Airobotics has announced that it recently obtained the first and only Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) approval in Australia to operate automated UAS from its Remote Operations Center (ROC) beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) with no aircrew needed at the client site.
Remote pilots are located at a designated Remote Pilot Station (RPS) within Airobotics Australia’s ROC. They are operating more than 1,000 kilometers away from onsite systems at the customer sites.
According to Airobotics, this new “man on the loop” level of operations allows human operators to supervise flights without the need for “man in the loop” pilots to intervene in flight operations.
IHP
IHP
University of Iowa graduates develop robotic quarterback for football players
University of Iowa (UI) graduates have developed what they are calling the first autonomous training device for football receivers.
Known as the Seeker, the robotic quarterback throws footballs to receivers autonomously, allowing players to practice independently. The robot also provides a plethora of beneficial data that allows coaches to track the work ethic of their players, including the time of day the player practiced, the number of repetitions, and how quickly they were completed.
Video footage of the Seeker in action can be seen below:
LAPD's SWAT uses small UAS for first time
The Los Angeles Police Department’s (LAPD) Metropolitan Division, Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) recently used a small UAS for the first time during a barricade incident involving a robbery suspect.
On Jan. 9, a specialized small UAS pilot (SWAT officer) used a UAS to find the third suspect of an armed robbery that occurred at a convenience store the night of Dec. 13, 2018.
While searching for the third suspect, Metropolitan Division police officers went to an apartment where they believed the suspect was located as a result of investigative techniques that they were implementing. The suspect refused to exit, though, and officers and detectives believed that the suspect could be armed with a firearm, which led them to requesting SWAT.
FAA moves forward with rulemaking on UAS flights over people, safety, traffic management
In a move that could further accelerate the unmanned aircraft systems industry, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration today announced a notice of proposed rulemaking for the operation of small UAS over people, as well as another about the safe and secure operations of drones.
In addition, it announced three contracts for UAS test sites to develop an unmanned traffic management (UTM) program that will be separate from the existing air traffic management system but is expected to complement it.
Autonomous tech moves up, down and underwater at CES 2019
Drones and self-driving cars continue to be all the rage at CES, the former Consumer Electronics Show, but autonomous technology is also making its way into things such as motorcycles with self-driving capabilities, flying cars and even underwater drones.
BMW made a splash at the show with its iNEXT vehicle, which aims to answer the question about what a vehicle interior can look like when the car no longer has to be driven by a human.
“The interior can be a place for relaxation, interaction, entertainment, or concentration, as preferred,” the company says. “It is more like a comfortable and fashionably furnished “living space” on wheels — a new ‘favorite space.’”
OceanAlpha's latest USV can be used for entertainment and lifesaving purposes
This week during CES 2019, USV company OceanAlpha unveiled its new Smart Jetboard FF I USV, which the company says can serve as both a lifebuoy and a jetboard.
Described as a “three-segment board,” the Smart Jetboard FF I is approximately one meter long, 0.8 meters wide, and weighs 13 kilograms. It utilizes a dual-jet pump with a battery life of 30 minutes and a maximum speed of five meters per second.
For use as a water entertainment device, the Smart Jetboard is equipped with direction and speed buttons that allows a user to lie comfortably and safely on the board, and navigate with ease.
Canada's new UAS rules set to go into effect on June 1
On Jan. 9, Canada’s Minister of Transport, Marc Garneau, announced Canada’s new rules for UAS, which will go into effect on June 1, 2019.
The rules will apply to all UAS pilots flying UAS between 250 grams and 25 kilograms (.55 pounds to 55 pounds) that are operated within the pilot’s visual-line-of-sight, regardless of whether the UAS is flown for fun, work or research.
Transport Canada says that the new simplified rules reflect a great amount of consultation with Canadians and the industry, with the final regulations introducing two main categories of UAS operation—basic and advanced—that are based on distance from bystanders and airspace rules.
State Farm granted first national FAA waiver to conduct UAS flights over people and BVLOS
State Farm has become the first company in the U.S. to receive a national waiver from the FAA that allows it to conduct UAS operations over people (OOP) and flights beyond the pilot’s visual line of sight (BVLOS) through November 2022. Previously, State Farm received waivers that were limited to a short time frame and to specific geographic areas impacted by hurricanes.
A member of Virginia’s UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP) team, State Farm says that the waiver will also open up new innovation opportunities for the company by allowing longer-distance flights.
“It’s been a team effort to make drone technology a reality,” says Senior Vice President for P&C Claims Robert Yi.
Fairfax County to host public information meetings on new Public Safety UAS program
Virginia’s Fairfax County has announced that it is developing a comprehensive Public Safety UAS program, which is designed to support a number of government mission types including, but not limited to, search and rescue operations, flooding assessments, and wildlife estimation.
Fairfax County is interested in getting feedback from its residents about the program, so during the month of January, it will host six public information meetings throughout Fairfax County.
During each meeting, there will be a static display of UAS, followed by a presentation that outlines the program.