new The entry-level 3D design market was thrown into considerable turmoil last year when Autodesk changed the licensing terms for its flagship Fusion 360 package. Hobbyists who had been enjoying relatively unfettered access to the powerful suite chafed at the new restrictions, leaving many to threaten to jump ship, apparently without much thought given to the dearth of alternative products. That may be changing now that Dassault Systèmes has announced two new versions of SolidWorks aimed at the maker and student segments. The Makers offer is intended for hobbyists who want to design for benchtop manufacturing methods like 3D-printing. The Students offer is aimed at engineering and design students looking to gain experience with the tools they’ll be expected to have mastered by the time they enter the job market. It looks like the Makers offer will be at least partly contingent on the interest expressed by the community, so you might want to make your feeling know on the subject. If the Makers edition comes to pass in the second half of this year, it will likely target a $99/year price point. — Hackaday, 19h ago

new Contrails, the lines of clouds from high-flying aircraft that crisscross the skies, are familiar sights, but they may have an unseen effect on the planet – trapping heat in the atmosphere. Working with Boeing, and other partners, NASA researchers are collecting data to see how new, greener aviation fuels can help reduce the problem. — SciTechDaily, 1d ago

new The impending drone deal holds strategic importance for India and the United States. For India, acquiring these drones represents a significant enhancement of its defense capabilities, especially in border surveillance, counter-terrorism operations, and maritime security. The drones' long-range capabilities enable India to monitor vast and challenging terrains effectively, making them indispensable for safeguarding the nation's borders. — siliconindia, 1d ago

new From a vertiport standpoint, the existing heliport infrastructure can potentially support AAM; however, there is a need for purpose-built buildings for ease of public access and to account for the autonomy of UAVs. The character of the flow fields for different wind conditions around vertiports must be analyzed in ways like those conducted for heliports. — Connected World - IoT and Digital Transformation, 2d ago

new The now suspicious pilot contacted one of his colleagues at the local airport. The colleague had access to a surveillance/tracking software called an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B). This system relies on aircraft and airport vehicles to broadcast their identity, position and other relevant information from their onboard system. The pilot asked his colleague to identify a potential aeroplane that was flying over the airport at around 12,000 – 13,000 feet, while “doing squiggly lines.” The colleague could not confirm an aeroplane at that altitude, but did identify one at 10,000 feet. Confirming this elevation is important because it determines the difference between the formation of contrails and chemtrails. — sgtreport.com, 1d ago

new Nation-states that employ drones for gathering intelligence and as weapons of attack in armed conflict by and large have the capabilities to use these technologies within legal limits. There are notoriously grievous exceptions, such as Russia’s attacks on defenceless civilians in Ukraine. Over the two-plus decades since the 9/11 attacks, targeted killing by drones have taken dozens of al-Qaeda commanders, bomb makers, trainers, and operatives off the battlefield. Drone strikes have disrupted plots that would have targeted international aviation, transit systems, cities, and troops in the field. Arguably targeting a terrorist with a drone may cause fewer casualties than seeking to arrest him in hostile territory. — The Globe and Mail, 2d ago

new This myth (more of a misunderstanding) is extremely common among those who object to speed enforcement cameras. Red light and speed enforcement cameras are similar in that both capture a picture and video of the violation to include the license plate. These images and videos are reviewed by an empowered official who make a determination to issue a ticket or not. Red light cameras are deployed 24 hours a day year-round. Speed camera deployments are based on the circumstances of deployment; for instance, a speed camera in a school zone can enforce speeding during the specific times of the day when children are walking to and from school and during the instructional time the children are in school. Another deployment example would be a speed camera in a construction zone that is only enforcing the speed while the construction workers are actively working in the construction zone to ensure the safety of the workers and motoring public. Both are equally important to reduce fatalities for any safety program; however, the deployments are defined very differently. — Police1, 2d ago

new Israel is using AI to identify suspected Palestinian militants. If you were worried that governments would waste no time in weaponizing AI for use in modern warfare, listen to this. A story from The Guardian shows that Israel is currently using an AI program that it’s dubbed Habsora or, “The Gospel” to identify apparent militant targets within Palestine. The program is used to “produce targets at a fast pace” a statement posted to the Israeli Defense Forces website apparently reads, and sources told The Guardian that the program has helped the IDF to build a database of some 30,000 to 40,000 suspected militants. The outlet reports: “Systems such as the Gospel...[sources said] had played a critical role in building lists of individuals authorised to be assassinated.”... — Gizmodo, 2d ago

new At DSLRPros, we have been empowering organizations with cutting-edge drone technology since 2012. As an esteemed partner of police, fire departments, search and rescue teams, and various other sectors, our focus is on leveraging unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for diverse applications - from agricultural analysis to critical rescue missions. Our team of drone specialists is dedicated to equipping you with the best drone packages and training, ensuring your organization harnesses the full potential of professional drones. For expert advice and solutions, reach out to us at sales@DSLRPros.com. — DSLRPros, 2d ago

new Anduril’s Roadrunner-M variant is designed to rapidly identify, intercept, and destroy aerial threats that are up to 100 times more expensive. It can also be recovered and reused at almost zero cost. It is built to address threats that extend across legacy air defense echelons, thereby combating adversary attempts to design around gaps in current air defense architectures. — Inceptive Mind, 2d ago

new The sensor fusion market for automotive in Europe is anticipated to experience heightened demand, primarily driven by stringent safety regulations. The EU has set a targeted goal to reduce fatalities and injuries by 50% by the year 2030. As part of this strategic initiative, the EU has mandated the inclusion of major safety features, including lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking, and drowsiness and attention detection, in new vehicles. These regulations came into effect in July 2022, reflecting a comprehensive approach to enhance automotive safety. Several European countries, including Germany, France, and the UK, have already granted approval for the utilization of automated vehicles on specific roadways. Notably, Germany took a pioneering step in July 2021 by enacting the Autonomous Driving Act, positioning itself as the first country globally to permit sensor fusion-based level 4 automated vehicles to operate on public roads without the requirement for a human driver as a backup control. In 2015, the French government declared its intention to mandate the installation of automatic emergency braking (AEB) and lane departure warning (LDW) systems in all new heavy trucks, contributing to an increased demand for safety systems within the country. Furthermore, the support from OEMs and the burgeoning presence of numerous startups dedicated to the development of sensor fusion technology are expected to be pivotal factors propelling market growth in the European region. — marketsandmarkets.com, 2d ago

new Vegetation distribution in the Alps is directly related to geomorphic processes, water availability, plant dispersal modes (eg animals, wind) and indirectly to human activity from agriculture to leisure, and tourism. Nevertheless, recent warming trends have begun to affect the limits and spatial structure of vegetation colonies in the Alps thereby threatening existing ecosystems in the upper altitudes. While these changes can be monitored locally, a region-wide characterization is needed to accurately model and forecast potential change scenarios. To address this need broad scale species distributions are required, accurately linking in-situ observations with Earth observation (EO) data. — EPFL, 2d ago

new CASA CEO and Director of Aviation Safety Pip Spence said ensuring the safety of passengers in commercial aircraft was a priority for the safety authority. “TAWS is a valuable safety tool that has been shown to prevent accidents involving collisions with terrain,” Spence said. ‘Widening the number of aircraft required to be fitted with the technology is in keeping with CASA’s mandate to protect Australia’s strong safety reputation. It complements existing safeguards that include ramp checks, audits and other surveillance measures.”... — Asian Aviation, 2d ago

new Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FKIE are now looking to close a gap in the provision of disaster management services with a new technology: In the future, drones equipped with microphone arrays will be able to precisely locate cries for help and other acoustic signals from victims from the air and supply information about their location to the rescue teams. This significantly increases the chances of a rapid rescue for victims who cannot be spotted by camera. — techxplore.com, 2d ago

new The satellites, which benefit from Airbus’ heritage of the highly reliable Eurostar series of telecommunications satellites, will also incorporate six (rather than four) enhanced atomic clocks as well as inter-satellite links, enabling them to communicate and cross-check with one another. This is intended to offer decimetre-scale precision positioning for users around the world. They will be controllable with an increased data rate to and from the ground and equipped with advanced jamming and spoofing protection mechanisms to safeguard Galileo signals. The spacecraft will operate in orbit for 15 years. — Asian Aviation, 2d ago

new Quatro++ is a highly effective global registration framework for LiDAR SLAM that addresses issues of sparsity and degeneracy. It achieves this by utilizing ground segmentation to enhance robust registration, particularly for ground vehicles. One key feature that sets Quatro++ apart is its use of a quasi-SO estimation with ground segmentation. Experimental results on the KITTI dataset have demonstrated that Quatro++ can significantly enhance translation and rotation accuracy in loop closing, and it has also been shown to be applicable in INS systems by compensating for roll and pitch angles. — MarkTechPost, 2d ago

new Among the nearly 15,000 bombs and 57,000 artillery shells delivered to the Israeli military following Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, the United States has also transferred 100 BLU-109 bunker buster bombs, media reported, citing US officials. The BLU-109 bomb, created to cause maximum damage, carries a 2,000-pound warhead capable of penetrating concrete shelters, it was reported. Israel could use such bunker buster bombs to penetrate Hamas’ vast network of underground tunnels and installations. However, several security analysts have pointed out that the delivery of such bombs to Israel is inconsistent with the calls made by senior US officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, to protect civilians and minimize human loss of life. Although there might be legitimate grounds to use the bunker buster bombs, there is a significant threat to civilians in and near major refugee camps inhabited by thousands of displaced Palestinians above the tunnels, the report said. Proceeding to use such bombs would require factoring in the potential harm to civilians, media reported. — Sputnik International, 2d ago

new This alarmingly high rate of incidents can be attributed to the growing number of PEDs and lithium batteries being brought on board, including e-cigarettes, power banks and battery-powered screwdrivers. In the LOKI-PED (Lithium batteries in pOrtable electronic devices—risK of fIre and smoke) project, researchers at Fraunhofer EMI and Fraunhofer IBP are collaborating with Airbus to investigate and assess the smoke and fire risks associated with lithium batteries in PEDs in cabins and cockpits. The project is supported by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and financed by the European Union's Horizon Europe program. — techxplore.com, 2d ago

new ...“It is an honor to be selected by the CAAI to provide UTM services across Israel,” said Eyal Zor, CEO and cofounder of Airwayz. “This license marks an important achievement, as it not only certifies us to offer U-Space services across the entirety of Israel officially, but it also gives us hands-on experience in managing real-time aerial pictures of drones, monitoring their traffic, scaling operations and achieving high commercialization in a real-life scenario.”... — Inside Unmanned Systems, 2d ago

new The researchers now intend to work with industry partners to develop the technique further and get it ready for series production. There are numerous applications in which drones can be used to apply coatings, ranging from ice protection for wind turbines and overhead lines in rail transport to building refurbishment—for example, repairing defects in render on parts of buildings that are difficult to reach. — techxplore.com, 2d ago