Bruce Crumley

A Nigerian researcher has developed a carbon emission tracking drone he believes will prove effective in locating and arresting criminals, kidnappers, and even terrorists as they try to avoid detection in remote hiding places.

Police in the UK raided a building in a West Midlands warehousing zone after readings taken by their drone convinced them a large marijuana farm was inside. Instead they found a massive operation illegally mining Bitcoins.

The UK government is backing what it calls the world’s first remotely operated offshore search-and-rescue operation as part of a wider $10 million funding project to boost robotic and automation development.

UK-based advanced air mobility (AAM) specialist Skyports has announced it’s adopting Kongsberg Geospatial airspace situational awareness technology to enhance its Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations.

A sensor-dragging drone has Georgia’s Wormsloe Historic Site abuzz. Hopes are that the craft may uncover sentry boats sunk in the surrounding bog that were used to spot hostile Spanish troops at the outset of the American Revolution.

Integrated airspace management specialist ANRA Technologies has announced the rollout of its SmartSkies Delivery platform, which is designed to data-link all participants in drone delivery services.

French drone manufacturer Parrot has partnered with digital security specialist WISeKey to reinforce protection of data collected and transmitted by Parrot craft. As part of that, the pair will also work toward a more ambitious goal of hardware and communication system protection of data that may serve as the basis for global security standards for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).

Anticipating a dramatic surge in demand for drones that established manufacturers will struggle to meet, a Connecticut-based company is offering a turnkey package allowing anyone to build and sell the craft on their own. All you need is space to set up a mini-factory.

Another (laser) nation heard from. After our post yesterday on efforts by the Italian military to develop drone-culling laser technologies, up steps a small French company boasting its own craft-blasting energy device that it calls nearly ready for the market.

Drone delivery company Wing Aviation says it is expanding service of its noise-reduced unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to a second urban area in the swiftly growing Australian market.

Even the best new ideas can be pushed too far. That may be the case with at least one concept for a futuristic drone hotel.

The Italian military is testing the use of direct-energy beams in blasting hostile or unauthorized drones from the skies. The leading sources of those thus far are microwaves and lasers.

Unmanned aerial system service specialist, DroneSense has introduced mobile streaming and asset management capabilities to its interface platform. The company says the features will be of particular value to first responders in emergency situations.

When it first sought to boost business and improve the quality of its service, bridge inspection specialist Japan Infrastructure Waymark (JIW) turned to drones – yet was quickly disappointed with the performance delivered. Rather than dump the entire technology, however, JIW pivoted to automated, AI-enhanced Skydio craft and watched its activity blast off.

The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) is actively hunting the pilot of a drone that buzzed a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) helicopter in Tucson, Arizona. Once it did, the night-flying, clearly steroid-amped craft racked up a laundry list of other infractions before it suddenly, maddeningly vanished.

The rapid increase of drone use in a variety of enterprise activities has made upgrading their regulation both inevitable and anticipated. One such revamp is now in the works following a National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) decision to expand its criteria for examining accidents involving commercial drones.

Drone detection in dense city centers poses major challenges – when it’s not flat-out impossible. But one Duke University researcher thinks he may be on the way to solving that problem by pairing old-school radar technology up with self-teaching computers.

London-based urban air mobility company, Skyports, has been chosen to help develop electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) infrastructure and services in time for Japan’s Osaka-Kansai World Expo in 2025.

Much debate – and excitement – has arisen from President Joe Biden’s proposed $2 billion project to repair the nation’s crumbling infrastructure. Yet almost nothing has been said about how drones may contribute to that revamp. Some observers believe their role could prove invaluable.

For neophytes looking to wade into the drone piloting experience, the Ninja Dragon Vortex 9 RC Quadcopter may be an ideal way of taking the plunge. The palm-size unit packs outsize application range, and at a price that won’t put aspiring fliers off before they even begin.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced it has selected Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to test cutting-edge anti-drone technology designed to weed out unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) from restricted airspace. The TSA tapped Miami International Airport (MIA) to participate in the same program in early May.