A UAS-based investigation of severe storms is set to launch in a few weeks.
Known as Targeted Observation by Radars and UAS of Supercells (TORUS), the project will be a collaboration between the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and three partner institutions, including Texas Tech University, the University of Colorado Boulder, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Severe Storms Laboratory.
The project will start on May 15, and fieldwork for the project will continue until June 16, covering a 367,000-square-mile area of the Great Plains from North Dakota to Texas, Iowa to Wyoming and Colorado.
Testing
Testing
United Kingdom's first full-sized autonomous bus begins trial
Transport operator Stagecoach, bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) and technology company Fusion Processing are collaborating on a trial of the United Kingdom’s first full-sized autonomous bus.
A product of ADL, the ADL Enviro200 vehicle, which was demonstrated for the first time publicly on Monday, March 18, is being trialed in a Manchester bus depot.
During the trial, the bus will be used in autonomous mode within the depot environment to perform movements such as parking and moving into the bus wash.
“This is an exciting project to trial autonomous technology on a full-sized bus for the first time in the UK,” says Stagecoach Chief Executive Martin Griffiths.
ANRA Technologies' UTM platform implemented into New York State UAS test site
ANRA Technologies’ UAS traffic management (UTM) platform has been successfully implemented into the New York State UAS test site by the Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance (NUAIR) and Griffiss International Airport in Rome, New York.
With this implementation, the test site’s capabilities have been advanced thanks to the enhancement of multiple, simultaneous beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations that involve both manned and unmanned vehicles sharing the same airspace.
Additionally, ANRA Technologies not only enhances tracking, but it also supports network based Remote ID and detect-and-avoid capabilities.
University of Washington's robotic system can feed people who need assistance eating
Researchers at the University of Washington are working on a robotic system that can feed people who need someone to help them eat.
The robot identifies different foods on a plate, and then strategizes how to use a fork to pick up and deliver the desired bite to a person’s mouth.
“Being dependent on a caregiver to feed every bite every day takes away a person’s sense of independence,” says Siddhartha Srinivasa, the Boeing Endowed Professor in the UW’s Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering. Srinivasa is a corresponding author in a series of papers that the researchers published their results in.
GA-EMS successfully demonstrates Aluminum Power System powering ROV
General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) has announced that it successfully completed the first end-to-end demonstration of its Aluminum Power System (ALPS) on an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) during a demonstration at a GA-EMS test tank facility in San Diego.
During the demonstration, a submerged ALPS provided hydrogen and oxygen to a Teledyne Energy Systems fuel cell, which provided electrical power to propel the ROV.
Aurrigo plans to showcase how driverless pods can help those with disabilities
An autonomous vehicle company in England called Aurrigo will soon launch a six-month trial to demonstrate how driverless pods can help improve the mobility and independence of people that have health conditions and disabilities.
Considered the first trial of its kind in the world, the trial will involve blind veterans in Brighton, England that are participating in an exercise that explores possible ‘first and last mile’ transport options.
Aurrigo has partnered with Blind Veterans UK for the trial, which is expected to start in April. The company expects to obtain valuable real-life experiences that it can use to improve the technology going forward.
412th Test Wing's Emerging Technologies Combined Test Force conducts first autonomy flight test
From Feb. 26 to 28, the 412th Test Wing’s Emerging Technologies Combined Test Force (ET CTF) conducted its first autonomy flight test.
During the test, the team collected data on the Testing of Autonomy in Complex Environments (TACE) system, which was developed by Johns Hopkins University.
According to Capt. Riley Livermore, 412th Test Wing ET CTF Autonomy lead, the TACE system is test middleware that sits between an autonomy/artificial intelligence computer and an aircraft’s autopilot. The system monitors the commands being sent from the autonomy to the autopilot, and then sends back the aircraft state information such as position, speed and orientation to the autonomy.
XQ-58A Valkyrie demonstrator successfully completes first flight
On March 5, a long-range, high subsonic UAS called the XQ-58A Valkyrie demonstrator completed its inaugural flight at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona.
Developed for runway independence, the UAS performed as expected, completing 76 minutes of flight time.
“XQ-58A is the first example of a class of UAV that is defined by low procurement and operating costs while providing game changing combat capability,” says Doug Szczublewski, AFRL’s XQ-58A program manager.
The XQ-58A is a result of a collaborative effort between the Air Force Research Laboratory and Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems.
