Aerial Drone Delivery Service in Canberra

Dominos Pizza announced this delivery service concept back in 2016 and it is very interesting to see how it has progressed. Trials have been conducted in northern Canberra for over a year now and final approval was recently issued for this world-first drone delivery service. Cool robotics!

Full article at: ABC News 09apr19

ROV for NZ Marine Biosecurity

New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) is pioneering the use of ROVs for surveillance in high-risk locations (where there are high volumes of international vessel arrivals) for marine pest incursions. The ROVs are particularly useful where there is a risk of large predators, like leopard seals, sea lions and sharks, presenting dangers to divers.

Full article at: NIWA ROV for marine biosecurity

ROVs for Marine Research

ROVs have been used to conduct marine research for years now. Some excellent examples include:

Follow that Jellyfish

Engineers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) have designed an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to study and follow individual creatures in the ocean twilight zone for up to 2 days. The build team expanded to include engineers and scientists from WHOI, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), Stanford University, and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, with additional funding from the National Science Foundation. The Mesobot is expected to make its maiden plunge into the twilight zone mid-2019.

Full article at: WHOI OceanUs Magazine 12mar19
WHOI Mesobot