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An Army drone flew 600 miles astray then crashed into a tree
A routine military drone test quickly turned into something more bizarre, after the missing aircraft mysteriously turned up ten days later over 600 miles away. While testing an RQ-7 "Shadow" drone at Fort Huachuca in Arizona, the military lost control of the device soon after launch. After it failed to return to base, the Army presumed that it had quickly been destroyed until a hiker found it crashed into a tree in Evergreen, Colorado.
ICYMI: Ford's Autolivery is the future of delivery
Today on In Case You Missed It: Ford used virtual reality to demo its "Autolivery" concept service at Mobile World Congress. The package delivery system of the future would consist of a self-driving van and a drone working together to deliver parcels and orders right to your door -- even if your door is on the 30th floor. While it's unlikely that anyone will see this system in action for several years -- the company anticipates the fleet won't be ready until at least 2021 -- it would go a long way to reducing urban gridlock and pollution.
Huawei is considering cell towers that wirelessly charge drones
Huawei's big news at MWC was, of course, the P10 handset and a new watch. The company does have its fingers in other pies, though, and one of those is the drone game. Far away from the exhibition halls where all the smartphones are on display is an area called "Innovation City" (it's more of a hamlet, but we'll go along with it). Here, Huawei is demoing a number of quirky ideas, one of which is a grand plan to help solve the short battery lives of drones -- and it's as curious as it is clever. In case you were worried, that's a scale model of a cell tower above. The plan isn't to have mega drones.
DJI's Matrice 200 UAV line is built for work
Until now, consumer drones have been primarily marketed towards hobbyists and filmmakers. At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Sunday, DJI revealed their latest drone line, the Matrice 200. These sensor-laden quadcopters are designed with commercial and industrial applications in mind.
EE looks to drones and big balloons to tackle 4G 'notspots'
One of EE's biggest challenges is connecting rural customers. The UK network's 4G coverage is slowly improving, but there are still countless subscribers stuck in so-called "notspots." To help, EE is working on drones, balloons and trucks that can provide temporary access in a pinch. They'll never replace a traditional base station, but in the case of an emergency -- a flood or severe power outage, for instance -- they could offer a crucial line to the rest of the world. In the future, these "air masts" could also provide ongoing internet access, similar to Alphabet's Project Loon, while EE wrestles for planning permission to build new, permanent network hubs.
The Future IRL: Deliveries via robot
Your online delivery habit is facing a growing problem: the rising number of packages needing delivery, combined with a projected deficit in truck drivers (PDF). But that's the issue a company like Starship Technologies is trying to solve. It just started testing a delivery robot in US cities (though the company has been overseas for a few years, already) and is hoping both its design and cost win over any skeptics worried about a robot that knows where they live and what kind of food they like. Don't miss the next episode of Future IRL on March 7th, when we'll be looking at the future of virtual reality.
Intel made a drone to help an NBA player in the Slam Dunk Contest
Orlando Magic player Aaron Gordon took things to a whole new level in tonight's NBA Slam Dunk Contest, one of the main events during the league's All-Star Weekend. The 21-year-old worked with Intel on a drone to use an assist prop for his first dunk at the event, something which had obviously never been done before. Unfortunately, it took Gordon a few tries to successfully take the pass from the drone and dunk the ball in the basket, but it was still great to see it happen in the end.
ICYMI: Microsoft's drone simulator and Dubai's hover taxis
Today on In Case You Missed It: Why get stuck in traffic when you can simply fly over it? At least, that's Dubai's plan. The UAE's largest city announced its intent to unleash swarms of EHang 184 "Personal Flying Vehicles" -- the same ones that wowed crowds at last year's CES show -- to ferry citizens around town starting as early as this July. We also take a look at Microsoft's new open-source UAV simulator, the Aerial Informatics and Robotics Platform. With it, drone designers will be able to program and test their flying creations for autonomous operation without having to worry about their precious prototypes crashing and burning. Or getting attacked by wildlife. Or being shot out of the sky by trigger-happy property owners. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
Amazon's delivery drones could drop packages with parachutes
Amazon's much-anticipated (and long time coming) drone deliveries might technically finally be happening, but a new patent spotted by CNN suggests your next book or box-set might actually arrive via parachute. There are many practical, legal and technical challenges that drone deliveries present -- and getting the parcel on the ground is just one of them.
Passenger drones will begin flying over Dubai this summer
The single-rider, human-sized quadcopter that whipped CES 2016 into a frenzy could be carrying passengers as early as this summer. As the head of Dubai's Roads and Transportation Agency announced at the World Government summit today, the Chinese EHang 184 passenger drone will begin "regular operations" around the futuristic city in July of 2017.
Fox crime drama sees police turning to the public for real-time alerts
What happens when an eccentric billionaire buys an entire district of the police force and equips it with a gamut of high-tech tools to fight crime? Fox's latest crime drama, APB, is a timely take on the challenges of privatizing the police force and the implications of fighting crime with invasive technologies.
Intel drones form US flag for Lady Gaga's halftime show
Remember when quadcopter drones juggled balls and formed up into a Star Trek logo? That seems downright quaint compared to what we just saw at Lady Gaga's elaborately produced Super Bowl halftime show. During her first number, 300 Intel drones formed the shape of an American flag, punctuating the singer's wire-assisted fall to the stage below.
ISIS has converted commercial drones into bombers
As Iraqi Security Forces attempt to drive ISIS out of Mosul, a large city in Northern Iraq that the terrorist organization has occupied since 2014, it's facing an arsenal of improvised, experimental weapons. One of ISIS' newest hand-made weapons is the armed drone: a commercial quadcopter equipped with the ability to drop grenade-size explosives.
US establishes a federal committee on automation
Someday, self-driving vehicles could rule the roads, what with several tech titans, ride-hailing companies and automakers developing their own. To prepare for the era of autonomous vehicles, the United States' transportation department has established a federal committee on automation. The committee, comprised of industry experts, will work in the development and deployment of not just autonomous cars, but also trains, buses, planes and even drones or unmanned aerial vehicles. They'll help shape policy and regulations, determine what areas need more research and prepare for autonomous vehicles' infrastructure needs.
DoD shows off its first successful micro-drone swarm launch
The US military is no stranger to drone development. Over the past few years we've seen everything from unhackable robot helicopters to harbor-defending pontoon platoons -- including the the means to combat them -- come out of DoD research efforts. On Tuesday, the DoD showed off its latest advancement in drone technology when it released video of the first successful aerial deployment of the Perdix swarm drone.
Parrot lays off 290 drone division employees
It was a disappointing holiday season for French drone maker Parrot. The company announced Monday that it will lay off about 290 employees -- or more than a third of the employees currently working on drone-related projects -- after it missed fourth quarter sales targets by about 15 percent.
In 2017, drones are getting faster, more fun and easier to fix
Drones aren't new to CES, but it's only in the last year or two that they got their own dedicated area in the convention hall. But, drones are meant to fly free, not behind netting, so some bright spark invented the Drone Rodeo: an annual off-site event where the latest and greatest in UAVs could do their thing as nature intended. The event is back this year, and once again it provided a pretty good snapshot of what's going to be hot in the drone world in 2017.
DJI may have quietly bought (most of) Hasselblad
Okay, here's a weird one: Chinese drone manufacturer DJI has reportedly bought a majority stake in famed camera brand Hasselblad. The news comes from TechCrunch and photography website Luminous Landscape, both of which claim that inside sources have confirmed the as-yet-unannounced deal.
Your next home security system could deploy patrol drones
Security cameras are great, but only when they're actually pointed at whatever is going on. With Alarm.com's forthcoming smart security system, however, unexpected events will always be in focus, thanks to a veritable swarm of drone investigators.
Six drones that do good for people and the planet
When the general public first learned about drones, the context was largely related to military applications and spy tactics, so the unmanned aircraft were cast with a bad rap. Years later, a number of creative technologists have found ways to use drones to help people, animals, and the environment. Drones are being used to protect endangered animals from poachers in Africa, to beam internet access to parts of the world never before served, and even as remote flying builders. Drones are helping humans work on projects - from the curious to the comical - that wouldn't have been possible without the small autonomous aircraft. Read on to learn about some of the most amazing ways drones are helping people and the planet.
