Platform One

VW details its self-driving ID.Buzz shuttle

Volkswagen has detailed the technology in its self-driving shuttle, based on the ID.Buzz platform. The ID.Buzz AD has been developed from the ground up for autonomous operation by VW’s autonomous driving subsidiary MOIA, and has been tested on public roads...

Platform One

Micro air vehicle flies at high speed

University engineers in China have developed an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) that emulates the flight capabilities of birds more closely than ever before. The Safety-Assured High-Speed Aerial Robot (SUPER) UAV is capable of flying at speeds exceeding...

Platform One

FMCW laser is smaller than a penny

University teams in the US have developed a laser sensor device that is smaller than a penny for improved Lidar systems in self-driving cars. At the time of writing, optical metrology requires bulky and expensive equipment to achieve delicate...

Platform One

Energy optimisation for UAV swarms

Researchers in Europe have developed a decentralised auction-based system for the energy management of swarms of delivery uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) that has shown some counterintuitive results. The researchers, led by Prof Roderich Groß...

Platform One

SIRTAP UAS completes assembly

Airbus has completed the assembly of its first SIRTAP prototype tactical UAS in Spain. The aircraft is ready to start ground tests at the Airbus Defence and Space facilities in Getafe, Spain. These tests will cover structural evaluations, main-systems...

Platform One

6G load balancing for autonomous driving

A research group has developed a traffic management system for 6G networks that can be used for self-driving vehicles, writes Nick Flaherty. The Integrated Network-Computing Load Balancing (INCL Balancing) simulator is optimised for next-generation 6G services, and is the first to integrate network and computational resources in an autonomous driving environment.

Platform One

UAV as a lightning rod

Japanese telecom company NTT has developed a system where a UAV can trigger lightning to protect cities and infrastructure. The successful UAV-based lightning triggering and guidance experiment uses electric field fluctuations...

Platform One

Self-supervised AI stack for off-road autonomous vehicles

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh (USA) have developed an AI system for training off-road autonomous vehicles. Successfully navigating off-road terrain requires a vehicle that can interpret its surroundings in real time...

Platform One

Giant robot for construction

RIC Robotics is developing a 20 ft tall autonomous construction robot called Zyrex. The ‘giantroid’ is designed to be cognitive and, ultimately, fully autonomous, capable of executing complex and delicate tasks across commercial and industrial...

Platform One

Networked radar for airspace monitoring

Researchers in the US have developed a dynamic calibration technique that allows a network of small radar systems to detect UAVs. Traditional large radar systems cannot effectively detect low-flying aircraft below 400 feet...