Bruce Crumley is journalist and writer who has worked for Fortune, Sports Illustrated, the New York Times, The Guardian, AFP, and was Paris correspondent and bureau chief for Time magazine specializing in political and terrorism reporting. He splits his time between Paris and Biarritz, and is the author of novel Maika‘i Stink Eye.
Things looked bleak indeed for Millie, as rising tides began to close in around the remote mudflats on England’s south coast where the lost dog had ended up. Fortunately for the three-year-old Jack Russell-Whippet mix, drone rescuers were nearby and hard at work – and, critically, armed with a sausage that wound up saving the dog.
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UK drone delivery and urban air mobility (UAM) infrastructure company Skyports has used creative ways to secure work from clients to design and develop future electric takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi vertiports. Now it has tried an inside-the-box method it hadn’t before: buying an existing helicopter terminal to repurpose for itself.
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Operators of Hamburg’s port last year took the lead among major European transport and logistics hubs working to integrate autonomous drones and robotic vehicles into their daily activities. Now thye are seeking to extend that through a new partnership with German UAV services company HHLA Sky – a move expected to further expand use of automated aerial, water, and land vehicles across the vast site.
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The official environmental protection agency of Abu Dhabi has teamed up with international energy company ENGIE in a large project using drones to analyze, prepare for, and carry out the aerial planting of thousands of seeds in the country’s mangrove rehabilitation project.
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Administrators of the UK’s National Health System in the northwest of England are looking to use drones for regular, speedier supply shuttles between regional hospitals separated by the broad Morecambe Bay, and a system of frequently clogged roads.
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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is reportedly looking for the pilot of a drone who broke a series of UAV flying regulations while recording a video above and around the Cincinnati Bengal’s NFL playoff game against Las Vegas Saturday. If caught, the flier risks dizzying fines and possible jail time for his 1:15 film.
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Iris Automation, Doosan Mobility Innovation (DMI), and Drone America have formed a partnership combining their respective strengths in the common objective of bringing safe, automated, long-range beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations closer to everyday reality.
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The UAV manufacturing and cloud service provider Aquiline Drones is deepening its relationship with GlobalFlyte to extend and improve first responder use of AWARE, the centralized incident response platform designed to improve situational awareness for people reacting to emergencies.
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Researchers at UC Berkeley have developed a drone whose hinged arms can fold themselves from horizontal to vertical position in order to pass through tight spaces or carry light objects.
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Though still young, 2022 is shaping up to be monumental for Swedish flying car developer Jetson, which plans to deliver the first series of its one-passenger personal electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle later this year, then turn to outside investors to help scale activity.
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Chinese electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle company AutoFlight is accelerating development of its Prosperity I air taxi by establishing its first unit in Europe, which will oversee efforts to obtain the craft’s European Union certification.
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Australian air taxi infrastructure company Skyportz is moving to secure use of prime urban real estate for future electric takeoff and landing vehicles (eVTOL) air taxi operation by – somewhat like the fast-moving homophonic UK drone group Skyports – working with large parking lot businesses to serve as heliports.
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The Dallas Police Department has said it will be increasing its use of drones in response to certain emergencies and criminal situations, as well as in investigations of open cases.
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Santa Monica-based aerial imaging and data processing specialist DroneBase is strengthening its services to solar energy clients with piloted airplane surveys to provide annual audits of infrastructure supplementing the company’s routine drone inspections.
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If imitation is indeed the highest form of flattery, developers at Wingtra will feel praised by the Thailand-produced Vetal, a similar-looking and -operating vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drone hoping to give its Swiss predecessor some competition.
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Canadian drone services specialist Volatus Aerospace is partnering with a US company to provide fully integrated mobile command centers to first responders and other UAV operators in public safety missions.
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London-based navigation tech company Neuron has offered details on trials it completed in the UK last year, demonstrating its ability to successfully track drones operating beyond visual line of site (BVLOS) missions using its data secured traffic management platform.
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Aerospace group Embraer’s urban air mobility unit, Eve, has announced its plans to create a global network of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles and services, in partnership with UK-based airline leasing company Falko Regional Aircraft Limited.
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A unit of Raytheon Technologies has not only developed a system allowing a single operator to control a swarm of 130 drones, but did so using off-the-shelf hardware and a focus on making the platform as easy to use as it is efficient.
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Videos have emerged showing what reports describe as a notorious Mexican drug cartel’s drone dropping several bombs on human targets. The footage comes in the wake of escalating violence – and increasing sophistication of aerial attacks – in Mexico as gangs seek to dominate illegal but extremely lucrative narcotics trafficking.
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Is UPS abandoning its previously all-in, gung-ho enthusiasm for drones as the delivery vehicle of the future? Probably not, but recent comments about the tech by its CEO do seem to indicate a certain toning down of executive expectations of how fast UAVs will revolutionize the company’s business.
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Convergence in the high-end mapping and 3D-modeling drone services segment is afoot with the acquisition of LiDAR tech specialist GeoCue by the mdGroup, owner of Germany-based Microdrones.
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Researchers in Wales are using a mix of tech assets including drones to monitor the erosion of the country’s coastline, which has accelerated from rising sea levels produced by global warming.
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The UAV manufacturing and service provider Aquiline Drone Corp. says it has become the sector’s first company to provide insurance coverage – initially for its own activities and partners before extending that to other clients.
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