Archive for the 'Rise of the Machines' Category
Amazon’s Drone Delivery Fleet Hits Milestone with FAA Clearance
August 31st, 2020Via: Bloomberg: The Federal Aviation Administration designated Amazon Prime Air an “air carrier,” the company said Monday. That allows Amazon to begin its first commercial deliveries in the U.S. under a trial program, using the high-tech devices it unveiled for that purpose last year. Amazon and its competitors must still clear some imposing regulatory and […]
SpaceX Veterans Pass Milestone in Self-Flying Plane Race
August 26th, 2020Via: Bloomberg: Silicon Valley has been hard at work on the vexing challenge of autonomous cars. Now veterans of SpaceX and Tesla Inc. are announcing what they’ve been up to: a new startup working on self-flying planes for cargo. Reliable Robotics isn’t trying to invent a new kind of aircraft. The idea is to bring […]
Navy F/A-18 Squadron Commander’s Take On AI Repeatedly Beating Real Pilot In Dogfight
August 24th, 2020Via: Warzone: Everyone has an opinion when it comes to the stunning results of DARPA’s AlphaDogfight trials, now hear what the skipper of a fighter squadron thinks.
Mexican Drug Cartel Attacks City with Consumer-Grade Drones Packed with C-4
August 22nd, 2020Via: Daily Mail: Mexico’s fastest growing cartel has allegedly deployed drones packed with C4 explosives as it battles against armed residents for control over a city. For over a year now, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel has attempted to exert its influence on the western city of Tepalcatepec. However, a group of armed residents say […]
Heron Systems AI Defeats Elite U.S. Air Force Pilot in Simulated Dogfight
August 20th, 2020Final round: Via: Defense Daily: Heron Systems Inc. took first place in the third and final competition in DARPA’s AlphaDogfight trials (ADT) on Aug 20 between artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled F-16 simulators and U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps pilots. Founded in 1993, Heron is a small AI firm located near Patuxent Naval Air Station, […]
Google Speakers Are Listening to More Than Just Voice Commands
August 8th, 2020Via: Protocol: Last week, Reddit user Brazedowl received a curious notification on his phone: Google was telling him that a smoke detector in his home had gone off. Brazedowl, a teacher from North Carolina who goes by Drew in real life, knew about the smoke alarm — he was at home himself and had just […]
Unidentified Drones Flew in Restricted Airspace Above Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant
August 3rd, 2020Via: The WarZone: Less than a year ago… a bizarre and largely undisclosed incident involving a swarm of drones occurred on successive September evenings in 2019. The location? America’s most powerful nuclear plant, the Palo Verde Nuclear Generation Station situated roughly two dozen miles west of Phoenix, near Tonopah, Arizona. … This particular story starts […]
Airbus: Self-Flying Plane Just Completed Successful Taxi, Take-Off, and Landing Tests
July 27th, 2020When Boeing’s undocumented Magic-8 Ball failed: Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System: MCAS activated by input from only one of the airplane’s two angle of attack sensors, making the system susceptible to a single point of failure. It could not be instinctively disabled by pulling on the control yoke. During aircraft certification, Boeing removed a description of […]
Trump Eases Restrictions On Armed Drone Sales Abroad
July 25th, 2020Via: DefenseOne: The Trump administration is relaxing arms export restrictions, a move long sought by drone makers but one that critics say will provide little competitive edge to U.S. companies even as it alienates allies. U.S. drone makers have complained that regulations have allowed China to sell copycat dones to U.S. allies and partners. “We […]
New Lockheed CEO Says 5G Networks Key to Military Vehicle Autonomy
July 21st, 2020Absolutely unbelievable: Taiclet was head of American Tower Corp, a real estate investment trust that leases out cell tower space to communications companies. He became CEO of Lockheed in June. He was previously on its board of directors. Via: Reuters: James Taiclet, the new chief executive at Lockheed Martin the Pentagon’s largest weapons supplier, is […]
