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Quantum Systems, the Munich-based manufacturer of dual-use reconnaissance drones that use multi-sensor technology to collect data for government agencies and commercial users, confirms for the first time the deployment of a previously unreleased AI sensor upgrade of the type “Receptor AI” in Ukraine. The new upgrade kit is based on a Jetson Orin Nvidia chip and several sensors for the Vector reconnaissance drone. The further development enables optical navigation during the day and at night and in poor visibility conditions, as well as automated AI-supported object recognition and identification. In times of electronic warfare, navigation is the biggest challenge for the use of drones.

“We are implementing the upgrade without any weight changes and with the same range. We are designing these adaptations without fundamental changes to the existing platform architecture,” says Daniel Kneifel, Director of Software Engineering at Quantum Systems.

“We are demonstrating that AI does not have to be an abstract topic, but offers tangible benefits in use. For Quantum Systems, the combination of hardware and software is crucial to being able to offer market-leading solutions in the field of aerial intelligence,” says Sven Kruck, CRO and Managing Director, Quantum Systems.

A University of Maryland spinoff firm, Wave Engine Corporation, has created a simpler, more affordable jet propulsion system for drones.

The digitally controlled modern-day pulsejet engine features no moving parts and claims to offer major improvements in the cost reduction and rapid production of future jet-powered aircraft.

Continue reading “Wave begins delivery of fire-spewing engine with no moving parts” »

Militaries have for years tinkered with armed drones, robo-dogs, mechanical mules and more.

Northrop Grumman has released a photo of the Series Hybrid Electric Propulsion AiRcraft Demonstration (SHEPARD) XRQ-73 stealth drone X-plane that it has built for DARPA and is expected to fly by the end of the year.

Part of DARPA’s X-Prime program, the XRQ-73A is a demonstrator prototype built by Northrop Grumman and Scaled Composites. The flying wing design is based on the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Great Horned Owl (GHO), an Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) program, which used a blended wing design and external ducted push propellers.

In contrast, the XRQ-73A is larger and stealthier. With a wingspan of well over 30 ft (9 m), it weighs in at 1,250 lb (567 kg) and can reach speeds of 250 kn (287 mph, 463 km/h) at an altitude of 18,000 ft (5,500 m) with a payload of 400 lb (180 kg).

In early 2023, following an international conference that included dialogue with China, the United States released a “Political Declaration on Responsible Military Use of Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy,” urging states to adopt sensible policies that include ensuring ultimate human control over nuclear weapons. Yet the notion of “human control” itself is hazier than it might seem. If humans authorized a future AI system to “stop an incoming nuclear attack,” how much discretion should it have over how to do so? The challenge is that an AI general enough to successfully thwart such an attack could also be used for offensive purposes.

We need to recognize the fact that AI technologies are inherently dual-use. This is true even of systems already deployed. For instance, the very same drone that delivers medication to a hospital that is inaccessible by road during a rainy season could later carry an explosive to that same hospital. Keep in mind that military operations have for more than a decade been using drones so precise that they can send a missile through a particular window that is literally on the other side of the earth from its operators.

We also have to think through whether we would really want our side to observe a lethal autonomous weapons (LAW) ban if hostile military forces are not doing so. What if an enemy nation sent an AI-controlled contingent of advanced war machines to threaten your security? Wouldn’t you want your side to have an even more intelligent capability to defeat them and keep you safe? This is the primary reason that the “Campaign to Stop Killer Robots” has failed to gain major traction. As of 2024, all major military powers have declined to endorse the campaign, with the notable exception of China, which did so in 2018 but later clarified that it supported a ban on only use, not development—although even this is likely more for strategic and political reasons than moral ones, as autonomous weapons used by the United States and its allies could disadvantage Beijing militarily.

Introducing the Qinglong humanoid robot with open-source AI, plus Tesla’s Optimus Gen 2 is shown for the first time ever in public. Meta HOT3D dataset is bringing robotic hands closer than ever before, plus China’s KLING is now available on a web app.

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Continue reading “China Demos New QINGLONG AI Robot with 43 DoF (2024 WORLD ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE CONFERENCE)” »

Tesla is preparing to start construction on its upcoming high-volume Semi factory in Nevada, as suggested by huge steel deliveries recently arriving to the site.

In a post on Sunday, X user HinrichsZane shared drone footage from the site of the upcoming Semi factory, which is being built as part of an expansion to Tesla’s existing Gigafactory in Sparks, Nevada. In the footage, you can see a massive amount of steel that was recently delivered to the site, suggesting that the company is nearing the start of construction on the long-awaited Semi factory.

You can see Hinrich’s full video below.

Enables both DLR researchers and external drone operators to quickly test and develop Unmanned Aircraft Systems in real-life operations, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) reports.

A compact, lightweight sensor system with infrared imaging capabilities developed by an international team of engineers could be easily fitted to a drone for remote crop monitoring.

This flat-optics technology has the potential to replace traditional optical lens applications for environmental sensing in a range of industries.

This innovation could result in cheaper groceries as farmers would be able to pinpoint which crops require irrigation, fertilization and pest control, instead of taking a one-size-fits-all approach, thereby potentially boosting their harvests.