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Next-generation Zipline P2 Zip drone comes with an adorable ‘droid’ sidekick
Zipline’s P2 Zip drone consists of two autonomous vehicles that will work in unison with one another to deliver packages that weigh up to 8 pounds.
Skydio's budget-friendly drone gets a battery and range boost
Skydio is updating its excellent 2+ drone with improved battery life and radio range.
Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony included a light display with 1,800 drones
The Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee saved one of the best spectacles for the end of the opening ceremony.
Alphabet's Wing brings its drone safety app to the US
Alphabet's Wing is launching its drone navigation app OpenSky in the US.
This drone tracks human screams (to save lives)
A team of researchers from Germany’s Fraunhofer FKIE institute has created a drone that can locate screaming humans.
Genesis broke a world record for the most drones in the sky
Hyundai's Genesis brand just broke a world record for the most drones airborne at the same time, putting 3,281 UAVs in the air for a publicity stunt.
NASA deploys Mars helicopter before its pioneering first flight
NASA's Perserverance rover has deployed the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars ahead of its historic first flight.
The drones that announced Joe Biden as the 46th president-elect
The drone air show business is not an easy one, only around two dozen such outfits exist worldwide. The company also keeps its drone manufacturing in-house with its M1 UAV. But for as complicated as the swarm’s movements are, the drones themselves possess virtually zero autonomy.
Sony launches Airpeak drone business to support 'video creators'
Today, the Japanese giant unveiled a project called Airpeak, which will “support the creativity of video creators to the fullest extent possible,” according to a cryptic press release. Which makes a lot of sense, given Sony’s expertise in the compact and full-frame mirrorless camera markets. If you’re a vlogger or independent filmmaker that already uses Sony gear, you might be tempted by a drone with similar technology.
Rural North Carolina residents will soon get their meds delivered by drone
Now they’re going to be buzzing through the skies of rural North Carolina thanks to a novel delivery service devised by drug-maker Merck and drone-maker Volansi. The plan is simple: use Volansi’s 7-foot long “Gemini” quadcopter to ferry packages of cold chain medicines — such as vaccines, glaucoma treatments, insulin, and asthma inhalers — from Merck’s Wilson, NC drug lab to the Vidant Healthplex-Wilson. This medical network serves more than 1.4 million people across 29 counties in eastern North Carolina.
Zipline will use its drones to deliver PPE to US healthcare workers
Drones will be used to deliver PPE to healthcare workers in North Carolina.
Drone deliveries are making their case in a crisis
It’s no surprise, then, that drone deliveries have taken so long to truly take off worldwide. Take Matternet. Matternet’s contributions could go even further. Matternet’s hospital payloads are given a similar wipe down. The uptick in Wing deliveries isn’t surprising.
NASA's Mars helicopter is ready for the red planet
NASA is done attaching the Mars helicopter to the Perseverance rover.
Bird-inspired wings could help small drones fly four times longer
Small drones seldom last more than half an hour in the air due to their inefficiency. They frequently have short, thick wings that help them survive wind gusts, but are terrible for range. However, scientists might have a way to make drones last: borrow another cue from nature. Researchers at Brown University and EPFL have developed a bird-inspired wing design that can deliver just under 3 hours of flight for a tiny 100g (3.5oz) drone, four times what you'd get from comparable fliers, without sacrificing stability. Effectively, it recognizes that common wisdom surrounding wings doesn't apply when the wingspan is a foot or less.
Watch the first flight of a drone with a microturbine engine
A company called UAV Turbines has successfully completed the inaugural flight of its Monarch 5 engine, which is essentially a tiny version of the engines you see on planes. The company says this marks "the first time a small-to-medium-sized drone has been powered by a turbine engine." UAV Turbines believes its technology can provide the military and commercial customers with a "reliable, efficient, safe, heavy-fuel propulsion system."
Bell’s self-flying cargo drone completes its first flight
Bell's multicopter UAV completed a successful first flight today at its testing site near Fort Worth, Texas. Known as the APT 70, the six by nine-foot vehicle has a range of 19 miles and can transport up to 70 pounds. The fully autonomous drone is designed to handle tasks that range from package delivery to the transport of medical supplies or food during a natural disaster.
FAA's new B4UFLY app makes it easier to know where drones are allowed
The FAA's free app that kept drone pilots aware of "no fly zones" performed a much-needed service -- but had few fans. The federal agency teamed up with drone software maker Kittyhawk to create a new version of the B4UFLY app that is being released today. The revamped app makes use of Kittyhawk's airspace controller, Dynamic Airspace, to manage real-time flight restrictions, authorizations and guidance.
MIT is testing drones that can switch between hovering and gliding
There are two types of drones: fixed-wing models that look like airplanes and multicopters that resemble hovering squares. A group of MIT scientists have designed a new platform that lets users combine the best of both worlds and create their own hybrid, fixed-wing drones. The end result is a drone that can both hover like a helicopter and glide like an airplane.
US Navy's next-gen helicopter drone is ready for service
It took a few years, but the US Navy's beefier Fire Scout helicopter drone is finally ready for action... more or less. The military branch has declared that Northrop Grumman's MQ-8C has reached "initial operational capability," or the minimum state it needs to enter service. The new, Bell 407-based variant is considerably larger than its 8B predecessor, but it's also more capable. The 8C can last roughly twice as long in the air at 12 hours on station, and carry roughly three times the payload -- 701lbs, to be exact. It also packs new radar with a larger field of view and more modes, including air-to-air targeting.
GoPro's replacement camera plan comes to the UK and Canada
GoPro is bringing its no-questions-asked device replacement guarantee to 25 more countries as part of its GoPro Plus subscription service, the company announced. Buyers in the UK, Canada, Australia, France, Germany could already get for the $5 per month service, which includes unlimited video and photo cloud storage, automatic content uploading and half-price accessories. Now, they'll also get a replacement guarantee that's handy for devices often used in extreme circumstances.

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