Most Read This Week: Pilotless Flying Taxi Takes Flight in Costa Rica

Here are the most-read stories in IoT World Today this week:

Flying Taxi Takes Demo Flight in Costa Rica; Pilotless

EHang Holdings, a Chinese electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle maker conducted a demonstration flight of its pilotless flying vehicle in Latin America.

A test flight of the EH216 electric aerial vehicle (EAV) was held at the Reserva Conchal Resort in Costa Rica, in a bid to promote advanced air mobility in the region and highlight the suitability of EAVs for aerial tourism.

The flight demonstration was organized by Bluenest by Globalvia, a vertiport networks manager, and a subsidiary of a private airport operator.

The EH216-S EAV previously received a standard airworthiness certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the first of its kind globally for an EAV.

Read more about the test flight >>>

Nvidia Launches Humanoid Robot Platform, Deployed in Disney Robots

Nvidia has launched Project Generalist Robot 00 Technology (GR00T), a general-purpose foundation model for humanoid robots, at its GTC AI conference in San Jose, California. 

GR00T will be used to power robots, allowing them to understand natural language and mimic human movements. 

Nvidia said the model will further its work in robotics and embodied AI. The company demonstrated its efficacy in Disney’s BDX robots.

Related:Most Read This Week: Flying Taxi Company Coming to U.S. Airports

The bipedal robots also use Nvidia’s Jetson and Isaac Sim platforms for locomotion and navigation capabilities.

Nvidia also announced significant upgrades to its Isaac robotics platform and unveiled a new computer, Jetson Thor, for humanoid robots, based on the Nvidia Thor system-on-a-chip (SoC). 

See the robots in action >>>

FCC Approves Cybersecurity Labeling Program for Smart Products

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved a new labeling program to identify smart products with robust cybersecurity standards.

Similar to the Energy Star rating given to home appliances, the Trust Mark label will appear as a shield logo on certified devices. 

The program will be a voluntary initiative for businesses producing consumer-facing smart devices, including baby monitors, smart TVs and security cameras. 

The FCC said the initiative will help consumers “make informed purchasing decisions, differentiate trustworthy products in the marketplace and create incentives for manufacturers to meet higher cybersecurity standards.” 

Read more about the program >>>

Waymo Launches Self-Driving Taxi Service in LA

Waymo has launched its self-driving taxi service to the public in Los Angeles.

The company confirmed the news in a blog post, where it stated that operations would officially begin on March 14.

The announcement comes after the California Public Utilities Commission gave the green light to an application from the company to expand its operating areas in the city earlier this month.

The fully autonomous ride-hailing service is launching across a 63-square mile area of the city stretching from Santa Monica to Downtown, including areas such as Century City, Westwood, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and Koreatown.

Initially, rides will be free, but Waymo says it intends to transition to a paid model soon. 

Read about the service >>>

Flying Taxis Going to Air Force Base in Tampa

Flying taxi company Joby Aviation will deliver two of its flying vehicles to the U.S. Air Force’s MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa.

The announcement is part of a $163 million contract Joby signed with the Department of Defense AFWERX Agility Prime program. 

The Air Force said it will begin training with the electric aerial vehicles at MacDill and in the surrounding area starting in 2025, with the flying vehicles expected to be used for testing for personnel transport, casualty evacuation and security force support.

“The early investment and vision by the U.S. government in this critical technology is proving foundational as we continue our path toward commercial passenger service,” said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby. 

Find out more about the deal >>>