This Week in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World

New Jersey state legislators have approved a ban on operating UAS while inebriated. Under the approved legislation, drunk or high pilots would be punished with up to six months in prison or a $1,000 fine. (Gizmodo)

TechCrunch has obtained pictures of Waymo’s Chrysler Pacifica autonomous test vehicle operating on the roads of San Francisco. San Francisco provides a unique environment to test autonomous vehicles, due to frequently foggy conditions, its roads with steep inclines, and constant bike, scooter and pedestrian activity. (TechCrunch)

The Maricopa Police Department in Maricopa, Arizona has successfully used its new UAS to complete two missions. So far, the department’s UAS, a modified DJI Matrice 600, has been used to assist firefighters during a recent call to a church, and to help patrol officers tracking a car they thought was stolen. (ABC15 Arizona)

A recent event called the Maneuver Fires Integrated Experiment (MFIX) at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma provided soldiers with the opportunity to use counter-UAS (C-UAS) technologies during a series of demonstrations. A company called Orbital ATK participated in MFIX, and demonstrated its anti-unmanned aerial vehicle defense system (AUDS), which is used to detect, track, identify and defeat UAS. (Orbital ATK)

Praxis Aerospace Concepts International (PACI) has acquired the training portfolio of Unmanned Experts, Inc (UMEX). A global leader in UAS education, Unmanned Experts offers a variety of products and capabilities such as Part 107 knowledge preparation, online and instructor-led courses on aviation fundamentals, and ICAO-compliant RPA instruction and telecommunications infrastructure specializations. (Praxis Aerospace)

A San Francisco-based company called Betterview has announced a new agreement with Munich Reinsurance America Inc. (Munich Re). Through the agreement, Betterview, which provides a platform for UAS-based property inspections, will offer UAS imagery, analysis and reporting to Munich Re’s clients. (Unmanned Aerial)

A public adjuster called Bulldog Adjusters is offering new UAS services this year. The company says that using UAS is the easiest way to take high-definition images of missing, loose or lifted shingles and roof leaks, which can be caused by damage from water, fires, storms or vandalism. (Unmanned Aerial)

Researchers at MIT have developed a “low-cost, agile, shared-use autonomous bike” called the Persuasive Electric Vehicle (PEV). With the hope of it becoming a “healthy, sustainable alternative to cars for cities of tomorrow,” the PEV is designed to solve today’s “last-mile” urban mobility challenge. (MIT)

Researchers from Finland’s VTT Technical Research Center have developed Martti, a self-driving vehicle with a system that is designed to operate in snowy and icy conditions. Developed on the chassis of a Volkswagen Touareg, Martti is equipped several technologies including cameras, antennas, sensors and laser scanners. (R&D)