This Week in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World

During a pilot project in October, an autonomous vehicle will be tested in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on a segregated roadway, separated from other traffic. During the pilot project, Edmonton residents will get the chance to experience the technology for free, and provide feedback to the city. (The Star Edmonton)

FlytBase Inc. has introduced FlytDock, which is a new automated landing technology for UAS. FlytBase says that FlytDock allows a UAS to precisely align and land itself on a site with centimeter-level accuracy. (Unmanned Aerial)

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has developed a hybrid ground and air robotic system that combines land and aerial capabilities. Designed for border patrol, reconnaissance and surveillance operations, the system allows continuous operation under “complex and challenging areas and conditions,” without putting human lives at risk, while “supporting the coming battlefield changes and emerging threats.” (Israel Aerospace Industries)

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed by Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd and Unifly N.V to “cooperate in the field of Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) systems.” The MoU covers both research and development, as well as a joint market approach to UAS management. (Unifly)

Aeroscout, along with researchers from Brown University and the Czech Republic, recently collected high-density airborne LIDAR for a 1.2 square kilometer forested landscape in the southwest Czech Republic. The data was collected using Aeroscout’s Scout B1-100 helicopter UAS. (sUAS News)

Headwall has introduced advanced sensor payloads made up of “hyperspectral sensors” and LIDAR for deployment on UAS platforms. Through the fusion of “spectral imaging data and 3D LIDAR output,” Headwall says that it continues to provide “new industry-leading capabilities for addressing critical remote sensing applications,” ranging from civil and military infrastructure inspection to crop science applications that require discrete answers for crop monitoring. (Headwall)

Leica Geosystems has announced its new Leica Aibot, which is the latest UAS based on DJI’s M600 Pro UAS. The UAS is designed to “rapidly and autonomously enable digitizing of critical infrastructure.” (Leica Geosystems)

Robotic Research, LLC, has been awarded a three-year, $49.7 million contract from the U.S. Army to provide Autonomy Kits for large convoy resupply vehicles as part of the Expedient Leader Follower (ExLF) program. The goal of the ExLF program is to “extend the scope of the Autonomous Ground Resupply (AGR) program by developing and installing sophisticated Autonomy Kits for additional Army vehicles (Oshkosh PLS A1s).” (Robotic Research)

Hazon Solutions and Aeryon Labs Inc. have announced a new partnership. A “trusted” Aeryon reseller, Hazon will now also be able to directly support utility and industrial customers that may be looking to build their own UAS program using Aeryon’s SkyRanger UAS. (Hazon Solutions)

The University of Leeds is leading a national infrastructure research project in the United Kingdom that seeks to fix potholes and cracks using tarmac 3D printing robots. In an effort to “thoroughly inspect and identify damaged areas” on roads in the UK, the robots used during the project will be both aerial and ground-based. (3D Printing Industry)

Fortem Technologies Inc. has been selected to participate in Transport Canada's Proof-of-Concept Trials into Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations. A fellow participant in the trials, ING Robotic Aviation, selected Fortem Technologies' TrueView Radar as its key detect-and-avoid technology to enable safe BVLOS operations. (PR Newswire)

The Milwaukee Independent is utilizing UAS as part of its efforts to document news stories. One of the ways that the publication is using its UAS is to cover mural projects in the city. (The Milwaukee Independent)