During Xponential, the DRONERESPONDERS Global Public Safety UAS Summit will highlight the immense benefits that drone technology provides to public safety agencies and first responders across the world.

Although Xponential is taking place in a virtual environment this year, that doesn’t mean that attendees won’t be able to have an interactive experience, thanks to the efforts of engineering consulting and contracting firm SKA Custom Robots and Machines. During the show, SKA, an exhibitor during this year’s Xponential, will demonstrate robotics being teleoperated. The demonstrations will feature Ultra-Light Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) being controlled and maneuvered around a makeshift obstacle course, offering attendees a third person perspective. On Thursday, Oct. 8, attendees will actually be able to take control of the UGVs and teleoperate the vehicles themselves from their own computers.

Sea Machines Robotics has partnered with shipbuilder Metal Shark Boats to supply the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)’s Research and Development Center (RDC) with a new Sharktech 29 Defiant vessel. Responsible for helping transition innovative technologies and providing premier analysis and decision support to enhance operational performance across all Coast Guard missions, the RDC will use the vessel to test and evaluate the capabilities of available autonomous vessel technology. Sea Machines SM300 autonomous-command and remote-helm control technology is integrated onto the vessel, providing the USCG with a full range of advanced capabilities, including transit autonomy, collaborative autonomy, collision avoidance and remote vessel monitoring.

EHang has unveiled the EHang 216L, which is the logistics version of the company's EHang 216 designed for short-to-medium-haul air logistics in both urban and rural areas. Boasting a payload of more than 440 pounds, which to EHang’s knowledge is the largest for multi-rotor autonomous aerial vehicles (AAVs) for aerial logistics, the EHang 216L opens up more commercial opportunities for the company in various urban and rural short-to-medium-haul aerial logistics use cases that require frequent and point-to-point flight tasks. One example that EHang highlights is in mountainous areas with poor road conditions, the EHang 216L can help boost the local economy by more quickly and efficiently transporting agricultural products.