The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has selected EasyMile to lead its autonomous shuttle bus pilot project.
Testing, which will start in November and go through February 2018, will examine how the shuttle operates in a variety of conditions, including in low temperatures, in snow and ice conditions, and on roads where salt is used.
While EasyMile has conducted cold weather tests in Finland and Norway using its driverless technology, this will be the company’s first time conducting cold weather tests in the United States.
The shuttle will initially be tested at MnDOT’s pavement test facility, which is known as MnROAD.
Autonomous Vehicles
Autonomous Vehicles
Northrop Grumman to provide in-service support for CUTLASS EOD remotely controlled vehicle
After being awarded a 24-month contract from the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) Special Projects Search and Counter Measures team, Northrop Grumman will provide “in-service support” of the CUTLASS Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) remotely controlled vehicle.
The work will be an extension of the existing in-service support contract for CUTLASS, and will be conducted at Northrop Grumman’s Coventry facility, which is where Northrop Grumman provides life cycle support for all of its EOD unmanned ground systems.
Autonomous Air Taxi completes first test flight in Dubai
The Autonomous Air Taxi (AAT), which is expected to be used for the world’s first self-flying taxi service, recently completed its maiden concept test flight at a location near a park in Dubai.
The vehicle has been supplied by a Germany-based specialist manufacturer of autonomous air vehicles called Volocopter.
“After the remarkable success of the first driverless metro in the region, we are glad to witness today the test flight of the Autonomous Air Taxi,” says HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai.
Northrop Grumman's Remotec Inc. unveils Nomad UGV
Northrop Grumman Corporation’s subsidiary Remotec Inc. is unveiling a new UGV called Nomad, which is the newest member of Northrop Grumman’s Andros line of UGVs, and is Interoperability Profile (IOP)-compliant.
Designed using a “proven concurrent engineering process,” Nomad is similar to other systems in the Northrop Grumman Andros fleet, as it incorporates decades’ worth of feedback collected while working with first responder and military customers, in an effort to offer advanced technology, ease of use and reliability.
Polaris, ARA and Neya Systems collaborate to provide Team Polaris MRZR X platform to U.S. Army
The U.S. Army will utilize an “elite platform” for its Squad Multipurpose Equipment Transport (SMET) program. The platform is the result of a collaboration between Polaris Industries Inc., Applied Research Associates Inc. (ARA) and Neya Systems LLC.
Known as the Team Polaris MRZR X, the platform will “evolve squad mobility with advanced unmanned systems technology from ARA and the pioneering and unsurpassed autonomous systems behavior of Neya Systems.”
PSA Security Network named first authorized distributor of the Sharp INTELLOS A-UGV
Sharp Robotics Business Development (SRBD), which is a division of Sharp Electronics Corporation (SEC), has announced the appointment of PSA Security Network as the first authorized distributor of the Sharp INTELLOS Automated Unmanned Ground Vehicle (A-UGV).
PSA Security Network is a division of PSA, which is the “world's largest systems integrator cooperative made up of the most progressive security and audio-visual systems integrators in North America.”
Real-Time Innovations announces connectivity software that can be used for autonomous vehicles
Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity company Real-Time Innovations (RTI) has announced its RTI Connext DDS 5.3, which is the “first connectivity software designed to build layered-databus architectures for IIoT systems of systems.”
Some of the features of RTI Connext DDS 5.3—which has a number of possible use cases, including with autonomous vehicles—include interoperable security, a historical data query, and seamless device mobility, which is especially important for autonomous vehicles because of how critical it is for systems to maintain connectivity even as devices roam across networks.
BAE Systems' new UGV seeks to take soldiers out of harm's way
BAE Systems’ new UGV, called Ironclad, is designed to ultimately take soldiers out of certain dangerous situations by taking on dangerous jobs that they have traditionally been tasked with.
It will do this, in large part, thanks to its versatility, as the UGV can be fitted to conduct reconnaissance, combat and casualty evacuation missions.
Small enough to operate within tight urban environments, Ironclad still maintains the mobility necessary to handle extreme cross-country terrain.
DOT issues 'A Vision for Safety 2.0' guidance for automated vehicles
The U.S. Department of Transportation has issued new, updated voluntary guidance for automated vehicles, building on earlier guidance released last September under the previous administration.
The new guidance, named A Vision for Safety: 2.0, loosens some of the requirements from the earlier one, according to a summary sheet released by the Department of Transportation.
