Unmanned Systems Technology 011 | C-Astral Bramor ppX | IMUs | Autonomous farming | UAV Turbines UTP50R | London Show report | Advanced materials | Las Vegas Expo report

6 Mission-critical info for UST professionals Platform one December/January 2017 | Unmanned Systems Technology After successful initial trials in Singapore’s One-North business district, autonomous car developer nuTonomy is to begin public testing of its modified Renault Zoe cars in the USA (writes Rory Jackson). Tests started in December 2016 in a Boston park. As was the case during the vehicle’s Singapore trials, the Zoe will be testing at SAE compliance level 3, with a nuTonomy engineer present in the car to observe system performance and assume control if needed. Data patterns that are unique to the new location will be collected by nuTonomy’s test vehicles and engineers, building on similar collections of data gained through its public trials in Singapore. CEO of nuTonomy Karl Iagnemma said, “For its first tests on public roads in the USA, nuTonomy will be modifying its perception and decision-making software to adapt to the different roads, signs and landmarks – as well as the driving styles – found in Boston, Massachusetts, as compared to those in Singapore. We anticipate making additional changes for driving in snow and ice, weather conditions we do not encounter in Singapore.” The Zoe’s deep-learning algorithms will also begin to keep track of the behaviour of Boston’s pedestrians and cyclists, and how they interact with drivers and each other across their particular environments. Unlike other driverless cars in development, which generally rely on GNSS for navigation and localisation, nuTonomy’s Zoe uses Lidar-generated 3D mapping. Embedded Lidar analysis software ‘recognises’ where the vehicle is located by comparing incoming readings with a pre-existing model of city streets, avoiding the problem of potential GNSS failures. Driverless vehicles Autonomous cab in USA trials Initial tests of the nuTonomy car will focus on the landmarks and driving styles in Boston