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UAV is a heavy lifter

Flowcopter, in Edinburgh, Scotland, is developing a UAV that can carry up to 160 kg. The 500 kg UAV uses Digital Displacement transmission technology that is much lighter, more robust and less costly than an equivalent electric transmission.

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Level 4 shuttle unveiled

Vehicle systems supplier ZF has developed an autonomous shuttle for SAE Level 4 operation. The shuttle was launched at the Consumer Electronics Show in the US in January, and is designed for autonomous driving in urban environments and mixed traffic, rather than segregated lanes.

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Fog-proof coating

An optical coating that combines anti-fogging and anti-reflective properties to boost the performance of Lidar systems and image sensors has been unveiled.

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White light for traffic?

Researchers in the US are proposing adding a fourth light to traffic lights for driverless cars. The idea, from transportation engineers at North Carolina State University, is that a ‘white light’ would enable autonomous vehicles to help control traffic flow, and let human drivers know what’s going on.

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Through the grapevine

An autonomous system for spraying grapevines is rolling out in the champagne and wine regions of France. The YV01 smart vineyard robot was developed by Yanmar with wine makers and the CIVC, the organisation that manages the production, distribution and promotion of champagne.

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Solid-state Lidars boost

Researchers in Japan have developed a new type of laser diode that can boost the performance of solid-state Lidar sensors. Photonic-Crystal Surface-Emitting Lasers (PCSELs) are built from two different types of materials with a large refractive index contrast, such as air and semiconductors.

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Real-world test model

AB Dynamics (ABD) has developed a pedestrian modelling system to improve the effectiveness of sensors in autonomous vehicles. ABD worked with Dynamic Research on the ‘Soft Pedestrian 360’ system to support tests for improved sensor perception and categorisation.

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Thruster lifespan tester

Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a technique that will help determine the lifetime of electric propulsion systems for autonomous space vehicles. The team used data from low-pressure chamber experiments and large-scale computations to develop a model...

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Air traffic optimiser

Rohde & Schwarz has designed a mounting adapter for installing its UHF wireless analyser on a medium-sized UAV. The R&S EVSD1000 VHF/UHF analyser is intended to work on a UAV to provide the accurate and reliable navigation required for optimising air traffic control.

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Rice counter crops up

Researchers in China and Singapore have developed an automated method of counting rice plants using UAVs. Rice is cultivated on nearly 162 million hectares of land worldwide.