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

Mississippi State University (MSU) engineers in the university’s Raspet Flight Research Laboratory are leading research efforts that could make UAS operational by the U.S. government, as well as civilian aviation, in icy conditions. The U.S. Department of Defense is hoping that the icing system development and technology team being led by MSU will result in lightweight anti-icing systems, which would lead to certification for UAS to operate in forecasted icing conditions. (Mississippi State University)

Airbus announced earlier this week that the VSR700 optionally piloted vehicle (OPV) successfully achieved fully autonomous takeoff and landing (ATOL) approaches. This validated the aircraft’s autonomy to and from a moving platform and advanced the VSR700 program towards its end goal of offering a tactical UAS with ATOL capacities for global navies. (Airbus)

Three members of the Central Colorado UAS Club got firsthand damage assessment experience using drones after Hurricane Laura hit Texas and Louisiana areas this year. The group will share those experiences with the club on Saturday, Dec. 5. (Ark Valley Voice)

A group of Oklahoma State University students are looking to break the sound barrier with a UAS. Known as Project Boom, the project includes nearly a dozen current and former engineering, architecture and technology students. (KFOR-TV)

Engineers at UC San Diego are developing new technologies and fusing them with existing ones to improve how self-driving cars “see” other cars. Improving how these vehicles see other cars will ultimately make them safer in challenging weather. (La Jolla Light)

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) has announced that autonomous technology company ThorDrive is bringing autonomous vehicle technology to the airport’s campus. The technology will be trialed in a live operating environment. (CVG Airport)

Skydio has launched a new episodic web video series about next-gen ISR with autonomous drones. Known as “X2D: Ready for Duty,” the series tells the story of a team of fictional warfighters as they face five different missions, and highlights what happens when ISR is conducted with the support of an intelligent drone capable of working as a trusted teammate. (Skydio)

As part of its strategy to expand its range of supported sensors, UgCS ground control software and solutions developer SPH Engineering completed tests of the Geometrics MagArrow magnetometer together with a radar altimeter and True Terrain Following technology for surveys requiring extremely low altitude (1-2 meters between a sensor and surface). Tests were conducted in two scenarios in Latvia: first, to find underground infrastructure; and second, to find magnetic anomalies under the bottom of the lake. (SPH Engineering)