Weekend Roundup

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This Week in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World

Officers from the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office recently conducted a UAS demonstration at the Essex County Emergency Management Headquarters in Essex County, New Jersey. The technology is used in Monmouth County for search and rescue operations. (Baristanet)

Students from the St. Thomas More School in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania recently got a chance to take a firsthand look at one of Uber's driverless vehicles during the Bethel Park school’s STREAM – Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts and Math – Day on Jan. 25. During the Bethel Park school’s STREAM day, Uber vehicle design team leader and Bethel Park resident Chris D’Eramo provided students with an overview of what makes these types of vehicles a reality. (The Almanac South Hill Community News)

In Galloway Township, New Jersey, the Stockton University Office of Continuing Studies will offer a course on UAS and their practical use. The course, which will be offered on Thursdays from Feb. 8 through May 10, will be led by Adam Greco, who says that the course will be valuable to anyone with a general interest in UAS, as well as those who want to use the technology for professional purposes. (Stockton University)

A Silicon Valley start-up called Nuro has announced that it raised $92 million to launch a self-driving delivery vehicle, which will reportedly be used for local commerce. Shaped like a tiny minivan, Nuro’s vehicle includes compartments built into its sides that can hold approximately 10 shopping bags, and can also be configured to accommodate custom inserts like lockers, or heating or cooling elements. (Reuters)

AutoModality Inc. has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research grant for $225,000 to “conduct research and development on navigation capabilities of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) with respect to object detection and sense-and-avoid.” The company developed a Perceptive Navigation UAS platform that enables fully autonomous infrastructure inspection. This platform is especially beneficial when conducting inspections in areas such as under bridges, inside buildings and tunnels, and other areas that are hard to navigate, present potential safety risks, and are often GPS-denied. (Unmanned Aerial)

Sabrewing Aircraft Company, which is building a “large-scale, long-endurance, high cargo capacity demonstrator UAV that is a 65% scale of their full-size drone,” has announced that it has raised 140% of its initial angel funding goal. Ed De Reyes, CEO of Sabrewing Aircraft Company, says that the company “will close this round shortly, and cap this round at just under $1 million.” (GlobeNewswire)

Following the success of the Modesto Police Department’s UAS program, the Stockton Police Department in Stockton, California has followed suit, as it launched its own UAS program in the middle of January 2018. Called the Unmanned Aerial Support, Stockton's program currently has two UAS, which were purchased through donations collected by the Stockton Police Foundation. (ABC10)

In cooperation with the City of San Antonio Parks & Recreation, the San Antonio Parks Foundation, and UAS enthusiasts/hobbyist groups, Droneport Texas will host the 2018 Winterfest Drone Fly-In on Saturday, Feb. 10. Several activities are planned for the event, including police/fire UAS demonstrations, a UAS racing exhibition, and basic UAS flight/safety education. (Droneport Texas)