Eramet, a global mining and metallurgy group, has signed a framework agreement with Delair to accelerate the digital transformation of its mining activities.
Through the agreement, Eramet will get access to Delair Aerial Intelligence (delair.ai), which is a new collaborative platform for analyzing UAS data and turning the results into valuable business insights.
Delair notes that its Delair.ai platform has been up and running at the Tiébaghi mine in New Caledonia since January. By the end of the year, it will be used by all of Eramet’s mines.
Currently, nine UAS are operating at Eramet. The plan is for nine more to be deployed by the end of the year, including Delair’s fixed-wing UX11 drone.
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Gwent Police to use latest UAS to keep communities and officers safe
Gwent Police in Gwent, Wales has launched its latest UAS.
Gwent Police worked with UAS manufacturers during an eight-month trial to build and test the first bespoke Police drone in Wales, resulting in the Sky Mantis UAS, which will be used for a variety of operations including searches for high-risk missing people, policing large-scale events and disorder, and crime scene photography.
“Across the trial, the drones have proved their worth, saving the force approximately £46,800 across 36 incidents and has also been used in place of helicopters in the appropriate places,” says Inspector Gavin Clifton.
Zomato successfully tests drone technology; aims to get food to customers in less than 15 minutes
Zomato, an Indian restaurant search and discovery service, has announced that it has successfully tested its drone technology.
The company says that it met all of its parameters during the non-commercial delivery, which covered a distance of five kilometers in about 10 minutes. Using a hybrid UAS—a fusion of rotary wing and fixed wings on a single UAS—the company reached a peak speed of 80 kilometers per hour, carrying a payload of five kilograms.
Zomato's goal is to develop technology that gets food to customers in less than 15 minutes, so that they can enjoy their food as close to the state in which it was prepared by the chef at the restaurant. But the company says that 15 minutes is only possible if they take an aerial route.
Auterion announces new hires and U.S. office
Known for providing an open-source-based, enterprise operating system for drones called Auterion Enterprise PX4, Auterion has announced two new hires, and a U.S. office to guide the company’s growth.
David Sharpin, formerly vice president of Sales and Business Development for AeroVironment, has been named the General Manager for Auterion U.S., while Marco Bill-Peter, current SVP Red Hat, has been named an Auterion Board Member.
Auterion notes that currently, the Defense Department’s drones run largely on custom software that is created and maintained by several military contractors. The open source software development model is starting to change that, though, according to Auterion.
Terra Drone Europe to provide UAS services to UK's national mapping agency
Terra Drone Europe, a group company of Terra Drone Corporation, has announced that it has secured a framework agreement to provide UAS services to the national mapping agency of the United Kingdom, Ordnance Survey.
Through this agreement, Terra Drone Europe will provide a variety of UAS services to Ordnance Survey, with deliverables including orthomosaics, digital terrain models (DTM) and digital surface models.
“This framework shows how Ordnance Survey is using new and innovative techniques to create the most accurate maps of the United Kingdom,” says Patrick Rickerby, technical director, Terra Drone Europe.
Dynam.AI, GBA partner to identify infrastructure defects using UAS and AI
Artificial intelligence technology provider Dynam.AI and GBA, a provider of engineering and architecture technologies, have announced that they will work together to identify defects in bridge roadway surfaces using a joint platform consisting of GBA’s UAS and Dynam.AI’s Auguste image detection and classification algorithm.
There are more than 47,000 structurally deficient bridges in the U.S. according to a 2019 study from the American Road & Transportation Builders Association. Traditionally, collecting the necessary data to determine the location and severity of the structural deficiencies would be done manually, which would require ground crews and extensive lane closures, creating hazards for drivers, road workers and inspectors.
AeroVironment acquires VTOL drone maker Pulse Aerospace
AeroVironment says it has acquired Kansas-based Pulse Aerospace, which sells small unmanned helicopters, for $25.7 million in cash, financing the deal entirely from available cash on hand.
The deal includes milestone-based earn-out payments of $5 million, Simi Valley, California-based AeroVironment says, and adds new VTOL options to its UAS portfolio.
Pulse Aerospace sells small vertical takeoff and landing systems, along with its HeliSynth technology, which AV says "brings flight control, payload and endurance capabilities to market at attractive price points for both defense and commercial end markets."
Raptor Maps plans to expand global presence and develop new products using latest funding
Raptor Maps, a company that makes it simple and affordable for solar companies to adopt drone technology as a tool, has announced a new round of funding from veteran energy investors.
Raptor Maps develops software to build geospatial, digital models of photovoltaic (PV) system asset health. Over the last year, the company has analyzed more than 25 million solar panels in 21 countries across 6,000 MW. Uses include PV system inspection and verification, due diligence and construction site installation progression, to name a few.
Amazon unveils latest Prime Air drone design
During Amazon’s re:MARS Conference (Machine Learning, Automation, Robotics and Space) in Las Vegas, the company unveiled its latest Prime Air drone design.
Amazon has been actively working to build fully electric UAS that can fly up to 15 miles and deliver packages under five pounds to customers in less than 30 minutes. The company says that with the help of its fulfillment and delivery network, it expects to scale Prime Air “both quickly and efficiently,” using the UAS to deliver packages to customers within months.
Amazon's newest drone design is equipped with advances in efficiency, stability and safety. The UAS also “advances the state of the art,” Amazon says, thanks to its hybrid design, and ability to perform vertical takeoffs and landings like a helicopter.
