America, Regulate Drones Now or Get Left Behind
Missy Cummings for Wired: Drones are a big business and getting bigger, a reality that comes with both economic opportunities and risks. The UAV market is set to jump from $5.2 billion in 2013 to $11.6 billion in 2023. Opportunities for delivery services, cinematography, and even flying cell towers could introduce thousands of jobs and reinvigorate an ailing aerospace market.
At the same time, drone sales to hobbyists have exploded. Registered drone operators in the US now outnumber registered manned aircraft. In tandem with that growth, close calls with commercial aircraft have more than doubled in the past two years. An analysis of FAA reports by Bard College’s Center for the Study of the Drone counts 28 instances in which pilots changed course in order to avoid a collision. Cont'd...
Google Puts Boston Dynamics Up for Sale in Robotics Retreat
Brad Stone and Jack Clark for Bloomberg Business: The video, published to YouTube on Feb. 23, was awe-inspiring and scary. A two-legged humanoid robot trudges through the snow, somehow maintaining its balance. Another robot with two arms and pads for hands crouches down and lifts a brown box and delicately places it on a shelf -- then somehow stays upright while a human tries to push it over with a hockey stick. A third robot topples over and clambers back to its feet with ease.
Tens of millions of people viewed the video over the next few weeks. Google and the division responsible for the video, Boston Dynamics, were seemingly pushing the frontier in robot technology.
But behind the scenes a more pedestrian drama was playing out. Executives at Google parent Alphabet Inc., absorbed with making sure all the various companies under its corporate umbrella have plans to generate real revenue, concluded that Boston Dynamics isn’t likely to produce a marketable product in the next few years and have put the unit up for sale, according to two people familiar with the company’s plans.
Possible acquirers include the Toyota Research Institute, a division of Toyota Motor Corp., and Amazon.com Inc., which makes robots for its fulfillment centers, according to one person. Google and Toyota declined to comment, and Amazon didn’t respond to requests for comment. Full Article:
IoT Development Enters the Open Innovation Craze
NEXCOM's NexROBO robot control simulation software can assist the application development of smart robots, thereby freeing up the time required for developing motor drives and controllers for laboratory testing and the time to code motor control programs.
February Fundings And Acquisitions
It's too early to tell whether the record-breaking pace of 2015 fundings for robotic startups and the number of acquisitions will carry over into 2016, nevertheless here are the transactions that happened in February
Mountain Aviation First FAA Certified Airline Approved for Commercial Drone Operations
After 23 years of operating private jets for business and leisure travelers, Mountain Aviation is expanding its product offering into the newly regulated field of commercial Drone operations.
RE2 Robotics Founder, Jorgen Pedersen, Named Carnegie Science Start-up Entrepreneur Award Winner for 2016
Pedersen was selected from a field of highly qualified candidates by a committee of his peers in the Pittsburgh science and technology community.
Texas UAS Summit & Expo agenda set to reveal industry trends, compelling UAS storylines
Produced by UAS Magazine, Lone Star UAS Test Site and Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX). Texas UAS Summit will provide attendees with a comprehensive overview of the current state of the unmanned aircraft systems industry.
Robotics expert: Self-driving cars not ready for deployment
Joan Lowy for PHYS.org: Self-driving cars are "absolutely not" ready for widespread deployment despite a rush to put them on the road, a robotics expert warned Tuesday.
The cars aren't yet able to handle bad weather, including standing water, drizzling rain, sudden downpours and snow, Missy Cummings, director of Duke University's robotics program, told the Senate commerce committee. And they certainly aren't equipped to follow the directions of a police officer, she said.
While enthusiastic about research into self-driving cars, "I am decidedly less optimistic about what I perceive to be a rush to field systems that are absolutely not ready for widespread deployment, and certainly not ready for humans to be completely taken out of the driver's seat," Cummings said.
It's relatively easy for hackers to take control of the GPS navigation systems of self-driving cars, Cummings said.
"It is feasible that people could commandeer self-driving vehicles ... to do their bidding, which could be malicious or simply just for the thrill of it," she said, adding that privacy of personal data is another concern. Cont'd...
Robotics Tomorrow joins AutoSens 2016 as official media partner
Agreement with AutoSens 2016 will see discounts for readers and high quality industry coverage
Internet of Things Will Place Greater Pressure on Companies to Modernise
Companies failing to upgrade ageing IT systems will struggle to survive as the Internet of Things momentum gathers pace
Interaerial SOLUTIONS - Biggest commercial UAS event cleared for take-off
Following on from the flight zone at INTERGEO 2014 in Berlin, interaerial SOLUTIONS last year celebrated its première as an integrated topic platform at INTERGEO. At INTERGEO 2016 in Hamburg, interaerial SOLUTIONS will run as a free-standing UAS platform for the first time.
Hydroid Introduces the New Generation REMUS 100 AUV
Updated vehicle features unparalleled technology and advanced capabilities
Inside 3D Printing 2016: A world full of business models
1,400 visitors at the leading specialist conference on additive manufacturing methods
Professional Drone Leader Delair-Tech Announces US Subsidiary Plans, $14.5 Million In New Funding
Will also launch Delair-Services to provide "all inclusive"
drone solutions for major industrial groups
WPI Software in Play at FIRST Robotics Competitions
FRC teams across the world are using tools WPI helped develop, including 40 teams this weekend in Worcester
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