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Blog: Unmanned Systems

Is LiDAR Necessary for Autonomous Vehicles?

A reader asks an expert how self-driving cars can operate without LiDAR.

Special Reports: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Aerospace & Defense Sensing - April 2022

Designing the connected battlespace of the future...mobile robots that detect and alert soldiers to dangers in real time...'electronic skin' sensors capable of mimicking the dynamic process of human...

INSIDER: Photonics/Optics

Lunar Flashlight to Search for Water on the Moon

When thirsty residents of a permanent community on the Moon take a swig of fresh water brought in from the lunar south pole, they’ll be enjoying the benefits of a 30-pound spacecraft known...

Special Reports: Robotics, Automation & Control

Unmanned Systems - March 2022

Powering better battlefield drones...autonomous quadcopters that fly aerobatic maneuvers...a breakthrough in compact UAV satellite communications technology. Read about these and other advances in air, ground, and...

Application Briefs: RF & Microwave Electronics

Artificial Intelligence in Cars — Inside the Brains

Learn the internal functioning of an AI processor that pulls from a variety of sensors, including radar, lidar, sonar, and cameras.

Application Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Time of Flight vs. FMCW LiDAR Systems

An expert compares Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) LiDAR systems with Time of Flight tech.

INSIDER: Aerospace

Flying Robots, the Size of Insects, Have Flapping Wings

This new advance could pave the way for smaller, lighter, and more effective micro flying robots for environmental monitoring, search and rescue, and deployment in hazardous...

INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control

Artificial Intelligence Guides Drones to Navigate Oceans

Engineers at Caltech, ETH Zurich, and Harvard are developing artificial intelligence (AI) that will allow autonomous drones to use ocean currents to aid their navigation, rather than...

INSIDER: Aerospace

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle is Based on da Vinci Aerial Screw Design

In the fifteenth century, artist and engineer Leonardo da Vinci envisioned a craft that flew using a single helix-shaped propeller — the aerial screw — viewed by many as...

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Light Helps Autonomous Vehicles Better Scan for Nearby Fast-Moving Objects

Mechanical control and modulation of light on a silicon chip could enhance LiDAR.

Facility Focus: Electronics & Computers

Facility Focus: The Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Learn about the aviation, space, cybersecurity, and engineering achievements happening at Embry-Riddle.

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Giving Bug-Like Bots a Boost

A new fabrication technique helps improve the performance of flying micro-robots.

INSIDER: Unmanned Systems

Extending Quadcopter Flight Time — By Adding Wings

It might be tiny, but Peter Ryseck’s Mini QBIT offers hobbyists some serious fun — and could help foster new innovations in the field of unmanned aviation.

INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Stanford Engineers Create Perching Bird-Like Robot

Like snowflakes, no two branches are alike. They can differ in size, shape, and texture; some might be wet or moss-covered or bursting with offshoots. And yet birds can land on just about...

Question of the Week: Manned Systems

Will Autonomous Trucks Deliver Goods (In the Very-Near Future)?

Just last month, a truck developed by the California-based autonomous-vehicle company TuSimple completed an autonomous 80-mile run from Tucson to Phoenix.

INSIDER: Unmanned Systems

Testing Sensors in Fog to Make Future Transportation Safer

Self-flying drones and autonomous taxis that can safely operate in fog may sound futuristic, but new research at Sandia National Laboratories’ fog facility is bringing the future...

Products: Imaging

New Products

Fiber laser machinery, polishing pitch, beam collimators, and more.

5 Ws: Sensors/Data Acquisition

5 Ws of the Winged Flying Microchip

About the size of a grain of sand, the flying microchip (or microflier) does not have a motor or engine.

Briefs: Aerospace

Non-Destructive Evaluation of Structures Using Transient and Lock-in Thermography

Applications include avionics, data storage, process control, reconfigurable manufacturing lines, and civil and structural engineering.

Briefs: Transportation

Camera Captures Images of Interior of Solid Objects

The camera combines lasers, computers, and terahertz waves to see “unseen” details.

Briefs: RF & Microwave Electronics

Compact 3D LiDAR Imaging System

A silicon chip provides a low-cost solution to help machines see the world clearly.

Special Reports: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Adas/Connected Car - December 2021

Today's Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and connected cars are paving the way for tomorrow's automated vehicles. To help you keep pace with the latest technology developments, we present this...