The Industry Innovation Report
Autonomous Aviation System Aims For Pilot-Free Cargo Aircraft
A new frontier for autonomous flight appears to have been breached as Merlin, Inc. introduces its Merlin Pilot for Commercial Cargo AI-powered flight system that aims to eventually bring pilot-free flight to large cargo aircraft. In recent years we've seen autonomous...
NOAA Sends Autonomous Surface Vehicles Into Hurricanes To Study Rapid Intensification
Long-running partnership with Saildrone aims to improve hurricane forecasting and rapid intensification models. The company announced plans to deploy 10 Saildrone Explorer unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) during the 2026 hurricane season in partnership with National...
General Motors To Make Batteries For NASA’s New Manned Moon Rover
General Motors Co. will help develop batteries for new manned rovers to be driven by NASA astronauts on the moon. NASA awarded private space startup Lunar Outpost $220 million on Tuesday to build the Pegasus vehicle with help from GM, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co....
AI Automation Creates More Expert Work, Not Less
Every company racing to automate knowledge work is discovering the same uncomfortable paradox: the more tasks they hand to AI agents, the more human judgment they need to make those agents useful. Dan Shipper, CEO of Every, a media and AI research company that has...
Stellantis Partners With Wayve To Advance Autonomous Driving Solutions
Stellantis and Wayve announced a partnership that will enable scalable driver-assistance features and, eventually, autonomous self-driving vehicles. According to a recent joint press release, Stellantis will integrate Wayve’s artificial intelligence (AI) into its...
Waymo Pauses Freeway Rides In San Francisco, Los Angeles Over Safety
Waymo, the self-driving robotaxi company, is temporarily pausing its vehicles from operating on U.S. freeways, including in San Francisco and Los Angeles, to address safety concerns after reports emerged that the vehicles were operating unsafely. Within the last two...
Smart Mobility Today: 25 May 2026
Happy Memorial Day Everyone I am sure each of us has a friend or relative who has served in this country's armed forces, someone we can be grateful to for their choice to serve and protect. Many brave and frightened individuals gave their lives doing just that,...
Scientists Find A Hidden Route To The Moon That Saves Fuel
A lot of time and effort goes into planning routes for space missions. Researchers look for the most efficient path between planets and moons because spaceflight is expensive. Even small gains in efficiency can save millions. An international team of researchers say...
Public Transit Ridership Increases As Gas Prices Surge Past $4.50
Americans appear to be riding buses and trains more often as gas prices climb above $4.50 per gallon nationwide, with some of the biggest shifts showing up in places where mass transit is already a realistic alternative to driving. The increase follows...
What BUILD America 250 Means for Autonomous Trucking
The bipartisan, five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill released May 17 — the BUILD America 250 Act — included details on the typical investment programs for U.S. roads, bridges, rail transportation and motor carrier safety programs. For the first time,...
