DroneDJ reported that Flirtey, a provider of drones and related technology, have worked with the city of Reno, NV to complete testing in a UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP) that will save lives. In the test, a lone Flirtey pilot controlled multiple Flirtey drones in the delivery of automated external defibrillators (see white package floating downward). The FAA had granted a private waiver to allow operation of multiple drones by a single pilot. President Trump had earlier endorsed the IPP program (see photo).

As the drone industry explodes in size, technology advances proliferate and acquisition costs for commercial drone service providers increase. In-flight failures become ever-more costly as drones and valuable payloads are lost. To enhance safety of bystanders on the ground and to minimize losses owing to point failures in complex drone systems, the Austrian company, Drone Rescue Systems (DRS), has developed an intelligent parachute rescue system for safe drone landings.

Project Wing completed the first long-distance, residential drone delivery in the United States. The drone provided an aerial delivery of ice cream and a Popsicle, a mere six minutes after a Wing technician confirmed the order through the company’s smartphone app.
The Smiths were part of a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration-approved test that for the first time allowed delivery flights over congested areas where people live, and ventured beyond the view of its operator on the ground. It was the most realistic public demonstration to date in the U.S. that people may someday get near instant purchases sent to their home by unmanned devices.

The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) is looking to create the nation’s only multi-domain distributed environment for integrated operational robotics experimentation and research. The Sea Land Air Military Research (SLAMR) Laboratory will consist of multiple robotics arenas (subsurface, surface, and aerial) within an enclosed netted structure. This facility will feature an enclosed UAV flying area, multiple pools for underwater testing, an operations center, workshop, and classroom facility.

CR4ISRNET stated that the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act allocates funding for nearly three times as many unmanned vehicles as in previous years. Most of the drones are reportedly smaller, less expensive models. The Pentagon also plans to invest nearly twice as much on drone countermeasures as it spent in 2018.

BBC.com news reported on a new rover design that will fetch “bottled” rock samples from a collection unit for transport back to earth, where scientists will analyze the specimens. The European Space Agency (ESA) has issued requests for proposals (RFPs) for bidding by contractors on the robot rover. The project has multiple phases over several years and is jointly supported by the ESA and NASA. The sample return gear will be sent to Mars to collect the samples in 2026. "It will be a relatively small rover - about 130kg; but the requirements are very demanding," said Ben Boyes who will lead the feasibility team at Airbus.

In a conventional Wankel engine, a delta-shaped piston with a triangular profile rotates in an “epitrochoid” (figure-8 shaped) combustion chamber. Historically, Wankel engines experienced significant temperature differences in adjacent parts of the engine, arguably a sign of somewhat inefficient fuel combustion.

The piston in the new LiquidPiston Wankel design takes on the epitrochoid shape, and three independent combustion chambers more evenly distribute combustion heat across the entire motor. These innovations increase engine efficiency. The new LiquidPiston Wankel configuration also has more efficient side-seals that reduce leakage where the rotating Wankel piston touches the walls of the combustion chamber. . LiquidPiston believes the new design will help manufacturers potentially double drone flight times.

LiquidPiston engineers hollowed out the inside of the rotary piston to introduce a new cooling system, and developed two versions: one water-cooled and the other, air-cooled. As the figure 8-shaped piston (see photos) rotates inside the engine, air or water is pumped through the rotary piston to evenly cool the system. Fins on the exterior of the engine case further cool the system by radiating heat into the air.

The AUVSI announced this week that the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) has awarded a “first-of-its kind” contract to Insitu, so that the company can provide fire suppression services within the contiguous 48 states and Alaska using its ScanEagle UAS. The UAS will help battle wildfires using geospatial mapping and full motion video. Through the contract, Insitu will support manned aerial operations for a variety of scenarios, including fire suppression, search and rescue, and emergency management, as needed on a “call when needed” basis.

The Black Hornet robotic helicopter is the size and weight of a parakeet, shoots live video day or night, can stay aloft for 25 minutes and has a top speed of 13 mph. Tested in 2016 and 2017 by Special Forces units, this tiny robotic spy in the sky may be more broadly issued to troops in the field.

Microsoft recently placed a data center deep in the Scottish sea to test cooling the system with ocean water. The project is named Natick. It is not the first such test; previously, in 2015, Microsoft tested a submerged data center off the California coast for 5 months.

C4ISRNET reported on an unmanned robot tank fielded by Russia that apparently was tested in Syria. The Uran-9 has a 30mm cannon on a top turret and a small tracked chassis. A Russian news release notes, “The defense ministry announced that the robotic Uran-6 complexes designed for mine clearance were well-proven in Syria, as well as Uran-9 multifunctional reconnaissance and fire support system.”