This Week in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World
Last week, the City of San Diego, along with Cape, a company that builds software that unlocks the “true potential of drones,” completed a public UAS deployment, marking the city’s first UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP) demonstration by the San Diego Fire Department. The event began with a live public safety demonstration in which Cape and the San Diego Fire Department used Cape's Aerial Telepresence platform during a simulated fire call. (The Drive)
Pilot Projects
Pilot Projects
Caltech engineers use UAS to herd birds away from airspace at airports
Engineers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have developed a new control algorithm that allows a single UAS to herd an entire flock of birds away from the airspace of an airport.
The project was inspired by the 2009 "Miracle on the Hudson," when US Airways Flight 1549 struck a flock of geese shortly after takeoff and forced pilots to land the plane in the Hudson River off Manhattan.
“The passengers on Flight 1549 were only saved because the pilots were so skilled,” says Soon-Jo Chung, an associate professor of aerospace, and the principal investigator on the drone herding project.
Alert Innovation's Alphabot system designed to augment Walmart's online grocery service
Walmart, in collaboration with a startup company called Alert Innovation, is set to launch a pilot using “first-of-its-kind automation” to help associates fill online grocery orders “faster than ever before.”
Walmart will use Alert Innovation's Alphabot system to augment its online grocery service, which allows customers to quickly and conveniently order groceries online, select a pickup time and have those groceries delivered to their car in minutes.
Alphabot will work behind the scenes to make this process even easier by automatically bringing items from storage to associates, who will then consolidate the items in the order.
The Hertz Corporation to help Aptiv with its Las Vegas autonomous vehicles through new partnership
Through a new strategic partnership, the Hertz Corporation and its fleet management subsidiary, Donlen, will help with the operations and management of Aptiv's Las Vegas autonomous vehicles (AVs).
Additionally, the companies will “execute a phased approach” to develop standard operating procedures for mobility-related AV fleets.
“We're pleased to announce this partnership with Aptiv, a leader in the development of autonomous driving technology,” says Michael Fisher, senior vice president and chief digitization officer of Hertz.
Capital Metro begins testing driverless vehicles in Austin, Texas
On Monday, July 23, driverless vehicles for Capital Metro’s pilot shuttle program that is scheduled to launch in the fall began testing in downtown Austin, Texas.
According to Mariette Hummel, a spokeswoman for Capital Metro, Capital Metro officials are spending this week completing the mapping portion of the testing to help the vehicles learn the route, as well as where the signals and signs are located.
“It’s putting information into the vehicle and it is learning about the route and the traffic situations,” Hummel says via Community Impact Newspaper.
Waymo expanding its self-driving car presence in Metro Phoenix through new partnerships
Through its early rider program, Waymo has learned from its early riders that most of their rides are to run errands, shop for groceries, commute to work, head to dinner or fix their personal vehicles.
With this in mind, Waymo has launched several initiatives to continue testing its self-driving cars in Metro Phoenix, while meeting the “top rider needs.”
“We’re proud to be a part of Metro Phoenix and are excited to grow and add partnerships that support the cities we operate in, bring unique value to our riders, and give more people access to a safe, self-driving future,” Waymo says in a blog post.
Stagecoach and others to produce single deck autonomous bus
Transport operator Stagecoach, bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL), and technology company Fusion Processing will all work together to produce a single deck autonomous bus.
Work on the ADL Enviro200 vehicle is being conducted at ADL’s site in Guildford, England, and the bus is expected to be ready for use by the end of this year.
Once complete, the vehicle will be completely autonomous, capable of operating without a driver in an off-road environment. Additionally, the technology also delivers road safety benefits when driven in manual mode.
Capital Metro launching autonomous vehicle project in Central Texas
Central Texas' transportation agency, Capital Metro, has announced that it will explore automated vehicle (AV) technology through evaluation demonstrations.
Testing could begin as early as late July. If testing goes well, a pilot service is expected to follow later this fall.
“Capital Metro wants to lead the charge - to be among the first transit agencies in the United States to showcase this technology to our 'smart' city. I believe this will be the largest public AV bus pilot in the country,” says Randy Clarke, Capital Metro's President/CEO.
Autonomous shuttle to undergo testing this summer in Lincoln, Nebraska
A loaned Navya autonomous electric shuttle recently arrived in Lincoln, Nebraska, and is expected to be in the city until at least mid-July as part of the city's study on using an autonomous shuttle system downtown to help with traffic and parking issues.
Lincoln is able to test the autonomous shuttle after being awarded a $100,000 grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies. Earlier this year, Lincoln was named one of 35 Champion Cities selected by Bloomberg as finalists in the 2018 Mayors Challenge, which is a nationwide competition that encourages City leaders to develop “bold, inventive ideas to confront City challenges.”
Ohio's 33 Smart Mobility Corridor to study use of UAS to monitor traffic and roadway conditions
Ohio’s 33 Smart Mobility Corridor has announced plans to study the use of UAS to monitor traffic and roadway conditions from the air along the corridor.
The three-year study, which is scheduled to start on July 1, is a partnership between DriveOhio’s UAS Center and the Ohio State University College of Engineering.
“At DriveOhio, we are looking for innovative ways to integrate technology into our transportation systems,” says Jim Barna, Executive Director of DriveOhio.
