UPS has announced that its venture capital arm, UPS Ventures, has made a minority investment in self-driving truck company TuSimple.
Building off of an ongoing commercial relationship between the two companies in which UPS has purchased transportation services from TuSimple, UPS and TuSimple are testing self-driving tractor trailers on a route in Arizona to determine if the vehicles are capable of improving service and efficiency in the UPS network.
“UPS is committed to developing and deploying technologies that enable us to operate our global logistics network more efficiently,” says Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer, Scott Price.
Testing
Testing
Swarms of air and ground robots tested during second field experiment for DARPA's OFFSET program
DARPA has announced that during the second field experiment for its OFFensive Swarm-Enabled Tactics (OFFSET) program, teams of autonomous air and ground robots tested tactics on a mission to isolate an urban objective.
During the experiment, which took place in June at the Selby Combined Arms Collective Training Facility in Fort Benning, Georgia, the robots started off by identifying locations of interest, and then created a perimeter around the focal point, similarly to how a firefighting crew establishes a boundary around a burning building.
EHang to test autonomous aerial vehicles in Guangzhou, China
Autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) company EHang has selected Guangzhou, China as its first urban air mobility (UAM) pilot city in the world to establish a low-altitude aviation transportation network that shuttles passengers and goods in a “safe, fast, environmentally friendly, cost-efficient and intelligent way.”
Through the pilot program, EHang will help the Guangzhou government establish a command-and-control center to make sure that multiple AAVs flying at the same time in the city can remain in the air in a “safe and efficient manner,” and can respond to emergencies quickly.
EHang also plans on helping the city build up the basic infrastructure to support urban air mobility, which will include designing safety rules and market entry thresholds.
HAPSMobile to fly HAWK30 UAS in stratosphere above Hawaiian island of Lanai
The FAA has granted HAPSMobile Inc. a Certificate of Authorization (COA2) to fly the HAWK30 solar-powered UAS to provide a stratospheric telecommunications platform system in the Hawaiian island of Lanai’s stratosphere.
HAPSMobile has been working with the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) and the University of Hawaii to conduct stratospheric test flights using HAWK30, as part of collaborative activities with the Pan-Pacific UAS Test Range Complex (PPUTRC).
The entities received the authorization after UAF, which manages the PPUTRC, applied for the COA2 on behalf of the three parties.
Carolina Unmanned Vehicles successfully demonstrates Small Tactical Multi-Payload Aerostat System
Carolina Unmanned Vehicles (CUV) has announced that during the 21st Century Maneuver, Logistics, and Force Protection Advanced Naval Technology Exercise (ANTX) at USMC Base, Camp Lejeune North Carolina, it successfully demonstrated the Small Tactical Multi-Payload Aerostat System (STMPAS).
Described as a “mobile cost effective aerostat system,” STMPAS provides persistent 24/7 EO/IR Surveillance, Networked Communications Relays and Signal Intelligence collection.
Kodiak Robotics making first commercial deliveries using self-driving trucks
Just 16 months after forming, self-driving truck startup Kodiak Robotics Inc. has announced that it has started making its first commercial deliveries with a safety driver behind the wheel.
EasyMile driverless shuttle being tested at Texas Airport
An EasyMile EZ10 driverless shuttle is being tested at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) in Austin, Texas, as part of a new pilot program.
The shuttle is available to transport passengers traveling between the Barbara Jordan Terminal and the Rental Car Facility/Ground Transportation.
The shuttle will take passengers from the terminal to the front of the Rental Car Facility/Ground Transportation, which is also where the airport's ground transportation pick-up area for taxis and ride-app services is located.
AUS notes that other route options could be explored in further testing.
EasyMile's NUSmart Shuttle begins passenger service at National University of Singapore
This week, EasyMile’s fully autonomous NUSmart Shuttle began passenger service at the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Kent Ridge campus.
Part of a year-long study, the trial, which is free to all commuters, is designed to determine the commercial viability of providing safe autonomous shuttle bus services. The shuttle will operate along a predefined route.
“As a pioneer in autonomous vehicle technologies, EasyMile is proud to support its partners in testing the integration of our autonomous shuttle for public transportation,” says Alexandre Pequignot, EasyMile Business Development & Partnership manager for Asia Pacific.
BAE Systems successfully tests 'first of its kind' autonomous boat
BAE Systems has successfully tested a ‘first of its kind’ autonomous boat that it says will give navies the ability to “go beyond the limits of human endurance with unmanned vessels that can travel further, for longer and to more inhospitable environments.”
Known as the autonomous Pacific 950 Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) demonstrator, the boat has been used to develop and prove a variety of technologies that could potentially make naval missions faster, easier and safer, which, according to BAE Systems, would take the relationship between human and machine to “new territories.”
Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners opens autonomous vehicle and smart city living laboratory
Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners has announced the grand opening of its 5G enabled autonomous vehicle and smart city living laboratory.
A publicly funded, real-world living laboratory and testbed, Curiosity Lab features a one and a half mile autonomous vehicle test track within a 500 acre commercial office park.
“Startups and mature companies around the world are interested in using the Lab’s test track to better understand how their technology operates in a suburban community with people working and living around them,” says Brian Johnson, city manager for Peachtree Corners.
