The competition is part of the Cuomo administration's high-tech economic development policy for central New York, where the state has established a 50-mile unmanned drone testing corridor between Syracuse and Rome.

In The News This Week is a page intended to keep my readers up to speed with anything new that I pickup online or offline that has to do with the robotic world that we are now entering very rapidly. Other pages of this website reviews a number robots that we are using on a daily basis in order to help make our lives easier, or as hobby, sport, or for professional purposes. If you would like to share your experience with any kind of robots you are using, or simply comment or ask questions, please feel free to do so at the bottom of any page or article. My latest article of "In The News This Week" starts from here. A house of 95 m2 / 1,022 sq ft has already been built thanks to this new technique. On the slab of freshly poured concrete, a robot moves on its wheels and makes work tirelessly with his articulated arm. He draws expansive foam cords one above the other to form a shuttering in which he then pour the concrete. This is how he manages to build perfectly insulated walls on each side at a bewildering speed. "It's been an hour and a half since the work began and the walls are already over 80 cm / 31 in. It is not a prototype, he pointed out, but a place that is meant to be useful. The 95 m2 / 1,022 sq ft house was finished by the end of that week and ready for the coming Christmas once the finishing work was completed. After being opened to the public, this T 5 will then be inhabited, a year later, by "traditional" tenants on the Nantes Métropole Habitat waiting list. "This house, which is already certified, says Benoit Furet, teacher-researcher at the University of Nantes at the heart of this project is called Yhnova.

Mountain Wave Search and Rescue has a new drone that can make a huge difference in saving lives. "We wanted to have something that would fly in more extreme conditions. We wanted to have better cameras, thermal imaging, and we wanted to be able to drop a payload if we needed to," said Russell Gubele, Co-founder of Mountain Wave Search and Rescue. "I geared this aircraft to basically be able to handle the heavier loads, to handle the flying conditions of faster winds, hotter or colder temperatures. Where some drones won't start up and fly, this guy will," said Lawrence Dennis, Co-founder of Aerial Technology International.

The Public Safety Department of Pittsburgh will be using two drones to help first responders reach where police and firefighters can't. The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV's) would be used to fight fires, in search and rescue operations, and even in active shooter situations. The UAV's equipped with high-definition camera and thermal imaging, would bring up some privacy concern for citizen. "It's much safer and much cheaper to use technology than put a police officer or firefighter in jeopardy," said Wendell Hissrich, Director of the Public Safety Department. "Considering the public safety, it won't be used as surveillance."

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) mentioned that they have been using drones for surveying data and traffic videos. "The maintenance team was very happy to have aerial video. It also is going to help from a standpoint of how much it costs. Flights using an airplane are more expensive than flying a drone," said Doug Nintzel, the agency spokesman. The ADOT's drone fleet is rising, and drones are also used for bridge inspections and geotechnical work.

Drones have never failed to impress us. Lately, drones were deployed and helped creating world's first 3-D thermal image of an active volcano. "Using high-precision cameras mounted to an aerial drone, we captured the volcano in hundreds of aerial photographs and bind them all together to create a 3D map of the volcano's surface," said John Howell, Professor of University of Aberdeen. "From there we can overlay the model with images from a thermal camera, allowing us to see the thermal structure of the volcano in 3D," he added. "Drone technology is moving so fast that we could have a system fully up and running in a few years," said John Howell.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has declared that it is expanding tests of an automated system that will ultimately provide near real-time processing of airspace authorization requests for unmanned aircraft (UAS) operators nationwide. Moreover, the drone approval to operate in commercial airspace is about to become easier and safer. The agency deployed the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) to evaluate the feasibility of a fully automated solution enabled by data sharing. Drone operators using LAANC can operate their UAV's in the controlled airspace near airports. Air traffic controllers will also be able to see where planned drone operations will take place. Additionally, LAANC will also make use of data streams containing other airspace information such as temporary flight restrictions and airspace data.

Last month, over 3,000 Google employees signed a letter taking a stand against Google's collusion with the United States' drone assassination program, which has killed and maimed tens of thousands of people throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Google employees demanded that the company end its participation in "Project Maven," a system of mass drone surveillance integrated with the US drone warfare program, declaring, "We believe that Google should not be in the business of war." It called for the adoption of a policy stating that "neither Google nor its contractors will ever build warfare technology." Google's collusion with the drone assassination program highlights the growing integration of the major technology companies with the US military, which, having declared a new era of "great-power competition" with Russia and China, sees pressing Silicon Valley into its war plans as the only way to regain its military power on the world stage. Just as ominous is Google's role in mass domestic surveillance and censorship.

Drone helped capture a stunning view of ice across the North Atlantic. The close-up drone video was taken by Andre Beyzaei, the climate hobbyist. "Usually you see a bit of sea-ice along the coasts and if you happen to fly the drone far enough, you may capture some icebergs much further away," says Beyzaei. "It's counterintuitive to most people, because it means you can have an increase in local ice hazards because of changing climate in high Arctic," said David Barber, Lead Author and University of Manitoba climate change scientist. The footage captured across the North Atlantic recorded the mesmerizing view of accumulating sea ice over Brighton, Newfoundland, but according to researchers, also serves as stark reminder of the impact of climate change.

According to a survey by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) they have found that 35 of 44 responding State Department of Transportation (DOTs) are using UAV's for varied purposes. According to March 2018 survey, 20 state DOTs have integrated drones into their daily functions. Other 15 state DOTs are in research phase. "This is another example of how state DOTs are advancing innovation to improve safety and productivity for the travelling public." Drones are being used to gather photos and videos of highway construction projects, pavement and bridge inspection, scientific research, pole inspections and traffic control and monitoring.