Firm's early adoption of the emerging technology evolves to premier industry leadership position

PITTSBURGH, Sept. 12, 2019 — (PRNewswire) —   Michael Baker International^[1], a global leader in engineering, planning and consulting services, is today celebrating the 10^th anniversary of mapping the nation's infrastructure with the firm's Mobile LiDAR data solutions. LiDAR, which stands for light detection and ranging, is advanced laser technology employed by Michael Baker's collection systems that leverages dual, Class 1 (eye safe) lasers to capture more than 1.2 million topographical data points per second to engineering-grade accuracies, while progressive 360° spherical camera arrays capture digital images up to nine frames per second. Michael Baker's flexible mounting design enables easy transfer between SUVs, boats, trains and all-terrain vehicles to document natural and as-built conditions along our nation's critical infrastructure: roads, airfields, bridges, oil and gas pipelines, and aerial utilities.

"At Michael Baker, we are constantly looking for new ways to innovate and apply emerging technologies to our projects that benefit our clients. As an early adopter of Mobile LiDAR technology, we created one of the first offerings in the country," said Aaron Morris, LiDAR Services Director at Michael Baker. "In the past decade, we have grown from owning a single system to our current fleet of four...

Industry leaders will provide insights into key issues related to commercial drones

Las Vegas, NV – September 12, 2019 – More than 100 thought leaders in the commercial UAS industry will present at the 5^th annual Commercial UAV Expo Americas^[1] taking place October 28-30, 2019 at the Westgate Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Commercial UAV Expo Americas is the leading event for professionals integrating and operating UAS in key vertical markets. Event organizers anticipate more than 185 exhibitors and over 2,500 attendees. 

Attendees will hear from commercial drone visionaries at Airbus, FAA, FLIR, Facebook, Wing, and more. Among the dozens of new speakers confirmed for Commercial UAV Expo Americas 2019 are Seleta Reynolds (Los Angeles DoT), Suzanne Van Cooten (National Weather Service), Jarrett Larrow (FAA), Todd Graetz (BNSF Railway), and Sarah Kohlsmith (SunCor Energy). Speakers will discuss pressing issues in the commercial drone sphere, including UAM, UTM, Expanded Operations, Security, Remote ID and AI and provide critical insights into best practices and new developments in eight vertical industries.     

In addition to presentations and panel discussions in the main Conference Program^[2] and Exhibit Hall Theater^[3],...

London, 11 September 2019 – Airbus has won a design study from the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) to develop the technologies for a cluster of ultra-high-resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites for the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD). The satellites will also have the ability to collect radio frequency (RF) signals.

Called “Oberon” the project will see Airbus develop the technologies that could lead to an in-orbit demonstration in 2022 and potentially an operational capability as early as 2025. The innovative techniques and technologies developed within the project will allow the ground to be seen in outstanding detail regardless of darkness, or of cloudy weather conditions.

Colin Paynter, Managing Director of Airbus Defence and Space UK said: “Project Oberon builds on Airbus’ expertise in space radar technology developed over 40 years.  I look forward to seeing this study leading to a new world-class surveillance capability for the UK MOD, helping to protect our armed forces across the world.”

Gary Aitkenhead, Chief Executive of Dstl, said: “This addition to our capability is a valuable part of the future of Defence Space. Partnership between Dstl and Airbus on this project secures UK jobs as well as continuing to exploit advances in the UK space sector.”

Oberon follows the success of the SAR satellite, ...

Drone Delivery Demo Scheduled for September 11^th at Curiosity™ Lab at Peachtree Corners

CHICAGO — (BUSINESS WIRE) — September 11, 2019 — Valqari^[1], creator of the patented Smart Drone Delivery Mailbox and provider of last inch solutions for drone deliveries, has teamed up with Sprint to become the first smart mailbox to connect to their HTC 5G Hub^[2]. To showcase this cutting-edge advancement, Valqari’s technology will be demonstrated at the grand opening of Curiosity™ Lab at Peachtree Corners on September 11th. Located in Peachtree Corners, GA, this new, real-world testbed offers 5G connectivity powered by Sprint and a 1.5-mile autonomous vehicle test track which will be used for the Valqari test delivery.

The blazing-fast, high-capacity mobile speeds provided by Sprint’s 5G will be essential for making autonomous drone deliveries to smart mailboxes successful. Valqari’s Smart Drone Delivery Mailbox will use 5G LTE connectivity to ensure seamless communication with drones for a fully-automated delivery process while also providing a reliable, universal drone receptacle for package delivery and pick-up.

Ryan Walsh, CEO and co-founder of Valqari, said, “The advanced technology in our universal Smart Drone Delivery Mailbox provides everything from a full chain of...

HERZLIYA, Israel, Sept. 11, 2019 — (PRNewswire) — vHive^[1], the only software solution that enables enterprises to digitize their field assets and operations using autonomous drone hives, announced today a $5.5 million investment led by Octopus Ventures, with participation from existing investors StageOne Ventures and private investors. This funding will support vHive's mission to expand its customer base and accelerate growth as well as to further develop its technology leadership. Zoe Chambers, of Octopus Ventures has joined the Company's board of directors. 

Founded in 2016 by Yariv Geller and Tomer Daniel, vHive's mission is to be a trusted partner that enables enterprises to digitally transform by capturing data from the field and applying analytics to generate better actionable business insights. Using autonomous drone hives, enterprises drive their operational efficiencies and generate new revenue opportunities.

Since its seed investment, vHive has attracted Fortune 500 companies who use its software platform across a variety of industries and geographies. vHive has enabled its customers to conduct thousands of drone surveys in industries such as cell towers, construction, insurance and rail.

Yariv Geller, co-founder and CEO of vHive^[2] said: "Enterprises are using vHive's software to enable non-expert field employees to deploy autonomous off-the-shelf drones to digitize their...

Learn How a Drone-in-a-Box Can Improve Monitoring, Inspection, Surveying, Compliance, Safety and Security

September 12, 2019 --  Percepto^[1], the global market leader for autonomous industrial drone solutions, will be presenting at  Smart Mining 2.0^[2], to share how mining operations around the world are harnessing its multi-mission Drone-in-a-Box (DIB) solution to improve monitoring, inspection, security, safety and compliance. The event which focuses on transformational technologies in the mining sector takes place in Toronto on 19-20 September. 

Accessing essential data at a mining operation often involves personnel climbing on stockpiles with GPS equipment, 3D imaging and laser inspection, or hiring manned aircraft to fly over sites. The mining industry has been quick to recognize that drones offer a viable alternative to these costly and laborious processes. At Smart Mining 2.0, Percepto will demonstrate how the next generation of autonomous artificial intelligence powered DIB are able to collect, capture and analyze more data across more applications much faster, and at greatly reduced cost. 

Chief Commercial Officer & Co-Founder of Percepto, Ariel Avitan, explains: “Conducting site surveys, routine noise and dust pollution assessments, daily inventory and equipment checks, perimeter security patrols and production forecasts can all benefit greatly...

September 12, 2019 -- Juniper Systems is excited to introduce the next evolution of the Geode^™ Sub-meter GPS Receiver, the GNS2. This new release of the Geode now features connectivity with a range of iPhone and iPad devices providing you with an even more versatile and powerful tool. This is made possible by the Geode’s new MFi certification. The Geode GNS2 retains all the features of the original Geode while adding connectivity support for Apple^® devices. You can view a complete list of compatible Apple devices on our  blog^[1] or on our  website^[2].

Geode GNS2 Features:...

You can view the Geode GNS2 data sheet 

QUEBEC CITY, Sept. 10, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LeddarTech®, an industry leader in LiDAR technology who provides the most versatile and scalable auto and mobility LiDAR platform™ in the market, introduces the Leddar™ Pixell a 3D flash LiDAR powered by the LCA2 LeddarEngine , designed explicitly for autonomous vehicles.
^[1][2][3]

Leddar™ Pixell provides highly dependable detection of pedestrians, cyclists and other obstacles in the vehicle’s surroundings and is suitable for perception platforms that are developed to ensure the safety and protection of passengers and Vulnerable Road Users (VRU). The Leddar Pixell is  an optimal detection cocoon solution for autonomous vehicle deployment and has already been adopted by over a dozen leading autonomous vehicle providers in North America and Europe.

Key Leddar™ Pixell Benefits:^[4]

• Dependable object and VRU detection:

Full-coverage over 180° field of view No dead zones or blind spots

• Exceptional durability

3D Flash, solid-state design with no moving parts IP67 enclosure with impact-resistant windows and automotive-grade connectors

Watch the  Leddar™ Pixell video^[5]

The Leddar Pixell has been shortlisted for the ”Best in Class...