Ocean drone and sensor manufacturer Sofar Ocean Technologies has unveiled its new autonomous surface vehicle (ASV), Strider, which is designed to make ocean data collection more accessible.
Built to operate in coastal, near-shore and inland waters, the Sofar Strider can operate autonomously or remote-controlled through the internet—while integrating with a variety of sensors—thanks to the combination of autonomous navigation, solar power, and a modular design.
The ASV supports customizable payloads, and it is capable of collecting real-time video from above and below the waterline.
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Air Data Solutions uses SimActive software to determine financial assistance following Hurricane Dorian
In the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, Air Data Solutions (ADS) in Florida used SimActive’s Correlator3D software to determine financial assistance.
Before the storm, aerial imagery was collected for pre-hurricane assessment, and following the storm, aerial imagery was collected for damage analysis.
“We have been impressed by the accuracy and speed of Correlator3D to support such a time-critical mission,” says Don Cummins, president of ADS.
“Combined with a high-end aerial sensor, SimActive provides the best tool for emergency response.”
CEMEX to deploy delair.ai platform at its aggregate production sites in France
CEMEX, a supplier of products to the construction industry, will deploy Delair’s delair.ai platform at its 60 aggregate production sites in France, after the two companies announced a new three-year agreement.
A new cloud platform that analyzes and leverages the data collected by UAS, satellites and other aerial methods, delair.ai will provide CEMEX with access to highly accurate, 3D topographic surveys, along with advanced analytics to calculate volumes of materials. This will result in a better forecast of production, improved operations and reduced operational costs.
HiDRON stratospheric glider successfully reaches altitude of 30 kilometers
UAVOS and Stratodynamics have announced that their HiDRON stratospheric glider successfully reached and flew from an altitude of 30 kilometers (98,450 feet), which broke their previous record of 25 kilometers in the process.
During the flight, a new mini-EUSO (Extreme Universe Science Observation) AMON Airglow detector from the Slovak Academy of Sciences Institute of Experimental Physics was tested. UAVOS and Stratodynamics also used this flight as an opportunity to test and advance several aspects of the HiDRON design including stratospheric flight dynamics, data links, and UAVOS’ Autopilot.
Oneida Indian Nation partners with NUAIR to use UAS to monitor and protect land and environmental resources
In an effort to enhance its ability to monitor, observe, manage and protect its lands and environmental resources using UAS technology, the Oneida Indian Nation, which is an indigenous nation of American Indian people whose sacred and sovereign homelands are located in Central New York, has partnered with Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research (NUAIR).
The Nation will leverage NUAIR’s UAS and related technologies, as well as its expertise, to gather and assess data about its lands and environmental resources, mainly from isolated or hard-to-reach areas. The Nation will also use this technology to further implement and enforce programs aimed at protecting these resources.
Trumbull to scale UAS inspections through new contract from ExxonMobil
ExxonMobil has awarded Trumbull a five-year UAS contract to expand its drone data collection and inspections.
One of the first companies in the U.S. approved to conduct UAS operations, Trumbull has supported ExxonMobil since 2014.
“Trumbull is grateful to serve amazing clients. After conducting data collection and inspections for ExxonMobil in over 25 locations, we are excited to scale operations starting in the Americas,” Trumbull CEO Dyan Gibbens says.
“We look forward to helping ExxonMobil integrate amazing safety, efficiency, and data-driven technology into their operations.”
Four Virginia companies chosen for new initiative to improve state agency access to UAS service providers
The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) has announced a contract that will improve state agency access to UAS service providers.
Considered a first for the UAS industry, the initiative now connects state agencies with approved vendors, which will allow state agencies to have “more affordable access” to problem solving data and imagery, CIT says.
Four Virginia companies— Draper Aden Associates, DroneUp LLC, ERUdyne Inc., and SkyShots—were chosen for the initiative.
Saildrone becomes first unmanned system to circumnavigate Antarctica
A wind-powered USV called the saildrone has become the first unmanned system to circumnavigate Antarctica.
Known as SD 1020, the vehicle, equipped with a suite of climate-grade sensors, collected data in previously unchartered waters, which will offer insights into ocean and climate processes.
SD 1020 launched on Jan. 19 of this year from Southport in Bluff, New Zealand, and returned to the same port on Aug. 3. Over the course of 196 days, the USV sailed more than 13,000 miles around Antarctica, surviving freezing temperatures, 50-foot waves, 80 mile per hour winds, and collisions with giant icebergs along the way.
Delair's subscription program gives customers access to its Delair UX11 family of UAS
Delair has announced its new subscription program called Delair Takeoff, which allows customers to access the company’s Delair UX11 family of UAS, as well as the company’s cloud-based data management platform, delair.ai.
Eramet gets access to new collaborative platform for analyzing UAS data through Delair partnership
Eramet, a global mining and metallurgy group, has signed a framework agreement with Delair to accelerate the digital transformation of its mining activities.
Through the agreement, Eramet will get access to Delair Aerial Intelligence (delair.ai), which is a new collaborative platform for analyzing UAS data and turning the results into valuable business insights.
Delair notes that its Delair.ai platform has been up and running at the Tiébaghi mine in New Caledonia since January. By the end of the year, it will be used by all of Eramet’s mines.
Currently, nine UAS are operating at Eramet. The plan is for nine more to be deployed by the end of the year, including Delair’s fixed-wing UX11 drone.
