In an effort to help the U.S. military in urban combat, two teams of “swarm systems integrators” will look to develop a UAS swarm infrastructure, using funding from a multi-million-dollar contract that is part of the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency’s (DARPA) Offensive Swarm-Enabled Tactics (OFFSET) program.
The goal of the program is “to empower … troops with technology to control scores of unmanned air and ground vehicles at a time.”
The two teams will be responsible for developing the system infrastructure and integrating the work of the “sprint” teams, which will focus on swarm tactics, swarm autonomy, human-swarm teaming, physical experimentation and virtual environments.
UAS
UAS
Measure announces new franchise location in Denver area
According to Unmanned Aerial Online, Measure, which provides UAS services for enterprise customers, has announced a new franchise location in Castle Rock, Colorado, which is in the Denver area.
The Castle Rock office will use UAS to provide infrastructure inspection services for businesses in the metropolitan area.
ArdentMC launches UAS initiative to aid areas of Northern California damaged by wildfires
Reston, Virginia-based software development firm Ardent Management Consulting (ArdentMC) has announced the launch of a UAS initiative, which will result in the company offering up to 100 hours of free aid in areas of Northern California that have been devastated by wildfires.
During the two-week initiative, ArdentMC will utilize geographic information system (GIS) technology to help assess the damage caused by wildfires that have consumed much of Northern California.
San Diego State University launches Drone Lab
San Diego State University (SDSU) has launched its new Center for Unmanned Systems Technologies—also known as the Drone Lab—which will be used to “capitalize on its potential for crowd protection, surveillance and research while heading off potential dangers.”
Right now, SDSU students can fly their UAS on campus at two designated “fly zones,” but the school notes that it is a safety hazard to have too many UAS flying around campus, especially by pilots that are inexperienced.
DroneBase launches Augmented Reality platform for UAS
According to UASweekly.com, DroneBase, which is a large network of UAS pilots, has announced the launch of AirCraft, which is the first Augmented Reality (AR) platform for both commercial and recreational UAS use.
Using the AR platform, pilots of any skillset can use their UAS to create, edit, and share objects in the sky.
“AirCraft gives pilots of all skill levels new reasons to fly their drones,” says Dan Burton, Co-Founder and CEO, DroneBase.
Vanilla Aircraft's Heely says more to come from long-duration VA001 aircraft
Vanilla Aircraft's VA001 UAS recently completed a historic flight, as it flew for a little over five days for a total of 121.4 hours.
After executing a pilot-controlled takeoff on Oct. 18 from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, the UAS switched to autopilot control and quietly orbited above Wallops Island's Virginia Space UAS Runway at 5,000 feet in a two-mile orbit.
From Unmanned Systems Magazine: Lower barriers to entry spur multispectral sensor use
Accessible, actionable multispectral imaging has been decades in the making. With a wide range of imagined applications still yet to be discovered, multispectral imaging promises to change the future of — and possibly disrupt — any number of fields and industries.
For example, researchers at the U.S. National Academy of Sciences have used multispectral infrared sensors to map out blue pigment in paintings, making identifying artworks, as well as evaluating the condition and authenticity of the work, potentially less invasive and more efficient.
Weekend Roundup
This Week in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World
Using the company's KnifeFish UUV, which is a mine countermeasure (MCM) UUV, the General Dynamics Mission Systems' Knifefish team has successfully completed contractor trials for the U.S. Navy's Knifefish program. Using buried, bottom and volume type mine-test targets, the UUV operated in multiple mine test target fields at-sea. At various depths, the UUV showcased its ability to detect, classify and identify potential mines that would serve as unique threats to naval vessels operating in a mission area. (PR Newswire)
DroneDeploy unveils "sweeping updates" to its enterprise software; announces new partnerships
According to Unmanned Aerial, DroneDeploy, which is a San Francisco-based UAS software platform provider, has unveiled “sweeping updates” to its enterprise software.
Aurora's Optionally-Piloted UH-1H receives Special Airworthiness Certificate from FAA
The FAA has granted a Special Airworthiness Certificate to Aurora Flight Sciences’ UH-1H helicopter, which is the company’s newest optionally-piloted aircraft, and the third manned aircraft overall that Aurora has converted to robotic-controlled or OPA operation.
As the latest development in the Office of Naval Research’s (ONR) Autonomous Aerial Cargo/Utility System (AACUS) program, Aurora has created the “Autonomy-enabled UH-1,” also known as AEH-1, by adding a complete digital flight control system.
“The Special Airworthiness Certificate is a significant validation of the program’s capabilities by the FAA,” says John Langford, Aurora Chairman and CEO.
