by AUVSI News 

This week in the unmanned systems and robotics world, the Department of Transportation is taking a new aggressive tack on driverless cars, a robot in the U.K. can work on live gas mains and a ground robot may try to beat drones to package delivery. 



According to its website, the Federal Aviation Administration has now approved 2,384 commercial UAS exemptions out of about 4,200 requests. 



On Monday, the unmanned New Shepard Crew Capsule and its Propulsion Module made a safe launch and recovery into space. NASA wants to use the craft as a method to travel to the International Space Station. (NASA)



The Department of Transportation has ordered the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to update its 2013 policy on driverless cars to reflect the technology’s advances and a new “sense of urgency.” (Arkansas Online)



The U.K. gas distribution network SGN and U.S. company ULC Robotics have teamed up to create a robot that can repair live gas mains from inside the pipes. (The Engineer)



The University of Tehran has developed a humanoid robot that can understand phrases in Farsi and can recognize faces. (Tech Insider)



Carnegie Mellon University has been working with Disney Research to create an interactive platform to 3-D print custom robots capable of walking. (The Tartan)



U.K. company Starship, from the cofounders of Skype, has developed a ground robot that can make deliveries. It will be tested in 2016 for a full rollout in 2017.  (Wired)



A study out of the U.K. states that 62 percent of young professionals living in cities would consider using a self-driving car, versus 39 percent of people in the country. (Fleet News)



The Air Force is investigating the crash of an X-56A that occurred Nov. 19 near Edwards Air Force Base. The aircraft is a test bed designed to suppress active flutter and alleviate gust load in flight. (Air Force Technology)

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