A community-based organization (“CBO”) that represents close to 25,000 drone users, the Drone User Group Network (“DUGN”) proposed changes to both the House and Senate versions of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization bills that will help spur innovation, preserve the privacy of the public, preserve the privacy of drone users, and enhance the efficiency of the aviation system.
Andrej Karpathy has been made director of AI and Autopilot at Tesla, and will report directly to Elon Musk, signalling Tesla’s intention to innovate in the world of self-driving cars.
A new report says that the self-driving car revolution will arrive quicker than most people think, and it will save people a significant amount of money year after year.
There has been a rapid increase in the number of news stories reporting drones almost colliding with civilian aircraft, usually due to an operator flying outside of the regulations. But is it really happening? It turns out that “drones” as a term, may be being used too freely when reporting these near misses.
On 13th June, United States senators Bill Nelson, Gary Peters, and John Thune announced the six principles that they intend to use as a foundation when drafting new legislation. This announcement arrives ahead of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing.
A May 19 meeting convened by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) confirmed there is broad-based support among key stakeholders from the private and public sectors for ANSI to establish an Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Standardization Collaborative (UASSC).
The Trump Administration is requesting that the federal government be given the powers to track, hack, and destroy any type of drone in the country. In a document submitted to Congress, it is framed as an exception to the current laws that govern surveillance, computer privacy, and aircraft protection.
Texas and Connecticut have passed bills in the state senate that will allow testing of self-driving cars to take place on their roads.
A federal appeals court has ruled against the FAA in a case concerning its registration program of drones, giving hobbyists a potential way out from regulation.
Taking autonomous flight to a new level, DARPA has developed a robotic co-pilot capable of flying and landing a Boeing 737 aircraft. With a vision for increased safety of flights through reducing the workload for the human crew, the ALIAS program showcases how robotics can integrate and assist humans in the workplace.
Apple has acquired Lattice Data for about $200 million, resulting in 20 of their engineers joining the Apple Team. Lattice Data uses AI to turn unstructured data into usable data.
Boeing is researching how best multiple, unmanned aircraft systems can work together safely.
Today, two of the largest companies involved in developing self-driving technologies will face off in court. Waymo, the autonomous vehicle division of Google, filed the suit in February, asserting that Uber had stolen its technology and was infringing on patents relating to its LiDAR systems.
Uber broke new ground in August 2016 by offering a new form of ride-sharing service in Pittsburgh. Certain users requesting a ride will be randomly selected to receive a free ride in one of the company’s brand new SUVs with no human driver, making Uber the first company to offer self-driving taxi services. However, Bryan Casey, writing in the September 2016 Stanford Law Review, has identified a potential loophole that Uber’s new cars may not be able to negotiate.
Waymo, Google’s driverless car company, has created a free “early rider” programme in Phoenix, Arizona, offering free rides to families and commuters in the city.
An extract from a paper by Messrs Andres F. Salazar-Gomez, Joseph DelPreto, Stephanie Gil, Frank H. Guenther, and Daniela Rus from the MIT Distributed Robotics Lab in the US.
In the Grand Canyon this week, drones have been deployed by the national park in an effort to find two hikers who disappeared at the bottom of the canyon. It is the most extensive use of drones in a search-and-rescue mission for the National Park Service.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has established new airspace restrictions over 133 military facilities, in an attempt to address security concerns about unauthorised UAV use.
DJI has released a white paper outlining their proposal for an electronic identification framework for small drones. Under the suggested system, access to the identification of UAV owners would be granted to law enforcement agencies while still respecting their right to privacy.
In the US, Georgia is fighting to establish control over drone laws on the local and state level by passing House Bill 481.