone delivery pioneer Flirtey announced a new cargo-carrying drone and a launch platform that it says will help it begin commercial drone deliveries next year.
"I'm here to tell you that a new age of technology is dawning and it is being driven by mission-driven technology startups," Flirtey CEO and cofounder Matt Sweeny said at a press conference Monday morning at the National Press Club.
"We protect data, we defend the privacy of our customers, we empower our partners, we manufacture in America, we reduce traffic congestion and we reduce carbon emissions and we work hand in hand with the communities who want drone delivery."
Daimler Trucks, Torc Robotics testing automated trucks on highways in southwest Virginia
Daimler Trucks and Torc Robotics have announced that their automated trucks have begun operating on highways in southwest Virginia.
During these operations, an engineer oversees the system. A highly trained safety driver with a commercial driver’s license that has been specially trained in vehicle dynamics and automated systems, and has been certified by Daimler Trucks and Torc Robotics, is also a part of these operations.
Before hitting the road, the trucks underwent months of extensive testing and safety validation on a closed loop track. The companies note that as part of their comprehensive safety process, both test track and on-road validation “play an integral role in establishing the essential building blocks for successfully advancing automated technology.”
From Unmanned Systems Magazine: Regulators seek to promote the AV industry, boost safety, protect spectrum
Automotive industry regulators, in the United States in particular, are seeking to remove regulatory restrictions on the development and testing of autonomous vehicles without compromising job No. 1 — safety.
"There is widespread recognition that automated vehicles will coexist with conventional vehicles and ad some point operate side-by-side with them on the highways," said Nicole Nason, administrator of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), one of several government speakers at the Automated Vehicles Symposium held in Orlando in July.
U.S. Navy and Marine Corps successfully test Remote Control Assault Amphibious Vehicle
The U.S. Navy and the Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC) recently successfully tested the Remote Control Assault Amphibious Vehicle (RC AAV).
For two weeks, the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD) team conducted tests in the Open Ocean and surf zone at the United States Marine Corps’ (USMC) Amphibious Vehicle Test Branch (AVTB) at Camp Pendleton, California.
“Assault Amphibious Vehicles were structured to carry troops in water operations from ship-to-shore, through rough water and the surf zone,” says Dustin Bride, RC AAV system engineer at the (NSWC PCD).
EHang completes first passenger-carrying autonomous aerial vehicle demonstration flight
EHang has announced that during the 2019 Northeast Asia Expo in August, it conducted the first passenger-carrying autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) demonstration flight.
According to EHang, its passenger-grade AAV, EHang 216, has also completed similar public demonstration flights in other Chinese cities such as EHang's headquarters in Guangzhou, Lianyungang and Luzhi in Jiangsu province, Taizhou in Zhejiang province, Yantai in Shandong province and Shenyang in Liaoning province.
Curtiss-Wright, Cyberhawk partner to conduct inspections for North American nuclear power market using UAS
Curtiss-Wright’s Nuclear Division and Cyberhawk Inc., a subsidiary of Cyberhawk Ltd, have agreed to provide the North American nuclear power market with visual asset management using UAS.
Under the agreement, Curtiss-Wright will market and deliver Cyberhawk’s services to customers that need their critical assets to undergo visual inspections.
“This agreement is an important step in the achievement of our strategic plan to transform plant processes by increasing our portfolio of products and services through partner relationships and while continuing to deliver value to our customers,” says Brian Dassatti, general manager of Curtiss-Wright’s Outage and Fuel Management Solutions group.
TomTom unveils fully autonomous test vehicle
TomTom has launched its fully autonomous test vehicle, which is designed to test and improve the location technology specialist’s autonomous driving technologies, which includes the TomTom High Definition (HD) Map, TomTom Roadagrams, and TomTom AutoStream, a map streaming service.
“Having our own autonomous vehicle is a critical advantage when it comes to developing the technology required for safe and comfortable autonomous driving,” says Willem Strijbosch, TomTom’s head of Autonomous Driving.
Harvard researchers develop underwater gripper that can safely catch and release jellyfish for research purposes
Researchers at Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), and Baruch College at City University of New York have developed an “ultra-soft, underwater gripper” that could catch and release jellyfish without harm.
According to the researchers, the gripper would help scientists collect and study an animal that has yielded impressive scientific discoveries such as green fluorescent protein that scientists now use to study gene expression, and life-cycle reversal that could play an integral role in combating aging.
