DroneDJ

If you already own a DJI Osmo Mobile gimbal, you might be sitting on one of its most underrated features. With the DJI Mimo app, your Apple Watch can act as a live view monitor and remote controller, letting you start recording, adjust framing, and even activate subject tracking without touching your phone. For solo creators, travelers, or anyone tired of running back to hit record, this setup feels surprisingly liberating. Here’s how to use it properly, and what to expect…

DJI’s latest Fly app update moves the future of drone flying a little closer to your wrist. Version 1.19.4 brings Apple Watch support to three of DJI’s most portable, controller-free drones: DJI Neo 2, DJI Flip, and DJI Neo. That means you can view live video, check battery levels, and issue basic voice flight commands from your Apple Watch (Series 8 and newer), while your phone stays in your pocket.

DJI has made flying a drone feel a whole lot more futuristic. With a brand-new firmware update, the DJI Neo 2 now supports Apple Watch remote control, letting you steer, track, record, and manage your drone right from your wrist. And here’s the kicker: the original DJI Neo is getting the same Apple Watch compatibility soon, making this upgrade a big win for every buyer in the Neo lineup. If you’re an Apple user who’s been flirting with the idea of buying a drone, this is the moment DJI clearly wants you to jump in.

DJI has released exciting new updates for the Osmo Mobile 6 and Osmo Mobile SE, making the intelligent smartphone stabilizers compatible with various Apple Watch models for remote control.

European aviation and aerospace giant Airbus has announced its expansion in the booming security and defense UAV sector with the acquisition of US tech company Aerovel, maker of the innovative Flexrotor intelligence and reconnaissance data collection drone.

The future of autonomous piloting has come at least two steps nearer with news that two breakthrough trial flights were completed by different aviation tech companies – including one whose systems permitted a cargo plane to fly with nobody in the cockpit.

Were there any doubt remaining about how the war in Ukraine has transformed the way drones are deployed – and how manufacturers now view military applications as the most lucrative area in the sector – Airbus provided compelling evidence by founding a new US unit dedicated to creating UAVs designed for martial applications in the bustling business activity.

Airbus has remarkable success in developing its record-shattering Zephyr high-altitude platform system (HAPS), but now the European aviation giant is now looking to bring in outside investors to help take the solar-powered drone to market.

Supernal, the advanced air mobility (AAM) unit of South Korean automotive giant Hyundai, has struck a partnership Microsoft to create cloud-based tools for use in craft design and flight simulation, and eventually in the manufacturing and maintenance of planes.  

Armed forces in much of the world are developing small, uncrewed aerial assets to assist larger aircraft in military operation ­– including combat situations. European aviation giant Airbus is similarly working on what it calls Remote Carrier drones, and this month successfully tested them in two different scenarios.

Ohio-based logistics company Drone Express is readying to manufacture a new version of its DE-2020 delivery drone, which would use Microsoft AI for in-flight navigation systems. “While our competitors are focusing on how to carry more weight, we are focusing on building a more intelligent aircraft,” quips Beth Flippo, CEO of Drone Express.

It’s still unknown whether Apple will one day expand its range of high performing and incomparably cool products to the not-exactly-chopped-liver world of drones, but a patent granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office takes that tantalizing prospect one step closer to imaginable.

European aircraft and aerospace giant Airbus says it successfully tested a small-scale demonstration version of its future “cargo copter” drone, which is designed to transport 250 kg of payload across a maximum range of just over 300 kilometers.

Apple just released its newest iPhones, the 14 and 14 Pro and, boy oh boy, is it tempting to throw in the $1,099 for the latest and greatest from the company. But will it be the best phone to use for flying drones?

Aviation giant Airbus is expanding its efforts to develop advanced air mobility (AAM) and air taxi services with a project to prepare operation of its CityAirbus NextGen electric takeoff and landing (eVTOL) craft in Japan.

France’s military has announced certification of the Airbus Aliaca maritime reconnaissance, monitoring, and data collection “mini-drone” – a somewhat approximate description of a UAV with a 2.2-meter wingspan and payload capacity of 16 kgs that will soon be accompanying French Navy vessels.

So close, but in the end, no superlative cigar. After 64 straight days of solar-powered flight, the US Army’s Airbus-built Zephyr UAV reportedly plunged from the skies over Arizona, just hours shy of breaking the all-time record for continuous navigation by an aircraft.

There’s no longer any question about whether the US Army’s experimental flight of the solar-powered Zephyr UAV will break the aerial endurance record, only by how much the craft will shatter that mark with each additional day it remains aloft.

Microsoft is offering a preview of its new AI-powered simulator for drones, flying taxis, and other advanced aerial mobility (AAM) vehicles. Project AirSim can be used to build, train, and test autonomous drones through hyper-realistic simulations of real-world scenarios. The goal is to help drone makers encode autonomy without the need for deep expertise in AI.

European aircraft manufacturer Airbus is teaming up with Munich Airport International in a project to offer a full range of advanced air mobility (AAM) solutions – from electric vertical takeoff and landing craft (eVTOL) to vertiport infrastructure – to cities and regions around the globe looking to develop looming next-generation aircraft services like air taxis.

The diversity and depth of Apple products at times suggests there’s no limit to what kind of tech the company can produce, or what new activities it might decide to get involved with. Now, a new patent filing raises the question of whether Apple is contemplating a launch into the drone sector – albeit a defined and contained part of it.

Airbus has announced its Zephyr solar-powered high-altitude platform system (HAPS) drone has completed a barrage of summer tests in Arizona, including what the European aviation consortium described as a record-setting 36 days of flight time spread over a two-day mission. 

First Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak brought the world Macs. Now he’s flying drones through K-12 classroom curricula. How cool did school just get?

Aviation giant Airbus and two Israeli companies have been tasked with tracking down migrants trying to enter Europe via the Mediterranean with drones. The companies will be paid €100 million or about $118 million.