Bruce Crumley

The buzz being heard over California’s Orange County these days is not necessarily coming from new generations of mosquitoes that are often a problem this time of year, but rather drones flying missions to decrease their numbers.

Leading US drone safety technology company Iris Automation and 65-year old German aviation supply firm Becker Avionics are teaming up to develop new detection and avoidance solutions that allow piloted aircraft and uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) to identify potential collision risks and steer clear of them.

French legislators are preparing legislation allowing police to use drone video to crack down on the growing and at times deadly phenomenon of reckless motorcycle rallies in public areas. 

An Australian content producer and pilot has captured a remarkable first-person-view (FPV) drone video of his craft suffering a seriously hacked-off magpie’s prolonged attack.

In response to the rising and broadening threat of uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) used as offensive weapons by enemy forces, the US Navy is adapting a drone-repelling system initially developed for ground vehicles in Iraq and Afghanistan for use on its ships.

Leading uncrewed aerial vehicle ((UAV) flight management service provider Aloft has given its airspace awareness application a major update. Now, users of the B4UFLY app can anonymously provide basic information – particularly location – about their drone flights to other pilots in the world’s increasingly crowded airspaces

Night owl readers will already know this, but it’s worth cheering all the same. After 15 COVID-19-dominated months of mostly remote broadcasts, Stephen Colbert’s Late Night resumed filming shows before live audiences this week, opening up with a new intro shot by drones.

Surfer Laird Hamilton has become a legend in the sport for his continual innovation, and peerless courage, in catching and riding some of the biggest swells on the planet. Now, thanks to an artfully flown drone, he’s also famous for surfing one of the longest waves ever.

Environmentalists in Iceland are working on an innovative (though somewhat sticky) research project from the skies. Crews in sailboats dispatch drones above breeching whales to catch snot discharged from their blowholes to learn if rising tourism levels are stressing them out.

Advanced air mobility (AAM) company Archer Aviation is pairing up with the US Air Force (USAF) to develop and study potential uses of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles by defense forces in coming years.

A group of research organizations in Italy is set to run experiments using drones to transport human kidneys – the first time in Europe the craft will be tested to deliver human organs in simulated transplant situations.

Zipline has made a name for itself blazing new trails in drone delivery, and has fully revolutionized the way medical supplies are transported across Africa in the process. Now the company is looking to shake up aerial navigation as well with an audio-based aircraft detection and avoidance system as a possible alternative to radar – and one drones might also use.

Italian justice officials are investigating an aviation and defense company for an allegedly illegal scheme to secretly transfer ownership and production to China. In addition to other aircraft, the Venice-area business makes military-grade drones that Italian forces have used in NATO operations.

In their effort to reconnect southeastern communities cut off by Hurricane Ida, telecom companies are taking to the skies with flying COWs. Far from heifers, however, those cell-on-wings units are ultra-buffed, extreme weather-resistant drones that provide phone service to isolated people with the outside world.

Experts knew wildfires that charred huge swaths of Australia in recent years killed hundreds of millions of animals, yet none had a firm idea of just how many died – or survived. Now an effort is underway to use drones backed up by artificial intelligence (AI) to make a more complete accounting of the nation’s wildlife.

Automated construction analytics company AI Clearing is teaming up with South Korean hydrogen-powered drone specialist Doosan Mobility Innovation (DMI) to offer longer, more efficient work site tracking services for clients. The partners believe their strengthened joint offer comes at just the right time, especially with the US gearing up for massive infrastructure renovation.

Argentine photographer Maxi Jonas has been shooting wildlife for more than two decades. But he never dreamed of capturing his latest footage: a drone video of a southern right whale lazily playing with a stand-up paddle (SUP) board as its rider quietly sits, watching the giant say hello in its unexpected way.

London-based advanced air mobility (AAM) and uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) cargo specialist Skyports has announced a partnership with US aviation supplier and manufacturer Kencoa Aerospace to create drone delivery services to and from the South Korean island of Jeju.

A year after first being used in trials, drones will be deployed to accompany the UK coast guard air and sea vessels during search and rescue missions. The first craft flown in will be a Schiebel S-100 uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV), stationed at a helicopter base in the northern Wales coastal town of Caernarfon.

A bit of airborne controversy erupted near Toronto Tuesday amid claims local “spies” had flown a drone over the Honduras national soccer team’s training session ahead of its World Cup qualifier against Canada. 

A2Z Drone Delivery has built an aircraft around its patented tethered freefall aerial delivery mechanism. The result is the RDSX commercial delivery drone, whose dual payload and elevated package drop system allow companies to increase mission efficiency while responding to consumer concerns about noise or privacy.