Platform One

GNSS-resilient autonomous UAV landing

A consortium in the UK has developed a positioning system for safer autonomous UAV landing on ships. The system developed by Omnisense and 42 Technology (42T) uses a ground-based ultra-wideband (UWB) positioning technology...

Platform One

Boosting lift for Martian helicopters

Researchers in the US are testing a new type of propeller for the next-generation Mars helicopter. The tests at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California took place in a special chamber that can simulate environmental...

Platform One

Volvo’s virtual technology is moving mountains

Integration of the autonomous software stack with vehicle dynamics is key for mining equipment. Autonomy cannot be treated as a software layer added on top of any vehicle, but it has to be built on a deep understanding of vehicle...

Platform One

New antenna boosts underwater comms

Researchers in the US have created a new magnetic antenna to boost underwater communications. BlueME is a compact magnetoelectric (ME) antenna system designed specifically for underwater communication...

Platform One

Development platform for autonomous mobile robots

A reference platform aims to accelerate the development of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). The platform has been developed by eInfoChips, the engineering services subsidiary of distributor Arrow Electronics, using components...

Platform One

Sensor specification for driverless vehicles

Rideshare platform Lyft is establishing specifications for the sensors on the driverless vehicles it plans to use, which will impact the design of systems. The specification covers multiple sensors that include cameras, radar and Lidar...

Platform One

Miniature pump with a big heart

A tiny pump capable of powering a tiny robot butterfly has been developed by researchers in the UK. The liquid-metal magnetohydrodynamic (LIMA) pump weighs just 0.2 g and runs at less than 0.1 V, yet has the potential to...

Platform One

New materials for boosting communications in vehicles

Researchers in China have developed a transparent metamaterial that can boost the transmission of data from a vehicle. Vehicles are a complex electromagnetic environment with occlusion from metal body frames, seats, headrests...

Platform One

AI controller for aerial microrobots

An AI controller has been developed to drive aerial microrobots with speed and agility similar to real insects. The controller, developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), allows the robots to perform gymnastic...

Platform One

Low-power sensor for automotive radar systems

Development work in the US has produced a low-power millimetre-band radar sensor that can provide radar-equipped autonomous vehicles with critical inputs about surrounding traffic without adding additional communications overhead...