Northwest Aerospace News October | November Issue No. 23 | Page 49

WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
The U . S . Navy has partnered with the University of Washington to enhance Unmanned Undersea Vehicle technology research . This initiative is a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement , or CRADA , which allows technology sharing between Navy and non-Navy collaborators .
The partnership between the Applied Physics Laboratory ( APL ) at the University of Washington and NUWC Keyport leverages the UUV ( unmanned undersea vehicle ) concept , a center for collaborative technology advancement and fleet support at Keyport , Washington . The program helps to engage research-level analyses addressing current and emerging undersea warfare operational challenges , such as UUV sensors , autonomy and obstacle avoidance .
PACCAR , based in Bellevue , Washington , is a global leader in the design , manufacture and customer support of high-quality premium trucks . They recently announced an investment with special purpose acquisition company Reinvent Technology Partners to enable a wide range of vehicles , delivery services and mobility firms to achieve Level 4 autonomous driving , which means human interaction is not needed when the vehicles are on the road . Self-driving technology company , Aurora , will integrate this technology inside of Class 8 Volvo and PACCAR trucks by late 2023 .
With input from industry and education partners , the Council is working with the Department of Commerce ’ s Marketing Services division to launch a new website – http :// www . usicwashington . org . This website will provide opportunities to communicate meetings and events , highlight industry and partner organizations , and provide a forum for community members . The site will also be utilized as a global marketing tool to bring additional unmanned and autonomous companies and systems to the state . The site is planned for launch in September 2021 .
Please contact Robin Toth at robin . toth @ commerce . wa . gov or Bob Griffiths at bob . griffiths @ aerogene . com to learn more about USIC and to join the group . Meetings are generally held in March , June , September and December .
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