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You don't have to register personal drones with the FAA anymore
In March, the FAA noted that over 100,000 hobby drone owners had registered their machines since the year began, bringing the total in the US over 770,000. Owners have filed their non-commercial UAVs with the agency ever since the DoT passed a law in December 2015 that made registration mandatory. But a Washington, D.C. court has struck down that legislation, freeing just-for-fun drone owners from notifying the government of their purchases -- for good and ill.
MIT's camera drones are smart enough to get the perfect shot
Over the last few years we've seen more camera drones than we can count, but getting the best footage out of them will take something extra. While many big budget productions are already using drone cameras, a system developed by MIT and ETH Zurich researchers goes beyond mere Steadicam or even subject-tracking, by allowing the director to define exactly how a shot is framed.
Small island prison first to install anti-drone 'forcefield'
Prisons have a drone problem, in that they're being used to fly drugs and other contraband over walls and into the hands of inmates. Dealing with these airborne mules is tricky because you either need to hope they crash or catch their operators in the act, but one prison is taking a more proactive approach to stopping undesirable deliveries. Alongside other security upgrades, the small, 139-capacity Les Nicolles Prison in Guernsey, Channel Islands, is said to be the first in the world to receive an anti-drone fence. It's not a physical barrier, but an invisible wall that jams pilot signals and stops drones from passing beyond its threshold.
Qualcomm study says sure, you can control a drone over LTE
Internet-connected drones will be necessary if you're going to see fliers that can communicate when they're delivering packages, livestreaming video or otherwise coordinating with the outside world. But how well can you control them over an LTE data connection when they're soaring hundreds of feet above the ground? Quite well, if you ask Qualcomm. The chip maker has published the results of a trial run using LTE-linked drones, and it believes that they're ready for prime time... mostly.
Who needs runways when you've got the Lockheed Fury?
Soldiers on the battlefield could soon have an extra set of eyes watching over them. Lockheed is currently developing a high altitude, long endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial vehicle called the Fury. But unlike other HALE platforms like Boeing's Phantom Eye or Northrop Grumman's Global Hawk, the Fury has no use for runways. It just needs a catapult.
Flying, spherical displays are coming to a halftime show near you
Pepsi's drone show at the Super Bowl this year was impressive, sure, but imagine what those UAVs would've been capable of with more than one pixel. To wit, Japan's Docomo has designed a 144 x 136-pixel spherical LED screen that can display images while in flight. And to give the illusion that the image onscreen is holding still while the drone zips about, "the LED frame spins on its axis in a rapid horizontal motion, forming an afterimage effect to create the illusion of a solid sphere of motionless LEDs," according to a press release.
UK forms 'specialist squad' to tackle prison drug drones
Training carrier pigeons to fly contraband beyond prison walls is undeniably canny, but these days all you need is an inexpensive drone to do the same job. While perhaps not as reliable, remote-controlled mules carrying drugs and phones into prisons are now a persistent problem for law enforcement. So much so that today the UK government has announced a new "specialist squad of prison and police officers" has been assembled to investigate the flying smugglers.
DJI refreshes the Phantom 4 with 'Advanced' entry-level model
While DJI's Phantom 4 Pro strictly targeted filmmakers, folks who wanted that form factor were stuck paying the long dollar ($1,500 - $1,800) for it. Sure, it might've been overshadowed by the company's less expensive Mavic Pro ($749 - $999), but not everyone wants a foldable UAV. That's where the newly announced Phantom 4 Advanced and Advanced+ come in, offering sizable improvements for less money. Oh and if you were a fan of the base Phantom 4, know that it's being discontinued soon.
US Navy's MQ-4C Triton drone prepares for deployment in 2018
The last time we mentioned the Navy's long-range MQ-4C Triton drone was in 2013, and the project is still creeping towards eventual deployment. Northrop Grumman announced this week that it has completed formal lab testing, and also successfully flew for the first time with a software upgrade adding "Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), multi-aircraft control and additional Multi-Function Active Sensor (MFAS) radar modes."
E-volo's electric 'air taxi' picks up passengers next year
The last time we'd heard about E-Volo's 18-rotor electric helicopter was almost a year ago to the day. The latest news out of the company is that at AERO, an aviation trade show in Germany, E-Volo revealed its latest model, the Volocopter 2X. The firm says that the advantages of this version versus previous iterations (namely, the VC200) are that it's a "consequent evolution" geared toward everyday use as an autonomous urban mobility vehicle. Translation: it could be a pilot-free, or remote-flown taxi for two.
Devon police will establish the UK's first 24/7 drone squad
The Devon and Cornwall Police force is to become the first in the UK with a permanent, 24-hour drone assistance unit. The flying fuzz will be on hand to search for missing persons, seek out suspects and generally provide an eye in the sky whenever needed, gathering intel at crime scenes and responding to road accidents. The dedicated unit, which will also help out police in neighbouring Dorset, is set to launch this summer after a new "drone manager" is hired to oversee the nine sites the coppercopters will operate out of.
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.
UPS wants UAVs to cover its 'last mile' deliveries
Drone-based deliveries are quickly moving out of the realm of science fiction. Amazon, 7-11 and a host of startups are already toying with the idea. Now, UPS, one of the biggest parcel delivery services on the planet, is testing a system that will drop packages at your door while the driver moves on to the next house.
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.
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.
ICYMI: DARPA's drone snatcher and Pokémon: Minecraft edition
Today on In Case You Missed It: DARPA unveiled a UAV recovery systems that can catch a 1,000-pound drone but still fit comfortably in a standard 20-foot shipping container. The SideArm, as it's called, uses the same arresting-wire system that full-sized military jets use aboard aircraft carriers -- just, you know, upside down. We also take a look what happens when modders manage to stuff a full Pokémon game (in this case, "Cobalt and Amethyst") into the Minecraft universe. Modder Phoenix SC reportedly spent 31 months creating the add-on. It contains a brand-new storyline, 136 new Pokémon and about 70 hours of gameplay. Just make sure you catch this unofficial addition to the Pokémpire before Team Nintendo arrives. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @engadget or @mskerryd.
GoPro's troubled Karma drone is back on sale today
Surprise! GoPro's Karma drone is back on sale. GoPro recalled Karma in the run-up to the holidays last year due to instances where drones were losing power mid-flight (not cool, obviously). In early January, the company cryptically "announced" that it would give details on Karma's return in early February.
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.
Drones and RC kayaks offer fresh views of the ocean
The Scripps Institution of Oceanography has gotten a few more tech upgrades. Scientists aboard research vessel Sally Ride recently tested a pair of drones and a remote control kayak in an effort to get different views and readings of their subjects.