Weekend Roundup: August 28, 2020

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

On Aug. 18, U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Shaneka Shaw, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron-1 (VMU-1), a weapons and tactics instructor (WTI), graduated from the MQ-9 Basic and Requalification/Transition Course 2 class 20-03, and became the first Black female Marine qualified to fly MQ-9 Reapers at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. Shaw spent 55 training days learning to fly the MQ-9 at Holloman. (Air Education and Training Command)

The University of Maine at Augusta (UMA) and Gulf Coast State College’s Unmanned Vehicle Systems Program have both been selected by the FAA to participate in the UAS-Collegiate Training Program (UAS-CTI). The FAA’s UAS-CTI program recognizes institutions that prepare students for careers in UAS. (PenBay Pilot and Panama City News Herald)

Volkswagen AG announced this week that it will start testing autonomous vehicles in China’s eastern city of Hefei. The biggest foreign automaker in China, Volkswagen will begin testing in September utilizing Audi’s e-tron electric sport utility vehicles. (Reuters)

Persistent Systems recently announced that it has successfully completed Phase I of the U.S. Army Robotic Combat Vehicles (RCV) program. The goal of the RCV program is to show the utility of manned-unmanned teaming with a future Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) being able to control multiple RCV “wingmen.”  (Persistent Systems)

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao recently announced that the FAA is awarding $7.5 million in research, education, and training grants to universities that make up the agency’s Air Transportation Center of Excellence (COE) for UAS, which is also known as the Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence (ASSURE). The COE universities received a total of $7,495,178 to advance specific goals and projects. (FAA)

Wake Forest Baptist Health has begun using drones to deliver medicines and blood. After a patient checks in at a Wake Forest Baptist Health infusion clinic, their specific medicine is created at the hospital and flown over via drone, creating an on-demand pharmacy for medicine with a short shelf life. (Forbes)

Deuce Drone recently completed a technology demonstration of its retail package delivery service that utilizes small UAS. The flights demonstrated key aspects of the service’s customer ordering app, automated drone flight management system, package management system, and sensor safety systems while moving simulated packages on a closed course. (GlobeNewswire)

A UK USV called Maxlimer completed a 22-day-long mission to map an area of seafloor in the Atlantic. The USV was developed by SEA-KIT International. (BBC.com)

A few weeks ago, the town of Buena Vista, Colorado, unanimously approved a concept for a UAS flying park. The drone park will be divided into four zones based on activity with areas for basic training, qualification operations, obstacle navigation and racing events. (AVweb)

Photo below: U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Shaneka Shaw, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron-1 Weapons and tactics instructor, poses for a photo Aug. 19, 2020, on Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. Shaw recently graduated from the MQ-9 Basic and Requalification/Transition Course 2 class 20-03 to become the first Black female Marine qualified to fly MQ-9 Reaper. Photo courtesy of ​Air Education and Training Command