#Semi-Autonomous Vehicle

[leeb57555]

Automotive LiDAR Market Analysis by Trends, Size, Share, Growth Opportunities, and Emerging Technologies

LiDAR, short for Light Detection and Ranging, is a remote detection technology that powers laser light to calculate distances and make maps of the setting. It functions by releasing laser pulses and defining the elapsed time for them to reflect off matters and return to the sensor. This information is utilized to make 3D models of the environments. LiDAR technology discoveries applications in numerous industries, like geography, autonomous vehicles, meteorology, and geography.

Originally, a concept in the 1970s and developed in the 1980s, LiDAR technology was huge, luxurious, and ineffective during its initial stages. However, with technological improvements resulting in compact devices, LiDAR has become a more available and essential technology in numerous sectors, including autonomous vehicles.

How is LiDAR Used in Cars?

In cars, Lidar technology supports the car's sensors and recognizes its surroundings. The technology utilizes laser pulses to make 3D mappings of its atmosphere, such as objects like roads, buildings, and other vehicles. This data is then united with other information to guarantee safe navigation.

In effect, LiDAR tracks obstacles and cars to uphold safe distances. When utilizing this information, it is capable to recognize traffic signals, road signs, and road markings for real-time danger analysis. This technology is dominant in guaranteeing the safe and effective operation of autonomous vehicles.

Access Report Summary - Automotive LiDAR Market Segmentation Analysis Report

Types of LiDAR Sensors

Mechanical LiDAR

Mechanical LiDAR utilizes a spinning mirror to sweep the laser beam, meting out the returning laser pulses to generate a 3D map of the surroundings. It is often utilized in surveying, mapping, and robotics and offers high-resolution information. However, it might be bulkier and less reliable than other LiDAR kinds, like solid-state.

Solid-State LiDAR

Solid-State LiDAR employs a solid-state laser and photodetector for emitting and detecting laser pulses, making it a compact and reliable LiDAR sensing solution. The laser emits light pulses that bounce off objects and return to the photodetector, which calculates the elapsed time for the light to travel there and back. This information is utilized to generate a 3D map of the environment processed by the LiDAR computer. This type of LiDAR is often utilized in autonomous vehicles, robotics, and applications requiring real-time, precise environmental data.

FMCW LiDAR

Frequency-Modulated Continuous-Wave (FMCW) LiDAR utilizes a radar-based technique for calculating the distance and velocity of objects utilizing light. Unlike pulsed LiDAR systems that release short, high-power laser pulses, FMCW LiDAR uses a constant waveform that progressively surges in frequency over time.

This makes an interferogram that is utilized to determine the velocity and range of objects in the field of view. FMCW LiDAR provides benefits like a longer measurement range, improved resistance to interference, reduced environmental effect, and the simultaneous measurement of several objects. It is extensively utilized in autonomous cars, industrial automation, and applications that need detailed data regarding the environment.

Hybrid LiDAR

Hybrid LiDAR uses numerous technologies to offer a wide-ranging view of the environment. It utilizes the fortes of different technologies, like the above-mentioned, to make a more precise 3D map. This kind of lidar is commonly utilized in autonomous vehicles and applications that need detailed environmental information.

[anistarrose]

Trying to bully my brother out of using AI for math homework when there's at least, like, perfectly good online calculators that he could use instead if he wanted a cheap but reliable way out, but then I remembered he went to a career fair last year where he got told by A Person With A Job In The Industry that he should be using ChatGPT to write more code, so like. I think I might not be able to convince him on this one, and also might just stop trusting any technology designed since 2023 to do anything correctly or safely ever

[chetanagblog]

Semi-Autonomous and Autonomous Vehicles Market CAGR is expected to be 38.8% during the forecast period and the market size is expected to reach nearly US$ 602 Bn. by 2030.

[wigoutlet]

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[marketwire]

Semi-autonomous And Autonomous Vehicles Market - Forecast(2024 - 2030)

𝐒𝐞𝐦𝐢-𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐕𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 : 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐨 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 (𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧)

𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 @ https://bit.ly/3wyeIYp

𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 :

𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐕𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Continuous advancements in sensor technologies, artificial intelligence, and computing power are driving the development of semi-autonomous and autonomous vehicles. Manufacturers are integrating advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), such as adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, and automatic emergency braking, to enhance vehicle automation levels and improve safety.

𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐕𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬: The shift towards electric and connected vehicles is influencing the development of semi-autonomous and autonomous technologies. Electric vehicles (EVs) and connected vehicles provide a platform for the integration of autonomous features, such as predictive maintenance, remote diagnostics, and over-the-air updates, enhancing the overall driving experience and functionality of autonomous systems.

𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬: Governments worldwide are implementing regulations and standards to govern the deployment and operation of semi-autonomous and autonomous vehicles. Regulatory frameworks address safety, cybersecurity, data privacy, and liability issues associated with autonomous driving technology. Compliance with regulatory requirements is essential for the widespread adoption and acceptance of autonomous vehicles.

𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨 @ https://bit.ly/44HuVHb

𝐌𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐬 :

Humanetics | Alphawave Semi | Scientific Research Corporation | Autonomous Everything @ ZF | ZF Group | BMW Group | Continental | Navistar Inc | Daimler Truck AG | Delphi | Volkswagen Group | e& UAE | KPIT | Yandex | Tata Elxsi | FAW | Lucid Motors | Zoox | Cruise

#AutonomousVehicles #SelfDrivingCars #DriverlessTechnology #FutureMobility #ConnectedCars #SmartTransportation #UrbanMobility #AIinTransportation #AutomotiveInnovation #SafetyTechnology

[neha24blog]

Semi-Autonomous Vehicle Market Outlook On The Basis Of Level Of Automation, Vehicle Type, Region And Forecast To 2028: Grand View Research Inc.

San Francisco, 13 July 2023: The Report Semi-Autonomous Vehicle Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Level of Automation (Level 1, Level 2, Level 3), By Vehicle Type (Passenger Car, Commercial Vehicle), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2021 – 2028 The global semi-autonomous vehicle market demand is anticipated to reach 60.1 million units by 2028, exhibiting a CAGR of 20.8% over the…

[stevecarell600]

Future Scope of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Market Size Expects to See Significant Growth At CAGR 12.23% During Period 2020-2027 | Worth USD 25.13 Million

The globalunmanned aerial vehicle market is expected to gain momentum from the increasing advancements in the field of drones. They are capable of analyzing millions of images for enhancing the decision-making skills of the management in a wide range of industries.Fortune Business Insights™presented this information in a new report, titled, “Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Class (Small UAVs, Tactical UAVs, and Strategic UAVs), By Technology (Remotely Operated, Semi-autonomous, and Fully-autonomous), By System (UAV Airframe, UAV Payloads, UAV Avionics, UAV Propulsion, and UAV Software), By Application (Military, Commercial and Recreational), and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027.” The report further states that the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) market size wasUSD 10.72 billionin 2019 and is projected to reachUSD 25.13 billionby 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 12.23% during the forecast period.

Information Source:

Competitive Landscape-

Key Players Focus on Delivering Essentials via UAVs to Prevent Coronavirus Infection

The market is highly fragmented with the presence of a wide range of manufacturing companies all over the world. Some of them are presently focusing on delivering essentials through drones owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. The others are focusing on mergers and acquisitions with other local enterprises to strengthen their positions. Below are a couple of the latest industry developments:

June 2020: After Wing, a firm owned by Google parent Alphabet launched its new drone delivery service in Virginia, Kelly Passek became the first customer. She is a middle-school librarian who petitioned the company to deliver library books to help kids in reading and learning amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

September 2019: Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, a defense company based in Israel, successfully acquired Aeronautics Limited worth USD 240 million. This would help the latter to combine its expertise in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance with Rafael’s large network in the U.S. market.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has halted the operations of several companies. But, some of them have resumed their production processes by stringently following social distancing and low workforce measures. We will soon be able to overcome this situation with the discovery of a vaccine. Our report would provide detailed information about the effects of this pandemic on every market. You can gain business confidence by selecting the right strategy.

Drivers & Restraints-

Need to Avoid Physical Contact amidst COVID-19 to Skyrocket Demand

The effect of COVID-19 pandemic on the market is likely to remain moderate backed by the increasing usage of drones by the regulatory bodies worldwide to monitor public gatherings, thereby limiting direct physical contact. Antwork Inc., a China-based drone delivery company, for instance, provided medical supplies and reduced the involvement of humans by using drones. Also, in countries, such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, India, China, Russia, and France, UAVs are extensively being used to spray disinfectants on government buildings, emergency hospitals, and public healthcare infrastructure. However, the strict government norms and laws regarding the usage of airspace to eliminate accidental damages may hamper the unmanned aerial vehicle market growth in the coming years.

Segment-

Commercial Segment to Grow Rapidly Backed by Investment by Companies to Develop Air Taxi

In terms of application, the market is fragmented into commercial, residential, and military. Out of these, the commercial segment generated 4.6% in terms of unmanned aerial vehicle market share in 2019. This growth is attributable to the increasing usage of UAVs in logistics, forest monitoring, crop monitoring, aerial mapping, and surveying. Besides, industry giants, such as Uber and DHL Logistics are investing hefty amounts of money to develop Air Taxi and innovating air transportation, respectively. These factors would also contribute to the growth of this segment. 

Regional Analysis-

Increasing Usage of Drones in Military Applications to Spur Growth in North America

Geographically, in 2019, North America held USD 3.88 billion in terms of revenue. The region is anticipated to dominate during the forthcoming years owing to the rising usage of UAVs in several military applications. The U.S. houses a large number of renowned military UAVs manufacturers who are gaining a competitive edge by exporting their products to numerous countries worldwide.

Europe, on the other hand, is expected to grow moderately stoked by the high demand for navigation systems, avionics, software solutions, and cameras in the region. In Asia Pacific, the high demand for advanced warfare UAVs for tactical and strategic applications would affect the market growth positively in the near future. The major importers in this region are China, Pakistan, and India.

This Report Answers the Following Questions:

What are the market dynamics, drivers, and obstacles?

Which company will generate the largest revenue in the near future?

How will COVID-19 impact the sales of UAVs?

Which strategies are being adopted by companies to intensify competition?

[amalgamasreal]

So I don't know how people on this app feel about the shit-house that is TikTok but in the US right now the ban they're trying to implement on it is a complete red herring and it needs to be stopped.

They are quite literally trying to implement Patriot Act 2.0 with the RESTRICT Act and using TikTok and China to scare the American public into buying into it wholesale when this shit will change the face of the internet. Here are some excerpts from what the bill would cover on the Infrastructure side:

SEC. 5. Considerations.

(a) Priority information and communications technology areas.—In carrying out sections 3 and 4, the Secretary shall prioritize evaluation of— (1) information and communications technology products or services used by a party to a covered transaction in a sector designated as critical infrastructure in Policy Directive 21 (February 12, 2013; relating to critical infrastructure security and resilience);

(2) software, hardware, or any other product or service integral to telecommunications products and services, including— (A) wireless local area networks;

(B) mobile networks;

(C) satellite payloads;

(D) satellite operations and control;

(E) cable access points;

(F) wireline access points;

(G) core networking systems;

(H) long-, short-, and back-haul networks; or

(I) edge computer platforms;

(3) any software, hardware, or any other product or service integral to data hosting or computing service that uses, processes, or retains, or is expected to use, process, or retain, sensitive personal data with respect to greater than 1,000,000 persons in the United States at any point during the year period preceding the date on which the covered transaction is referred to the Secretary for review or the Secretary initiates review of the covered transaction, including— (A) internet hosting services;

(B) cloud-based or distributed computing and data storage;

(C) machine learning, predictive analytics, and data science products and services, including those involving the provision of services to assist a party utilize, manage, or maintain open-source software;

(D) managed services; and

(E) content delivery services;

(4) internet- or network-enabled sensors, webcams, end-point surveillance or monitoring devices, modems and home networking devices if greater than 1,000,000 units have been sold to persons in the United States at any point during the year period preceding the date on which the covered transaction is referred to the Secretary for review or the Secretary initiates review of the covered transaction;

(5) unmanned vehicles, including drones and other aerials systems, autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles, or any other product or service integral to the provision, maintenance, or management of such products or services;

(6) software designed or used primarily for connecting with and communicating via the internet that is in use by greater than 1,000,000 persons in the United States at any point during the year period preceding the date on which the covered transaction is referred to the Secretary for review or the Secretary initiates review of the covered transaction, including— (A) desktop applications;

(B) mobile applications;

(C) gaming applications;

(D) payment applications; or

(E) web-based applications; or

(7) information and communications technology products and services integral to— (A) artificial intelligence and machine learning;

(B) quantum key distribution;

(C) quantum communications;

(D) quantum computing;

(E) post-quantum cryptography;

(F) autonomous systems;

(G) advanced robotics;

(H) biotechnology;

(I) synthetic biology;

(J) computational biology; and

(K) e-commerce technology and services, including any electronic techniques for accomplishing business transactions, online retail, internet-enabled logistics, internet-enabled payment technology, and online marketplaces.

(b) Considerations relating to undue and unacceptable risks.—In determining whether a covered transaction poses an undue or unacceptable risk under section 3(a) or 4(a), the Secretary— (1) shall, as the Secretary determines appropriate and in consultation with appropriate agency heads, consider, where available— (A) any removal or exclusion order issued by the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of Defense, or the Director of National Intelligence pursuant to recommendations of the Federal Acquisition Security Council pursuant to section 1323 of title 41, United States Code;

(B) any order or license revocation issued by the Federal Communications Commission with respect to a transacting party, or any consent decree imposed by the Federal Trade Commission with respect to a transacting party;

(C) any relevant provision of the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation and the Federal Acquisition Regulation, and the respective supplements to those regulations;

(D) any actual or potential threats to the execution of a national critical function identified by the Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency;

(E) the nature, degree, and likelihood of consequence to the public and private sectors of the United States that would occur if vulnerabilities of the information and communications technologies services supply chain were to be exploited; and

(F) any other source of information that the Secretary determines appropriate; and

(2) may consider, where available, any relevant threat assessment or report prepared by the Director of National Intelligence completed or conducted at the request of the Secretary.

Look at that, does that look like it just covers the one app? NO! This would cover EVERYTHING that so much as LOOKS at the internet from the point this bill goes live.

It gets worse though, you wanna see what the penalties are?

(b) Civil penalties.—The Secretary may impose the following civil penalties on a person for each violation by that person of this Act or any regulation, order, direction, mitigation measure, prohibition, or other authorization issued under this Act: (1) A fine of not more than $250,000 or an amount that is twice the value of the transaction that is the basis of the violation with respect to which the penalty is imposed, whichever is greater. (2) Revocation of any mitigation measure or authorization issued under this Act to the person. (c) Criminal penalties.— (1) IN GENERAL.—A person who willfully commits, willfully attempts to commit, or willfully conspires to commit, or aids or abets in the commission of an unlawful act described in subsection (a) shall, upon conviction, be fined not more than $1,000,000, or if a natural person, may be imprisoned for not more than 20 years, or both. (2) CIVIL FORFEITURE.— (A) FORFEITURE.— (i) IN GENERAL.—Any property, real or personal, tangible or intangible, used or intended to be used, in any manner, to commit or facilitate a violation or attempted violation described in paragraph (1) shall be subject to forfeiture to the United States. (ii) PROCEEDS.—Any property, real or personal, tangible or intangible, constituting or traceable to the gross proceeds taken, obtained, or retained, in connection with or as a result of a violation or attempted violation described in paragraph (1) shall be subject to forfeiture to the United States. (B) PROCEDURE.—Seizures and forfeitures under this subsection shall be governed by the provisions of chapter 46 of title 18, United States Code, relating to civil forfeitures, except that such duties as are imposed on the Secretary of Treasury under the customs laws described in section 981(d) of title 18, United States Code, shall be performed by such officers, agents, and other persons as may be designated for that purpose by the Secretary of Homeland Security or the Attorney General. (3) CRIMINAL FORFEITURE.— (A) FORFEITURE.—Any person who is convicted under paragraph (1) shall, in addition to any other penalty, forfeit to the United States— (i) any property, real or personal, tangible or intangible, used or intended to be used, in any manner, to commit or facilitate the violation or attempted violation of paragraph (1); and (ii) any property, real or personal, tangible or intangible, constituting or traceable to the gross proceeds taken, obtained, or retained, in connection with or as a result of the violation. (B) PROCEDURE.—The criminal forfeiture of property under this paragraph, including any seizure and disposition of the property, and any related judicial proceeding, shall be governed by the provisions of section 413 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 853), except subsections (a) and (d) of that section.

You read that right, you could be fined up to A MILLION FUCKING DOLLARS for knowingly violating the restrict act, so all those people telling you to "just use a VPN" to keep using TikTok? Guess what? That falls under the criminal guidelines of this bill and they're giving you some horrible fucking advice.

Also, VPN's as a whole, if this bill passes, will take a goddamn nose dive in this country because they are another thing that will be covered in this bill.

They chose the perfect name for it, RESTRICT, because that's what it's going to do to our freedoms in this so called "land of the free".

Please, if you are a United States citizen of voting age reach out to your legislature and tell them you do not want this to pass and you will vote against them in the next primary if it does. This is a make or break moment for you if you're younger. Do not allow your generation to suffer a second Patriot Act like those of us that unfortunately allowed for the first one to happen.

And if you support this, I can only assume you're delusional or a paid shill, either way I hope you rot in whatever hell you believe in.

[mindblowingscience]

Australia's first lunar rover will be called "Roo-ver" following a public vote to name the space vehicle. The Australian Space Agency is building a semi-autonomous rover that will launch to the moon as early as 2026 in partnership with NASA and the agency's Artemis program. Roo-ver will collect lunar soil samples, from which NASA will attempt to extract oxygen — a key step toward establishing a sustainable human presence on the moon and producing rocket fuel to support future missions to Mars.  The name Roo-ver was chosen from more than 8,000 entries submitted to Australia's rover-naming competition. The shortlist of names — which included "Coolamon," "Kakirra," "Mateship" and "Roo-ver" — were subject to a public vote between Nov. 20 and Dec. 1, during which nearly 20,000 Australians voted on their favorite name. 

Continue Reading.

[materialsscienceandengineering]

New engineering approach could lead to widespread adoption of photonic chips in consumer electronics

Researchers from TMOS, the ARC Center of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems, have developed a new engineering approach to on-chip light sources that could lead to widespread adoption of photonic chips in consumer electronics. In research published today (Sept. 4) in Light: Science & Applications, the team from Australian National University and their collaborators at Northwestern Polytechnical University outline a method for growing high quality multi-quantum well nanowires made from semi-conductor materials indium gallium arsenide and indium phosphide. Optical transmission of information outperforms electrical transmission in terms of speed and efficiency, which is why the photonic chip industry has boomed in the past decade. These chips, also known as photonics integrated circuits, can now be found in telecommunication devices, autonomous vehicles, biosensors, and consumer devices such as mobile phones.

Read more.

[gasha40k]

At long last! It’s been a while since my last post, although I’m sure I could probably start every post by saying that. Warhammer has taken a back-burner position in my life for the past few months. I haven’t played a game of 40k since October! If I’m honest, this is primarily because of money. I’ll spare everyone the rant and say that 40k’s prohibitively expensive nature has become, well, prohibiting, I guess. But that being said, the fixation always returns. And return it has! In the last however-many-months since my last post, I’ve spent most of my 40k time playing Kill Team and avoiding finishing my reading of Angron: The Red Angel, but I’ve done a little bit of fun stuff on the side that I’d like to share.

First time using colored primer went pretty well! Certainly saved me a lot of time and Mephiston Red paint

Angron is progressing! Since my last post I’ve primed him and most of his subassemblies. I’m painting him sort of in half, with his left arm and wing detached, as well as his bronze armor plating. I’m doing this so that I can get in and color the backsides of his wings properly.

This guy has been a big challenge so far. A model this large is both imposing and resource-intensive, and I’ve done literally no painting as of recent, so I’m likely not going to finish him for a long while, but I’m excited for when I eventually do.

Formerly known as Urayen’s Reavers, the Eclipse Cavaliers are a band of opportunistic Aeldari Corsairs who all seek one thing and one thing alone: profit

Moving on. As I mentioned previously, I started playing Kill Team this year, and I gotta say, KT fucking rocks! The rules are super approachable and the small scale of the game allows for much more focused and cinematic battles. It’s also a lot quicker, which makes it much easier to get pickup games in, which means I can actually play some 40k sometimes nowadays.

These xenos boys are known as the Eclipse Cavaliers. They’re a band of scumbag Corsairs and my squad of choice. I’ve written a lot of backstory for these boys so as to texture my games a bit more for myself, so I’m gonna put all that stuff in another post where I can talk about these characters in a bit more detail.

The 2nd Company is lead by the boisterous Captain Zaraf Gorfried Redfale. They specialize in the utilization of heavy war implements, such as Gravis armor, tanks, and artillery vehicles

Now that we’re onto more conceptual subject matter, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about how the Thunderbearers actually function as a Chapter. Each Company of the Thunderbearers controls a massive warfleet—much larger than the average fleet of most Successor Chapters—and acts as a semi-autonomous fighting force in and of itself, with the ability to prosecute independent campaigns so long as they remain aligned and in accordance with the Chapter as a whole. The 1st Company is functionally the “core” of the Chapter, made up of the Chapter’s command fleet, veteran company, and portions of the 10th.

The 2nd Company is technically the first of the Chapter’s autonomous fighting forces, and they’re also the only Company for which I own a Captain (the big Gravis fucker who I show off pretty often). The 2nd Company’s culture can largely be sourced to that of a feudal desert world known as Manticore. As the 2nd Company makes up a good amount of the Chapter’s infantry regiments, I felt it necessary to give them their own heraldry.

The special heraldry on their armor pays respect to Manticore in a few different ways. First and foremost, the red armor is a visual homage to the cold, crimson dunes that cover Manticore, but secondarily, it is a holdover tradition that comes from Manticoran warrior culture, wherein it was standard practice to color one’s armor with any number of red pigments so as to camouflage themselves in the dunes. Over time, different colorations of red grew to signify different things, with the 2nd Company’s crimson and gold coming to represent wealth and nobility.

I think that having a squad or two with a splash of red will really make my Space Marines pop out a little bit, and will definitely add some variation into my annoyingly uniform army. I’m thinking of doing little streaks of red on a few of the vehicles, as well, which will make them stand out too.

Speaking of vehicles, the Thunderbearers have received some reinforcements!

This is a Ballistus Dreadnought that I got my hands on through a friend of mine who was selling his Astartes. I kitbashed him a little but tried not to overdo it with the baubles, since my Redemptor is a bit of a piece. Design-wise, I tried to make this a sort of “Primaris update” of one of my first models, Big Harold.

The Aurum Eternatus, one of the Chapter’s most sanctified relics, is a Venerable Dreadnought whose chassis contains the body of the previous fallen Chapter-Master

The thing that I like the most about the Venerable Dreadnought is the ornate look to it. It’s got a lot of trim and fancy panels everywhere and kind of looks like a church-mech.

This aesthetic choice is most noticeable in the lascannon, in my opinion. Combined with the gold trim, the cool indented archway designs on the side panel of the las sorta gives “Gothic castle wall.”

While I couldn’t really replicate the trim, I did use a bunch of bits from the Venerable Dreadnought kit to up the Gothic factor. There’s also a noticeable lack of purity seals on Big Harold, which was something that I absolutely had to remedy. There’s 7 seals! Now we’ve got a proper 7-times blessed Primaris-scale lascannon to snipe tanks with.

Harold has sort of fallen out of use in my lists recently because, uh, Venerable Dreadnoughts do not exist anymore. Awesome! The older Dreads just aren’t as good as Redemptors as well, so Harold has sort of retired to a more ritualistic position on the Chapter.

In his stead, though, we’ve got quite a few new additions to the army alongside our Ballistus. Not included here is another drop pod and a bunch of new infantry units.

Sternguard Veterans of the Thunderbearers 1st Company

Here’s one of ‘em! This is my first squad of Sternguard Veterans, but I’m in the process of building another. Like the Ballistus, these dudes are as of yet unnamed, but I like them quite a bit! To be critical, though, I think I overdid it with some of the bits, but I’m sure the silhouettes will look less obnoxious once they’re all painted and voluminous.

My favorite of the bunch is probably the Veteran Sergeant. His heroic pose and classic bits give “default Space Marine.” And the Veteran on the left is using a bit of a unique shoulder pad that may or may not be a cleansed and sanctified Chaos relic, which may or may not be a common practice in the Thunderbearers Reclusiam Cataegis.

Next post will include the Eclipse Cavaliers and a new Thunderbearers character guy.

[mariacallous]

Since it gained semi-autonomous status in 1992, Iraqi Kurdistan has largely charted its own course, separate from the federal government in Baghdad. But in recent months, increasingly organized federal authorities have attempted to impose greater control over the region. And ethnic and religious minorities are caught in the middle.

Since the start of the year, Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court has eliminated seats in the Kurdistan Parliament that had been reserved for Christians, Turkmens, and Armenians. The Ministry of Displacement and Migration also announced that remaining camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Kurdistan Region, which house tens of thousands of Yazidis and Sunni Arabs, must close by the end of July.

The Kurdistan Region’s image on the world stage has long been one of exception; Kurdish leaders have carefully cultivated a reputation that, “whereas in the rest of Iraq and the Middle East, minorities are prosecuted for being Yazidi or Christian … in the Kurdistan Region, they are protected, they are given a shelter,” said Shivan Fazil, a researcher at the Institute of Regional and International Studies, housed within the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani.

On Easter last year, the prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) cited a “culture of coexistence and unity between the different communities.” The frequently invoked line is a central plank of the KRG’s pitch for political support and economic development aid to foreign partners and donors, including the United States.

The situation on the ground was never as rosy as Kurdish officials claimed, however. The KRG “might claim coexistence, brotherhood, and peaceful living together, but none of this is true,” said Toma Khoshaba, an official with the Assyrian political party Sons of Mesopotamia. “We still feel a lot of bias and prejudice.” Christian communities, for example, regularly complain that their land is taken without compensation. Last year, Yazidis were subjected to attacks and abuse online after baseless rumors circulated on social media that a mosque had been burned in Sinjar.

Now, Baghdad’s steps to dismantle vehicles for minority representation and protection could imperil the KRG’s global stature—and leave minorities in the Kurdistan Region even more vulnerable to discrimination. These communities are caught in the middle of a larger shift in Iraq’s federal system that empowers Baghdad at the expense of the KRG in Erbil.

When the Kurdistan Parliament was set up in 1992, it included five seats specifically for Christians. In 2009, the body added five additional spots for Turkmens and one for Armenians. The 11 seats for minorities—out of 111 total in the last parliament—enabled the KRG to claim that its institutions reflected its diverse constituency.

In recent years, however, the reserved seats became more and more controversial. Critics alleged that the representatives acted as de facto representatives of the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which has been accused of being increasingly undemocratic. By subsuming state institutions under party authority, the KDP has co-opted some legislators within the minority communities and allegedly gamed the electoral system to ensure loyalists win the reserved seats. Minority communities also complained that open voting lists allowed KDP-affiliated security forces and KDP supporters to dilute authentic minority participation. Some activists, like Khoshaba, feel that voting on these lists should have been legally restricted to members of the minority communities rather than to all voters. Many felt that the MPs failed to stand up for the interests of their communities once elected.

The Kurdistan Region’s other parties argued that the system provided the KDP with an unfair advantage in parliament by giving the party an 11-seat head start. Seeking to capture some of those positions for itself, the KDP’s rival, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), in May 2023 filed a lawsuit in Baghdad challenging the Kurdistan Region’s electoral law.

This intra-Kurdish division gave the authorities in Baghdad an opening to exploit. In a bombshell Feb. 21 ruling that went beyond what the PUK sought, the Federal Supreme Court abolished the seats entirely. It did not outline a specific logic in its decision. While opponents of the KDP celebrated the decision, Christian and Turkmen parties felt as if they had lost, even if they harbored complicated views about how the reserved seats worked in practice.

“By eliminating the reserved seats, they are eliminating our ethnic rights and our votes,” Khoshaba told Foreign Policy. He had hoped the court would reform the system rather than scrap it.

The KDP reacted furiously to the court’s decision, writing on X that the verdict violated “the principles of federalism and the principle of separation of powers enshrined in the Iraqi constitution.” But many consider the KDP’s protests political because the party so clearly benefited from the minority representation system.

“We are not even able to select a cleaner to work in our schools because the KDP selects them. The Kurdish authorities must select them. We do not have the right to select a mukhtar for any of our villages or in any Assyrian area because they are always selected by the KDP and the Kurds,” Khoshaba said. “We want to have authority. We want to be in a real partnership and not just to live and be safe and practice out religion.”

The Kurdistan Parliament could still pass a new, better electoral law to ensure authentic minority representation in the future, Fazil told Foreign Policy. “If they genuinely care about representation of those minorities, they can still salvage something,” he said. Instead, the KDP chose to boycott new regional legislative elections slated for June 10 in reaction to the court’s decision.

Baghdad is playing a bigger game. The court’s ruling is consistent with a pattern of decisions by Iraq’s federal government that undermine the Kurdistan Region’s ability to manage its own political and economic affairs—and instead boost the fortunes of the country’s ruling Shiite Coordination Framework, which came to power in 2022 after the election of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani. It is made up of a range of Shiite parties, many with strong ties to Iran.

While the Coordination Framework includes many major parties, some important factions like the Sadrists are not present in the current cabinet. Both the KDP and PUK have ministerial posts, but their presence is the result of Iraq’s sectarian power-sharing system rather than a reflection of their ability to drive policy. Reducing Erbil’s ability to govern its own affairs is key to rebalancing federal power toward Baghdad and centralizing decision-making across all of Iraq.

Minority communities are also significantly affected by Sudani’s order to close the remaining IDP camps in the Kurdistan Region, most of which were established in the 2010s. In January, Iraq’s Ministry of Displacement and Migration set a deadline of July 30 for the facilities to cease operations. Baghdad is also providing monetary incentives to tempt displaced families to go back to their homes in federal-controlled territory.

Fazil said that the government’s campaign to close the camps is partially an effort to move past a period defined by the Islamic State, but there is a clear political dimension to the decision as well. IDPs are a rich source of votes at election time, with the next round of federal parliamentary polls expected in 2025. The closure policy will likely push many IDPs back into disputed territories where they can be integrated into political patronage networks. Most IDPs are vulnerable and can be threatened or incentivized into voting a certain way. When they are located in the Kurdistan Region, the KDP can exert greater influence over IDPs’ voting behavior than if they returned to the disputed areas.

Asaad Barjas was a teenager when the Islamic State attacked his hometown in the Yazidi district of Sinjar in August 2014. He and his family escaped the militant group and have lived in the Kabarto IDP camp in the Kurdistan Region’s Duhok governorate for the last nine years. Life is hard in the camp and, like many others, Barjas hopes to return to Sinjar. But his village of Tel Azer lacks basic services, adequate housing, and jobs.

In January, there were an estimated 161,000 IDPs living in the 22 camps currently operating in areas controlled by the KRG, according to statistics published by the International Organization for Migration. It is not clear from publicly available data how many of those in the camps are members of minority groups, but it is likely to be a high proportion given the IDPs’ places of origin. Almost 90 percent of those living in the camps are originally from Nineveh governorate, which includes diverse areas like Sinjar, Mosul, and the Nineveh Plains. Shabaks, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Yazidis, Kurds, Sunni and Shiite Arabs, Kaka’is, and Turkmens all call this area home.

“I think this is a political decision. If they really want people to return to their homes—it’s been 10 years—they could have done something about that earlier,” Barjas said. “This decision is not well-studied. It’s not right. It’s not the right time, and we don’t see it as something logical to do.”

International humanitarian actors and foreign governments are closely watching the camps’ impending closures. As part of a shift from emergency humanitarian assistance to development, they are also in the process of shifting programming for IDPs to the federal government and the KRG, who will be primarily responsible for providing services to this population once they leave the camps. Nevertheless, the question of what will happen to the IDPs and where they will go looms large.

The KRG’s Joint Crisis Coordination Centre, the local department in charge of the camps in the Kurdistan Region, did not return a request for comment.

Since November 2023, three camps have shut down in Sulaymaniyah governorate, which is run by the PUK. The most recent to close was the Tazade camp on March 19. But so far, no camps have ceased operations in areas where the KDP is in charge. Those facilities host 94 percent of the IDPs currently living in the Kurdistan Region’s camps. The Ministry of Displacement and Migration has filed a lawsuit to force the KRG to act.

“The federal government is pressuring the KRG, and the decision to push the IDPs to return is part of a broader campaign to reduce the KRG’s authority,” Fazil said.

But it is minority groups that will suffer amid this escalating conflict between Iraq’s federal government and the Kurdistan Region. “As long as this minority-majority mindset continues, we are going to be continuously persecuted,” Khoshaba said. “We will not have a bright future here and everyone will leave.”

[darkmaga-retard]

Troops from the US-led international coalition have returned to the K-1 military base in the oil-rich Iraqi city of Kirkuk for the first time since 2020, The New Arab (TNA) reported on 6 August.

An informed Kurdish source told TNA, “The force, comprising about 40 soldiers and 10 to 15 US-made armored Hummer vehicles, was sent from Erbil and deployed at the K-1 military base.”

The US-led coalition did not respond to requests for comment.

The reason for the new US deployment of troops to Kirkuk after four years is unclear.

The source suggested that it may be a response to increased ISIS activities in the disputed province, which leaders of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) have long wished to annex to the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq (IKR).

Another source, also speaking on condition of secrecy, told TNA that ISIS has recently resumed its insurgency in and around the Diyala province in eastern Iraq.

The Iraqi armed forces have increased security along the country’s western border with Syria following the release of hundreds of ISIS fighters from prison camps controlled by the US-backed and Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

In mid-July, authorities from the SDF-controlled Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) issued a general amnesty that has so far secured the release of over 1,500 Syrian ISIS fighters convicted of terrorism-related offenses, provided they “did not participate directly in combat” against the SDF.

[kaxenart]

"The AI does half the driving"

"Yeah, but the car AI doesn't fuck"

"FUCK HOW?!"

The mech's official designation is "Semi-Autonomous Bipedal Assault Vehicle" and SABAV for short.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from the New York Times:

Climate promises are hard to keep. Scotland is the latest, perhaps most surprising example.

Scotland, an early industrial power and coal-burning behemoth, was also an early adopter of an ambitious and legally binding government target to slow down climate change. It had promised to pare back its emissions of planet-heating greenhouse gases by 75 percent by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.

This week, its Net Zero minister, Màiri McAllan, said that goal was now “out of reach.” She said Scotland, which operates semi-autonomously from Britain, would scrap its annual targets for cutting emissions and instead review targets every five years.

That is a sharp contrast to the bullishness of the Scottish government in 2021, when diplomats from around the world gathered in Glasgow for international United Nations climate talks. At that time, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon called Scotland’s climate targets “not just amongst the most ambitious anywhere in the world — they are also amongst the toughest.”

The reversal shows how difficult it can be for governments to follow through on ambitious promises to slash emissions, despite the growing urgency to act as climate change rapidly warms the world and fuels extreme weather.

Emissions have already sharply fallen in Scotland. In 2021 they were 49 percent lower than they were in 1990. The problem is, that’s not fast enough to be on track with the government’s targets.