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XPO Logistics pilots autonomous forklift truck technology in partnership with Balyo and Linde

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XPO Logistics, a global provider of transport and logistics solutions, has embarked on a new autonomous forklift truck technology pilot program in collaboration with Balyo, a specialist developer of robotics for goods handling equipment.

XPO is the first logistics company in Europe to test Balyo’s latest robotic “reach truck” – referring to its higher reach – under real-life conditions. The pilot is underway at an XPO distribution center near Blois, France.

Malcolm Wilson, XPO’s chief executive officer – Europe, says: “We’re pleased that our on-site tests will help optimize intelligent reach trucks for the logistics environment. As we pilot the robotics in our operations, we’re also exploring these applications to increase efficiency for customers and to support our employees.” [Read more…] about XPO Logistics pilots autonomous forklift truck technology in partnership with Balyo and Linde

Giving airplanes new life with new cockpits

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Technology moves at a blistering pace, and what was modern and cool yesterday is outdated today.

That’s where UPS Airlines was with its Airbus A300 freighter aircraft fleet several years ago. The 52 wide-body “browntails,” with an average age of 18 years, have plenty of life left in them.

But the avionics in the cockpit needed a serious upgrade. The current flight management computers (FMC) used for navigation have just 200 kilobytes of storage. That was fine in 1983, when the A300-600 first flew, but nowhere near enough storage now. [Read more…] about Giving airplanes new life with new cockpits

Fabulos completes autonomous public transport pilot project in Greece

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An autonomous public transport pilot project in Greece, led by an Estonian consortium called the Future Automated Bus Urban Level Operation Systems (Fabulos), has now successfully ended. After two months and 1,930 km driven in the streets of the municipality of Lamia, nearly 400 people used autonomous bus “Iseauto”.

The bus has been developed in Estonia and offers a full-scale autonomous public transportation service in Lamia.

The autonomous minibus developed by AuveTech in Estonia is the first Level 4 category autonomous vehicle that has officially been declared “street-legal” in Greece. [Read more…] about Fabulos completes autonomous public transport pilot project in Greece

Lilium partners with Lufthansa to train pilots for its tiny plane

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Lilium, the Munich-based aviation company developing an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL) for regional air mobility, has agreed what it describes as “an industry-first partnership” with Lufthansa Aviation Training (LAT, part of the Lufthansa Group).

Together, Lilium and LAT will develop a tailor-made Pilot Sourcing and Training programme to qualify pilots to fly the Lilium Jet.

The first phase of this innovative program consists of an additional training certification for qualified commercial pilots. [Read more…] about Lilium partners with Lufthansa to train pilots for its tiny plane

Estonian company launches ‘first’ autonomous bus in Greece

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An autonomous bus named “Iseauto” has started its work in Greece, in the city of Lamia. The bus has been developed in Estonia and offers a full-scale autonomous service that was first piloted in the summer in Tallinn, in Ülemiste City.

For the first time in Greek history, a fully street-legal autonomous vehicle is operational in the context of an autonomous public transport pilot project led by Estonians.

The autonomous minibus developed by AuveTech in Estonia is the first “4th category” – or Level 4 – autonomous vehicle that has been pigeonholed “street-legal” in Greece. [Read more…] about Estonian company launches ‘first’ autonomous bus in Greece

The Future of Automation in the Aviation Industry

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Recent years have seen a considerable buzz build up around the prospect of automated transport. But in the aviation industry at least, this revolution has been going on for a while.

Every commercial flight, including those undertaken by private jets, takes place with some aspects being handled entirely by a computer.

As artificial intelligence becomes more sophisticated, it’s a near-certainty that a greater portion of piloting duties will be handed over to automated systems. [Read more…] about The Future of Automation in the Aviation Industry

Boeing to test self-flying plane technology next year

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Jason Clark, Vice President of Boeing 777 and 777X Operations, points to a model during a media tour of the 777 Wing Horizontal Build Line at Boeing's production facility in Everett, Washington, US. June 1, 2017. Reuters / Jason Redmond
Jason Clark, vice president of Boeing 777 and 777X operations, points to a model during a media tour of the 777 wing horizontal build line at Boeing’s production facility in Everett, Washington, US. June 1, 2017. Reuters / Jason Redmond

By Alwyn Scott, Reuters

Boeing is looking ahead to a brave new world where jetliners fly without pilots and aims to test some of the technology next year, the world’s biggest plane maker said in a briefing ahead of the Paris Airshow.

The idea may seem far-fetched but with self-flying drones available for less than $1,000, “the basic building blocks of the technology clearly are available”, said Mike Sinnett, Boeing’s vice president of product development.

Jetliners can already take off, cruise and land using their onboard flight computers and the number of pilots on a standard passenger plane has dropped to two from three over the years.  [Read more…] about Boeing to test self-flying plane technology next year