UPS and Henry Schein Inc. have signed an agreement to explore and test various UAS delivery use cases. The use cases would examine UAS within business-to-business operating models.
As part of their agreement, the companies will focus on testing the transport of essential healthcare products by UPS to customers of Henry Schein, which provides healthcare items to office-based dental and medical practitioners.
“It is exciting to see Henry Schein come aboard this groundbreaking program,” says Scott Price, UPS chief strategy and transformation officer.
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Implementing drones to inspect electric utility wires
It’s plotting a new course to the destination utilities are already sailing to (a proactive condition based asset management) and that this new course or technology is often seen as a disruption first before realizing it as an opportunity.
Q&A with Ilkka Hiidenheimo, CEO, Sharper Shape
ZM Interactive selects Iris Automation as detect and avoid provider for its UAS
ZM Interactive (ZMI) has selected Iris Automation as the detect and avoid (DAA) provider for its drones, which will allow ZMI customers to conduct beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations.
ZMI manufactures the xFold drone, which is an industrial, military-grade UAS that comes in various sizes and configurations. Its frame can change between a x4 (Quad), x6 (Hexa), X8 (octo) and X12 (Dodeca) configurations in minutes, and it has a heavy payload capability of more than 300 pounds, making the UAS ideal for a wide range of commercial, industrial, military and emergency response applications. Some of its use cases include aerial cinematography, 3-D Mapping and inspections, and cargo delivery.
DARPA's OFFSET program deploys swarms of autonomous air and ground vehicles during third field experiment
DARPA’s OFFensive Swarm-Enabled Tactics (OFFSET) program deployed swarms of autonomous air and ground vehicles to demonstrate a raid in an urban area during the agency's third field experiment.
According to DARPA, OFFSET sees a day where swarms of up to 250 collaborative autonomous systems will provide important insights to small ground units in urban areas where limited sight lines and tight spaces can obscure hazards, as well as constrain mobility and communications.
Skyfront, Silvus Technologies partner to produce long-range UAS
As a result of a partnership with Silvus Technologies, hybrid-electric UAS provider Skyfront has combined its five-hour endurance Perimeter UAS with Silvus’ high-power StreamCaster radios, resulting in the Perimeter XLRS, which can fly for up to five hours while maintaining command and control links and streaming real-time video up to 60 miles from the ground control station.
“We are very excited to be partnering with Silvus Technologies to bring long-range aerial platforms into the mainstream,” says Troy Mestler, CEO of Skyfront.
UC San Diego Health and partners to deliver medical products between hospitals and laboratories using UAS
To speed up the delivery of services and patient care currently managed through ground transport, UC San Diego Health will launch a pilot project in February to test using UAS to transport medical samples, supplies and documents between Jacobs Medical Center and Moores Cancer Center and the Center for Advanced Laboratory Medicine (CALM).
A collaboration with UPS and Matternet, the program builds off the UPS and Matternet drone project that is currently taking place at WakeMed Health and Hospitals in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Empire Drone Company receives FAA certification to use UAS for crop spraying
Fulton, New York's Empire Drone Company (EDC) recently received a Part 137 certification from the FAA that allows the company to use UAS to spray crops.
According to EDC, using UAS for crop spraying offers a number of advantages over traditional crop spraying methods, including helping growers save on equipment, application, and labor, cutting back on time and traffic in the field, and reducing applicators exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.
“We are incredibly excited to be one of the first companies in New York to be given the go-ahead by the FAA to spray crops with drones,” says Sean Falconer, partner at Empire Drone Company.
AiRXOS adds 11 UAS partners to its Air Mobility Platform Ecosystem
In an effort to help scale and accelerate the adoption of compliant, safe, and extensible Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) platforms for agencies and enterprise organizations, AiRXOS has added 11 UAS technology, service, and business partners to its Air Mobility Platform Ecosystem, which currently includes Measure.
The new partners include Adams and Reese LLP, AeroVironment, Airborne International Response Team (AIRT) Inc., Avitas Systems, DeTect Inc., Fortem Technologies, Kongsberg Geospatial, Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research (NUAIR) and The New York UAS Test Site, SRC Inc., SPH Engineering, and Syniverse.
Navy's first MQ-4C Triton UAS arrive in Guam for initial deployment in Pacific theater
The Navy’s first MQ-4C Triton UAS have arrived in Guam for their initial deployment in the Pacific theater.
As part of an early operational capability (EOC), the first Triton UAS squadron, known as Unmanned Patrol Squadron (VUP) 19, will operate and maintain two aircraft, with a goal of further developing the concept of operations and fleet learning associated with operating a high-altitude, long-endurance system in the maritime domain.
Both Tritons arrived at Andersen Air Force base as of Sunday, Jan. 26, and they will fall under Commander, Task Force (CTF) 72, lead for patrol, reconnaissance and surveillance forces in 7th Fleet.
NUAIR, DroneResponders partner to enhance UAS educational services and training programs for public safety organizations
Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research (NUAIR) has partnered with DroneResponders to help enhance UAS educational services and training programs for public safety organizations.
“Our partnership with NUAIR will help accelerate the adoption of UAS by first responders across New York State and beyond to help save lives and property,” says Charles Werner, director of DroneResponders and retired fire chief from Charlottesville, VA.
“Our DroneResponders Major Cities Working Group members will also be working closely with NUAIR to conduct research and testing on the use of public safety UAS in large urban and metropolitan areas.”
