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The FAA will test drone detecting technologies in airports this year
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will soon be evaluating several drone detecting systems for airports, the agency has announced. It will be testing at least 10 technologies and systems developed not just to detect unmanned aerial systems, but also to mitigate the potential safety risks they pose. The tests are part of the agency’s Airport Unmanned Aircraft Systems Detection and Mitigation Research Program and are expected to begin later this year.
The US Air Force is preparing a human versus AI dogfight
The US Air Force wants to pit an autonomous fighter drone against a pilot.
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.
DJI's Mavic Air 2 offers 34 minutes of flight time and 48-megapixel photos
Well, it’s finally official: say hello to the Mavic Air 2. As the name suggests, it’s a sequel to the 2018’s Mavic Air — a drone I was very taken with. Much of DJI’s camera functionality comes from the numerous auto-shot and “smart” modes.
NASA's Mars helicopter is ready for the red planet
NASA is done attaching the Mars helicopter to the Perseverance rover.
UPS is developing quieter and more versatile delivery drones
USP has announced a new partnership with Wingcopter, a German aircraft manufacturer, to develop new types of delivery drones. The two companies will work together to certify Wingcopter's existing aircraft for use in commercial delivery flights in the US. They say certification is the first step toward developing drones that can complete a variety of delivery jobs.
Drones can navigate like bats using four mics and a speaker
Bats can find their way in the dark using echolocation, so why can't drones? Researchers have managed just that. They've developed a system that lets a drone navigate using just four microphones and a speaker. It relies on the familiar concept of measuring distance by generating echoes, but uses an algorithm based on communicative algebra that 'echosorts' to determine which distances represent given objects. It won't produce "ghost walls" that leave the drone afraid to move.
Drone network provides early warnings for natural disasters
Drones might soon deliver a heads-up when natural disasters are about to strike. Researchers have developed a communication system that uses a drone network to provide early warnings for disasters. The challenge wasn't so much the drone-to-drone communication as the battery life. Where a typical hobbyist drone rarely lasts more than half an hour in the air, a smarter resource allocation method helps this system lasts three to five longer while covering a large area. The drones can also form a WiFi hotspot that keeps people online when conventional infrastructure has fallen apart.
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.
Interior Department grounds Chinese-made drones
The reports were true: the Interior Department is grounding much of its drone fleet. It's issuing an order that bans flights for drones either made in China or with Chinese parts out of fear they could be used for spying purposes. That effectively grounds the entire fleet in principle. There will be exceptions for training as well as emergency situations like wildfire tracking and search and rescue, but day-to-day operations won't be feasible without drones made elsewhere.
Heathrow Airport installs anti-drone system that can locate UAV pilots
The UK knows first-hand how disruptive drones can be to major airports. Last March, it introduced legislation to widen the drone no-fly zone around airports to five kilometers. Now, to enforce the new rules, London's Heathrow Airport has installed a system to detect and identify unauthorized UAVs.
US may permanently ground civilian drone program over China fears
The US Interior Department's decision to halt a civilian drone program might not be so temporary. Financial Times sources claim the department plans to permanently end use of nearly 1,000 drones after determining there was too high a risk of the Chinese government using them for spying purposes. While there reportedly isn't a final policy, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt would once more limit uses to emergency situations like firefighting.
V-Coptr Falcon is a bi-copter drone with a 50-minute flight time
You may not be familiar with the name Zero Zero Robotics, but its foldable Hover Camera may ring a bell. Having finally started shipping the Hover 2 to beta testers last month, the company is already showing off a different kind of drone at CES -- one that was inspired by the V-22 Osprey military aircraft. As the name suggests, the V-Coptr Falcon is a V-shaped bi-copter that boasts an impressive 50-minute flight time -- a figure that should worry DJI, whose flagships only last for about 30 minutes.
I remotely patrolled a house with a $10,000 security drone
Imagine you're filthy rich and have a five-bedroom home in the English countryside. How do you keep your house secure? An enormous gate with a fancy intercom system? Multiple cameras and smart locks? That's so old hat. Sunflower Labs, a company led by former Evernote executive Alex Pachikov, is pitching something far more extravagant: a residential security drone that, once deployed, can check out disturbances autonomously.
The PowerEgg X drone doubles as a handheld camera
For the eager gadgeteer, vacations are a challenge. How many action cameras should you bring? Will your drone pack in your carry on? What about the gimbal for your mobile phone? Not to mention all the memory cards, cables and chargers. Enter the PowerEgg X (yes, really) from PowerVision — a versatile drone that doubles as a stabilized handheld camera with facial recognition.
GoPro's fix for grounded Karma drones is coming 'within a week'
GoPro has found the problem that grounded its Karma drones with some kind of 2K20 GPS bug since the beginning of the year, it said in a blog post. Better still, the company is now testing a fix and expects to release a firmware update "within a week" that will resolve the problem.
GoPro Karma drones are unable to fly due to a possible GPS flaw
The new year hasn't started well if you're a GoPro Karma owner. Numerous operators have found themselves unable to fly since the start of 2020, with the robotic aircraft reporting that it has no GPS signal and can't calibrate the compass, even when the controller is working properly. One user claimed to have discovered a workaround by resetting the controller and disabling GPS, but that clearly isn't ideal.
DJI patent imagines a drone that can't fly
DJI has quite a gamut of drones and gimbals, but most are either handheld or airborne. However, the company seems to have ground-based ambitions too, as a new Chinese patent seen by Weibo user "Machine Power" and others shows. The document shows a rugged looking land-based "all-in-one" vehicle with an elaborate suspension holding a stabilized camera. It might be a way for DJI to compete against Tero's ground-based Freefly camera platform.
Proposed NYC law would require drone inspections for building complaints
Drones could soon be key to keeping New Yorkers safe from crumbling architecture. Members of the New York City Council have proposed legislation that would require drone inspections within 48 hours of a complaint or confirmed violation. A robotic vehicle (not the Mavic 2 Pro pictured) would use infrared and a pair of conventional cameras to both look for the telltale temperature changes of cracks and inspect roof conditions. The intended drones would cost $2,500 each, but the proposal would reduce costs by offloading the inspections to private companies that would charge building owners.
