Skyward, a Verizon company, has been awarded a temporary waiver from the FAA that allows its pilots to fly the Percepto Sparrow drone from their homes to inspect critical communications infrastructure near the Big Hollow wildfire in Washington.
The waiver permits operations 24 hours a day, with less than three miles of visibility, and no pilot or observer on site.
“At a moment when we are facing dangerous consequences of climate change and coping with a global pandemic, maintaining the Verizon Network has never been more important,” says Rima Qureshi, chief strategy officer, Verizon.
UAS
UAS
Walmart piloting drone delivery of at-home COVID-19 self-collection kits
Walmart announced this week that it will pilot drone delivery of at-home COVID-19 self-collection kits, which is a new way to provide additional, and contactless, testing options.
Walmart has partnered with an American clinical laboratory called Quest Diagnostics and drone services provider DroneUp to launch trial deliveries of collection kits in North Las Vegas starting this week, and Cheektowaga, New York in early October.
“There’s a lot we can learn from our drone delivery pilots to help determine what roles drones can play in pandemic response, health care delivery and retail,” Walmart says.
AirMap awarded contract to provide UTM service to USAF's Agility Prime program
AirMap has been awarded a contract to provide UAS traffic management (UTM) services to the United States Air Force’s (USAF) Agility Prime program.
In preparation for scaling of advanced air mobility operations, the USAF will use AirMap’s UTM platform to support testing of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
“AirMap is proud to partner with the USAF to provide industry-leading UTM services for advanced air mobility operations,” says Larry Berkin, GM of the AirMap Defense Group, an AirMap business unit focused on providing mission-critical technologies to the US Department of Defense.
MissionGO, Nevada Donor Network use UAS to deliver human organ and tissue
On Sept. 17, UAS solutions provider MissionGO and organ procurement organization (OPO) Nevada Donor Network completed two successful test flights carrying a human organ and tissue via UAS.
During the first flight, research corneas were transported from Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center to Dignity Health - St. Rose Dominican, San Martín Campus. The flight successfully demonstrated the viability, value, efficiency gains, and delivery speed of UAS when used to deliver lifesaving medical supplies and organs within an urban environment.
Weekend Roundup: September 18, 2020
This Week in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World
Northwest UAV (NWUAV) has partnered with Hirth Engines (Hirth) as distributor for North and Central America. NWUAV and Hirth will work closely together to provide “seamless, continued support” for existing customers. (Hirth Engines)
Draganfly selected by Dubai Police to pilot new drone initiatives
The Dubai Police has selected Draganfly to pilot new drone initiatives using Draganfly’s technical and operation experiences, as well as the company’s Intellectual Property.
“We are excited and honored that the Dubai Police has chosen Draganfly to pilot their new drone initiatives with us as they have been a world leader in public safety and in the use of drones,” says Cameron Chell, CEO of Draganfly.
“Draganfly has the proven capabilities and experience and we are excited to put our multiple technical and service platforms to work with the Dubai Police.”
LiquidPiston awarded SBIR Phase I grant to develop X-Engine for UAS
The U.S. Army has awarded LiquidPiston Inc., a developer of advanced rotary internal combustion engines for diesel and jet fuels, a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grant to develop its X-Engine as a hybrid-electric propulsion platform for UAS.
During a parallel hybrid UAV demonstration using jet fuel, LiquidPiston successfully showcased its X-Engine powered propulsion platform.
Walmart, Zipline partner to launch 'first-of-its-kind' drone delivery service in U.S.
Walmart has partnered with Zipline to launch what's being described as a “first-of-its-kind” drone delivery operation in the U.S.
According to Walmart, the new service will make on-demand deliveries of select health and wellness products with the potential to expand to general merchandise. Zipline’s proprietary technology will be used during the trial deliveries, which will take place near Walmart’s headquarters in Northwest Arkansas.
Weekend Roundup: September 11, 2020
This Week in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World
For the first time, liquid hydrogen and a unique refueling system have been used to power UAS. The demonstration was conducted by a Washington State University research team. The team says that the test demonstrated a key technology needed for long endurance, all-electric flights for medium-sized UAS. (Washington State University)
Weekend Roundup: September 4, 2020
This Week in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World
Yandex and Uber have announced that they are spinning out their self-driving joint venture into a standalone company. Yandex is also increasing its stake by investing an additional $150 million. (VentureBeat)
