Weekend Roundup: October 30, 2020

October 30, 2020 | AUVSI News

This Week (and last week) in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World

Australian Defence Force (ADF) Academy has announced that in August, it received two Mk6 UGVs. According to private Jacob Joseph, the academy received the vehicles after undergoing testing at Exercise Talisman Sabre. (Army Technology)

Earlier this week, driverless technology company Motional and public mobility solutions company Via announced a first-of-its-kind partnership that the companies say “will serve as a blueprint for the future of on-demand, shared robotaxis.” The partnership’s first service will be shared robotaxi rides available to the public. The service is expected to launch during the first half of 2021 in one of Motional’s existing U.S. markets. (Motional)

Nexus Robotics, the start-up behind an autonomous weeding robot, recently announced that it has secured $1.2 million in investment. The funds will be used to pilot the company’s technology and develop new applications such as identifying diseases and pests and collecting data about crop and growing conditions. (Innovacorp)

In June, the University of Wyoming Board of Trustees approved the launch of geospatial information science and technology (GIST) programs. New programs, which began this fall, are offered in the areas of geographic information system (GIS), remote sensing and UAS. (University of Wyoming)

Last week, a drone delivered a small payload to the U.S. Navy’s Ohio class ballistic missile submarine USS Henry M. Jackson as it sailed on the surface of the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii. According to the service, this was a test to explore novel concepts for resupplying Ohio class submarines while they’re out on their nuclear deterrent patrols. (The Drive)

The first publicly funded autonomous electric shuttle and test of driverless technology in public transportation in the Commonwealth of Virginia is now in operation. Passengers can now use the shuttle to get a free, zero-emissions ride from the Mosaic District to the Dunn Loring Metrorail station. (Fairfax County)

The British Army recently revealed that it has been testing Lockheed Martin’s Indago UAS. Ruggedized, backpackable, and rapidly deployable, the Indago system weighs less than 10 pounds, fits within a small backpack, and deploys in approximately two minutes. (Defence Blog)

A few weeks ago, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office in Cass County, Missouri, used a UAS to locate a missing 93-year-old woman. Within five minutes of the drone’s launch, the woman was found alive and well. (KMBC-TV)

Photo below: Front Row: Mark Webb, Chief Innovation Officer, Dominion Energy; Jeffrey C. McKay, Chairman, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. Back Row: Bill Caldwell, Managing Director, EDENS; Gerald E. Connolly, Congressman, United States House of Representatives; Cathy McGhee, Director of Transportation Research and Innovation, Office of the Virginia Secretary of Transportation; Dalia Palchik, Providence District Supervisor, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. Photo courtesy of Fairfax County