drones
Latest
Engadget Daily: the Moto E, Xbox Live tears down app paywall, and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Hollywood, Amazon and your local realtor are fighting to legalize drones
In the United States it's legal for you to take your A.R Drone out for a spin around the neighborhood, but if you want to use one to shoot a car chase on a closed movie set you'd be breaking the law. The use of commercial drones is a complicated issue, in part because of how many different ways you can use them. Defense companies have traditionally been the biggest advocates for drones; but now everyone from Hollywood to your realtor are pulling for the unmanned aircraft.
Near collision with airliner prompts US to crack down on drone use
The FAA might not have full legal authority to regulate drones just yet, but it at least has some evidence to support its case for tighter restrictions. The administration's Jim Williams has revealed that an unmanned vehicle nearly smacked into a US Airways jetliner in Florida this past March; it came so close that the pilot was initially convinced there would be damage. While the remote-controlled aircraft was already violating rules by flying at 2,300 feet (it had to stay below 400 feet), Williams used the incident to argue for a better-safe-than-sorry approach to drone rules. It could be "catastrophic" if one of these vehciles gets sucked through an engine, he said.
Engadget Eurocast 061 - 5.9.14
It's barbecue time in the UK, the sun is shining (for the moment) and things are right in the world. Unless, of course, you happen to be Nintendo. The crew looks at the state of Nintendo's financials and recent missteps in handling certain interactions of its Mii-based Tomodachi LIfe characters. While things keep getting complicated for Mario's makers, easyJet looks towards streamlining its engineers' workflow by employing drones to help speed up the fleet inspection process. China's Huawei is also launching its new Ascend P7, and aside from the bumpy Android ride, it looks to be headed in the right direction for such a nascent smartphone maker. So get some ribs on the grill and let 'em smoke, while we deliver up some tasty tech tidbits to chew on. Join us at the streaming links below for this edition of the Engadget Eurocast! Hosts: Dan Cooper, Sharif Sakr, Steve Dent Producer: Jon Turi Hear the Podcast:
Yosemite National Park cracks down on drones that scare bears
Itching to get out there and make the most of your newly upgraded drone's ability to capture the majesty of Mother Nature? Well, your UAV isn't welcome at Yosemite National Park. In fact, it never was. Flying a drone was already illegal according to the Code of Federal Regulations governing the park, which says that "delivering or retrieving a person or object by parachute, helicopter or other airborne means" is prohibited for regular visitors. But a growing number of hobbyists have been ignoring this rule, forcing the Yosemite Park Service to reiterate the ban and explain why it's necessary. In a statement, it says that drones "can be extremely noisy, and can impact the natural soundscape." More generally, drones also "impact the wilderness experience," because there's nothing less nature-y than a hovering quadrocopter filming in full HD. It's not just the resident fauna that can be put in peril, either: Drones can apparently also interfere with emergency rescue operations.
FAA-approved drones report for duty on North Dakota farms
North Dakota will soon get a glimpse of a future where farmers can monitor their crops using small, flying drones. That's because the US Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has given the state the go-ahead to start using its unmanned aerial systems (UAS) test site. It's the first one to become operation among the six commercial UAS testing program sites chosen by Congress in 2013. The state's Department of Commerce will hold two rounds of flight tests using Draganflyer X4ES drones not only to monitor crops, but also to test soil quality. These are relatively small, helicopter-like machines, which measure 36.25 inches in length and width and are equipped with Sony cameras.
Americans are optimistic about technology, except drones... and robots... and...
If you asked the average American what they think about the coming crop of technologies, you'd probably get some generic optimism. According to a recent Pew Research survey found that 59 percent of Americans expected that technology would make our lives better, only 30 percent worried that we'd be worse off because of scientific progress. More than eight in 10 even expect us to be growing replacement organs in labs within the next 50 years. But when dig into specific technologies, opinions start to turn a little more sour.
Hide your stash, heat-seeking drones are helping thugs hijack UK weed crops
Criminals are dicks. That much we all know is true. But now these dicks are using heat-sensing drones to pull off "sophisticated" heists of weed farms (yes, that weed) in the United Kingdom, as local paper Halesowen News discovered. Consider this quote from one enterprising crop hijacker: It is not like I'm using my drone to see if people have nice televisions. I am just after drugs to steal and sell. If you break the law, then you enter me and my drone's world.
Google beats Facebook to acquisition of drone maker
Google has just agreed to buy Titan Aerospace, a maker of high-altitude solar-powered drones that was in acquisition talks with Facebook just a few months ago. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Mountain View company hopes to use these long-lasting autonomous vehicles to assist its Project Loon project, which aims to broadcast internet signals to parts of the world that can't get online. Facebook, on the other hand, went ahead with another drone company called Ascenta for Internet.org, its own worldwide internet initiative. Google has uses for Titan beyond just Project Loon, however. The drones could also be useful for Makani, a Google project to build an energy-efficient airborne wind turbine. As the unmanned planes are also able to collect high-res images of earth and support voice and data services, they could also be of use in other Google divisions, such as Maps. While all Titan employees are now a part of Google, they'll remain in New Mexico for the time being. The terms of the purchase have not been disclosed.
Ultra HD's the word at NAB 2014
Whether you call it 4K or Ultra HD, next-gen television sets are on their way to your living room. Some experts expect sales in the US alone to approach 1 million this year, with early adopters opening their wallets at an even greater rate overseas. But while many of us still get by with 1080p, content producers are adopting Ultra HD as the norm on set, with manufacturers focusing almost exclusively on next-gen hardware here at the National Association of Broadcasters' annual trade show in Las Vegas. Ultra HD cameras take every shape and size, from Sony's just-announced Alpha A7s mirrorless camera to Blackmagic's giant URSA, with its foldout 10-inch screen. Even drones are snapping 4K footage, including JVC's new gimbal-mounted Super 35mm cam. Some models, such as Red's $14,500 Dragon cam, can capture even higher-res video -- in this case, that means 6K footage from a camera you can hold in your hand.
DJI improves stabilization, tilt and flying speed with Phantom 2 Vision+ drone
It was just this January that we tested DJI's Phantom 2 Vision drone, a $1,199 quadcopter with an integrated 14-megapixel/1080p camera and tilt-axis gimbal. Now at NAB, DJI's back with a "plus" version of its airborne craft. The refreshed gadget, which retails for $100 more than its predecessor, includes a new three-axis gimbal (compared to single-axis stabilization) for smoother captures, more than double the WiFi communication distance (700 meters, or about 2,300 feet), a 50-percent boost in maximum flight speed (to 15 meters or 50 feet per second) and a 90-degree tilt that lets you shoot subjects directly below. There's also an integrated GPS system that enables you to set an autonomous path or keep the Phantom in the same spot in winds of up to 25 miles per hour, while the DJI Vision app lets you preview footage and access altitude, distance and battery strength during shoots. Finally, DJI is releasing a firmware update for all Phantom drones that lets pilots avoid flying near airports or user-generated no-fly zones. Availability remains TBA, but expect to drop $1,299 for your Phantom 2 Vision+ once it's ready to ship.
EVE Online plans drone renaissance
EVE Online is giving much-needed love to its drones come this summer, and a new dev blog posted today has all of the copious details. "There are several aspects of drone balance that are not yet up to our current standards," the devs posted. "In the summer release we will be implementing a wide ranging balance rework for drones of all sizes." The changes will include balancing drones between the different empires, between quality levels, and between drone sizes. There will also be modifications made to drone skills and sentry drones. These changes will also impact skills and modules for fighters and fighter bombers. After the update, these "larger drones" will have reduced base damage and can only be hosted 10 at a time on a supercarrier instead of 20.
Facebook aims to connect the world with 'drones, satellites and lasers'
Following the hubbub of its recent acquisition of virtual reality firm Oculus VR, Facebook has just announced something slightly more altruistic: a team dedicated to bringing basic internet access to everyone in the world. Simply dubbed the Connectivity Lab, the crew is a result of Internet.org, a global initiative Mark Zuckerberg introduced back in August of last year. In collaboration with Ericsson, MediaTek, Nokia, Opera, Samsung and Qualcomm, Internet.org has reportedly already helped three million new people in Philippines and Paraguay get online. But a lot remains to be done, which is where Facebook's Connectivity Lab comes in. Its goal? To develop new connectivity platforms for internet delivery, which apparently includes "drones, satellites and lasers," according to a statement from Zuckerberg.
Watch a man get stunned by the Chaotic Unmanned Personal Intercept Drone (stun copter!)
You're gonna want to steer clear of this CUPID. The Chaotic Unmanned Personal Intercept Drone, or "stun copter," can deliver 80,000 volts of pure projectile terror directly into the skin of an ill-intentioned hoodlum. This is serious business for Chaotic Moon, the folks behind SharkPunch and the Pizza Hut touch table. The Austin-based design studio created the flying machine as a tech demo, but CUPID could be quickly brought to production whenever a personal security or law enforcement client sees fit. This prototype unit is based on a Tarot Hexacopter, originally designed to carry a digital SLR for video and aerial photo shoots. With a Phazzer Dragon on board, however, a few modifications made this an entirely different beast.
Judge rules that flying commercial drones is legal, for now (update: FAA appeals decision)
The Federal Aviation Administration may want to go through some rigorous testing before it allows commercial drone flights on a broader basis, but the National Transportation Safety Board isn't willing to wait that long. One of the Board's judges has determined that the FAA currently has no authority to regulate drones; the move effectively makes drones legal, and it spares a pilot from a $10,000 fine for shooting a commercial with his unmanned aircraft. The Administration has no rules on the books for such vehicles, according to the judge, and the 2007 policy notice it has been using to ban drones isn't binding. There's still a possibility that the FAA will create enforceable rules down the line. For now, though, Amazon and UPS don't have to worry about legal threats to their delivery drone plans. Update: The FAA is appealing the judge's decision, and according to the press release this "has the effect of staying the decision until the Board rules." Basically, don't expect Netflix's Drone 2 Home deliveries to take off anytime soon.
Daily Roundup: Apple CarPlay hands-on, G Pro 2 review and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Lockheed Martin's autonomous convoy tests bring Skynet one step closer to reality
Drones delivering your latest George R.R Martin instalment? Cute. But the real work of autonomous vehicles is being pioneered in the military. Lockheed Martin has recently completed testing of full autonomous convoys in Fort Hood, Texas. The test is part of the Army and Marine Corps' Autonomous Mobility Appliqué System (AMAS) program, and saw vehicles successfully navigate an urban-style route, complete with obstacles a real-world convoy might encounter (humans, junctions etc). While regular military vehicles have always been designed to keep their human cargo as safe as possible, the new technology could remove the need for putting soldiers at risk altogether. We're a way out from seeing this deployed in active service, but for now the results bolster the US Army's efforts to introduce more robotic systems into real warfare.
Please enjoy this video of dancing drones
Listen, it's CES. We're tired, you're tired and yet there's no end to the madness in sight. So, please, take a minute and enjoy this video from the gentleman who brought you that really amazing video of drones playing the James Bond theme. And don't forget to breathe.
Parrot's MiniDrone climbs walls, rolls across the ceiling, is really, really small
Parrot's been offering up relatively small updates to its AR.Drone line each year at CES, and while the quadcopter is, without question, one of the most immediately recognizable in the space, we've been waiting to see a genuinely fresh take on the product. The MiniDrone delivers -- and then some. It's exceptionally small and light, so far as these consumer drones go. It's quick, nimble and fairly user-friendly thanks to on-board autopilot and myriad built-in sensors, controlled via smartphone or tablet via low energy Bluetooth. Size aside, however, the coolest thing about the product may well be the removable wheels, which let you drive the 'copter across the ceiling and up walls. And if the demos we got ahead of tonight's CES Unveiled event are any indication, the little drone is quite a bit more rugged that it looks. The MiniDrone will be available at some point later this year for an undetermined price. Nicole Lee contributed to this report.
FAA selects six sites for drone testing because flying robots are our future
One day, drones will be flying overhead... and it will be normal. But, right now, concern over the safety of allowing unmanned aircraft to roam freely in our airspace outweighs their groovy future potential. Which is why the FAA today, following a mandate by Congress, has selected six test sites around the US for the purpose of studying UAS (unmanned aircraft) and eventually integrating them safely into our heavily trafficked skies. Research on UAS will now be carried out at facilities operated by The University of Alaska, Texas A&M University, the state of Nevada (an obvious choice, really), North Dakota's Department of Commerce, New York's Griffiss International Airport and Virginia Tech -- all chosen for their geographical and climatic diversity. Each partner will carry out testing in key research areas highlighted by the FAA: sense and avoid, command and control, ground control station standards and human factors, airworthiness, lost link procedures and interface with air traffic control. The results of which will go towards developing regulations for "commercial and civil use" (yes, you will one day own and operate a drone). But just because the FAA's given a greenlight to further UAS testing, that doesn't mean you'll see drones whizzing about in our skies anytime soon. The agency's stressed that this is just a test and not an invitation to tempt fate in our national airspace system.
