Good morning! Sorry, technical error today. I guess I need another cup of coffee this time. Anyway here’s the news!
DroneRise – all about CES!
Author
Haye Kesteloo is the Editor in Chief and Main Writer at DroneDJ, where he covers all drone-related news and writes product reviews. He also contributes to the other sites in the 9to5Mac group such as; 9to5Mac, 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, and Electrek.
Haye can be reached at haye@dronedj.com or @hayekesteloo
Yuneec introduces Typhoon H Plus, first fixed-wing and racing drones at CES 2018
Yuneec introduced three new drones at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The first one, and possibly the most important one, is the Typhoon H Plus, a successor to the Typhoon H that was launched in 2016. Besides the Typhoon H Plus, Yuneec also launched a fixed-wing drone, named the Yuneec Fixed Wing Firebird FPV. Lastly, they also introduced a new budget-friendly HD racer, a first for Yuneec.
Drones at CES 2018 – Complete coverage of all unmanned aerial vehicles in Las Vegas
We wanted to provide you with an up to date summary of all the drone companies that are present at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. From the 9to5mac group, we have five people walking the floor of the event to talk to manufacturers and get the latest drone news. Everything that is newsworthy will be posted here on DroneDJ.
This post will be updated as the show continues. Latest update is from 1/11/18 @ 6:10 pm EST.
Leaked photos show 360-degree obstacle avoidance for the DJI Inspire 2
We came across photos this morning that seem to show an upgrade to the DJI Inspire 2 drone. Wedged between the batteries and mounted to the bottom of the Inspire 2 is a device that seems to provide 360-degree or omnidirectional obstacle avoidance. It is hard to say if we are looking at a prototype, a test device or whether this is an almost final design. Judging by the photos this may well be the final design and 360-degree obstacle avoidance may be added to the DJI Inspire 2 soon.
Update: somebody with knowledge of the matter has informed us that these photos are from the original design process for what became the Inspire 2. These photos do not show a prototype or anything that is going to go into production.
Intel shows off it drone swarm skills during a light show at the Bellagio
We have seen Intel’s ‘Shooting Star’ drones in action before during the Super Bowl, now we are seeing them at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
Russian airbase in Syria attacked by swarm of drones
The U.S. government has been concerned about this possibility and in another video, we were warned about swarms of drones being used to attack and now we learn that the first documented attack by a swarm of drones has actually taken place in Syria during the night of January 5. The Russian airbase, Khmeimim as well as a naval facility in the city of Tartus on Syria’s western coast were attacked by 13 drones launched from as far as 35 miles away, according to the Russian defense ministry.
With the use anti-aircraft missiles, the Russians were able to shoot down seven of the thirteen drones. Another six were hacked by a cyberware unit and taken under Russian control. There were no casualties or injuries at the two military bases.
DroneRise – DJI Spark give-away, Karma gone, GoPro for sale, Ronin-S game changer
Good morning! Today is a big day. Not only because CES 2018 is officially open to the public, but also because we have one lucky person who will receive our beloved DJI Spark drone. A few weeks ago we announced that we would give away our Spark drone to one of our readers who would share and comment on our articles on our website, Facebook, and Twitter. Well, today we are going to announce who will receive our mini-drone…
Intel and DJI technology in a $99 toy drone to be announced at CES 2018
We just learned that Ryze Tech a Chinese startup company will be announcing a $99 toy drone, called Tello, with technology inside from both Intel and DJI. The affordable toy drone is able to capture 360-degree video and live stream the footage to a tablet. The drone is targetted at a young audience, i.e. kids and should be very safe and easy to fly using an Intel vision processing chip and flight stabilization from DJI. It will offer features such as automatic take-off and landing.
All-new DJI Ronin-S will be a game changer if DJI prices it right
Yesterday, DJI announced their all-new DJI Ronin-S stabilizer. It will come in two different sizes to support both mirrorless and D-SLR cameras. It will also work with the most common camera and (zoom) lens combinations, such as the Canon 5D, Panasonic GH, and Sony Alpha series. On paper, it seems like DJI has a winner on their hands with the all-new Ronin-S. It has all the features you could wish for, but no word yet on the pricing.
Will DJI price this stabilizer as aggressively as they have priced the redesigned Osmo Mobile 2? Let’s take a closer look.
GoPro to exit drone market after selling remaining inventory
In a public statement announcing their preliminary fourth quarter 2017 results, GoPro also stated that it will exit the unmanned aerial vehicle or drone market after having laid off all its employees in their drone department last week and after selling the remaining Karma drone inventory.
Currently, you can pick up a Karma drone for $999 with a GoPro Hero6 camera, just keep in mind that you’re buying a product that has been discontinued and that will not receive any further updates, although GoPro states that it will service and support Karma owners.
It would not surprise us if GoPro were to discount the Karma even more in the future.
DroneRise – DJI Osmo 2 and Ronin S, CER Unveiled, Surefly and more…
Good morning after a busy weekend! We have lot’s of news for you already and I am sure there will more during this week at CES in Las Vegas. Grab a coffee and enjoy!
New DJI Osmo Mobile 2 stabilizer – Everything we know so far
We had a feeling that the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 was coming. Today DJI officially announced the redesigned stabilizer for smartphones. Last Friday, we had a chance to look at an almost final prototype at the DJI office in New York City and I have to say, it looks very good indeed. It does feel slightly more plasticky than its predecessor, the Osmo Mobile 1 as DJI decided to only use high-strength modified nylon for the housing this time. But the pricing is so much better at $129 (the Osmo 1 originally retailed for $299, but can be bought for less now), that the material choice is easily forgiven. Another major difference is the battery. Instead of a hot-swappable battery, the Osmo Mobile 2 has an integrated battery that provides an astonishing 15 hours of stabilized footage, which is three times longer than the outgoing model. The new Osmo can also charge your smartphone while filming.
DJI reveals new Osmo Mobile 2 and Ronin S gimbal stabilizers ahead of CES 2018
Chinese drone manufacturer, DJI just released two new products right before the start of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this year. The first is the redesigned Osmo Mobile 2 for smartphones, which will initially be exclusively for sale at the Apple store online. The second is the all-new Ronin S stabilizer for mirrorless and DSLR cameras.
FAA allows Workhorse Surefly personal helicopter drone to fly at CES2018
Workhorse’s Surefly personal helicopter drone was first shown to the public during the Paris Air Show in June of 2017. Now we have learned that Workhorse has received an Experimental Airworthiness Certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fly their personal drone during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas next week.
The Surefly is a hybrid octocopter that can carry two passengers. The aerial vehicle can be flown manually with a joystick. Something that should be as easy as flying a DJI drone, according to Workhorse. Or it can be flown in a fully autonomous (drone) mode using sense-and-avoid technology to bring its passengers safely to their destination. A 4-cylinder gasoline engine charges the batteries, which in turn power the electric motors for the eight propellers. The personal helicopter has a range of 70 miles and can lift 400 lbs. The rotor arms can be folded as shown in the photos below.
Geneinno’s Poseidon 1 underwater drone camera at CES2018
If flying is not your thing but you have always been interested in underwater exploration, then this may be the drone for you. It is called the Geneinno Poseidon 1 underwater drone and it will be displayed at CES this year.
DJI is “disturbing the industry” with new low priced agricultural drones
A few weeks ago, during a press event in China, Shenzhen-based DJI Technology Co. Ltd. announced three new agricultural drones: the MG-1S Advanced, the MG-1P, and the MG-1P RTK (Real-Time Kinematic) version. These drones can be used for monitoring crops as well as spraying pesticides. DJI will price these new unmanned aerial vehicles 12% less expensive than their previous models launched in November 2016. These new low prices have drawn the attention from competitors who have stated that the Chinese drone maker is “disturbing the industry.”
German engineering brings us the flying bathtub drone
Check out these Germans, the Real Life Guys. They have made a manned bathtub drone. The project started out a few months ago when they ended a video with the question whether their next project should be a flying bicycle or a human drone. In the end, they did both.
Drone video shows SpaceX’s Heavy launch vehicle at Launch Complex 39A
A drone video was posted on YouTube recently showing the SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy launch vehicle that has been moved to the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A), Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
The payload for this maiden flight will be Elon Musk’s own first-generation Tesla Roadster as he announced earlier this month on Twitter. Elon Musk owns more companies besides Tesla, SpaceX is one of them. SpaceX is best known for its mission to colonize Mars as has been publicly announced by Elon on several occasions.
Journalist leaves The Verge to join DJI communications team
Ben Popper announced today on Twitter that he will be leaving The Verge to join the communications team at DJI, the Chinese drone manufacturer, we all know so well.
On his personal website he said:
This week was my last as a journalist at The Verge. After a decade writing about the world as an outside observer, I’m interested in seeing what it’s like to help build a business from the inside. So I’m joining the communications team at DJI, the world’s leading manufacturer of consumer and commercial drones.
GoPro’s Karma drone division announces 200 to 300 jobs cuts
GoPro, the company that we know from the Karma drone and action cameras, is laying off between 200 to 300 people this week, mostly from its drone division. The company had sent its workers a letter earlier this week informing them of the layoffs. According to GoPro, the job cuts are part of a larger restructuring “to better align our resources with business requirements”.
DJI Phantom 5 – our wishlist for specifications and other improvements
We already published our wishlists for the DJI Mavic Pro and the DJI Spark. Here is our wishlist with desired specifications for the Phantom 5. This list is a little different. With both the Spark and the Mavic Pro portability is key. Those drones need to be small, light and capable. With DJI Phantom quality is the main concern. Quality in the photos and the video footage. Let’s get started.
DJI Spark 2 – our wishlist with desired specifications
Two days ago we published our wishlist for the DJI Mavic Pro. Today we will cover the DJI Spark 2. What would we like to see in the next generation of our favorite drone (see our review here) and 9to5Toys product of the year 2017? Will a new version of the DJI Spark be launched anytime soon? We don’t know. However, here is our wishlist with the specifications we would like to see added or changed to our favorite mini-drone.
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DroneRise – Sharks again, Smokey the Navy drone, got a drone for Christmas and more
Good morning! Today we have a little less news than yesterday, but don’t let that disappoint you. Together with the articles comes a nice drone video showing off the monster waves of Tahiti. Enjoy!
Deadline for UAS Integration Pilot Program is today at 2pm EST
The deadline for the Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Integration Pilot Program is approaching fast. Lead Applicants have until 2pm EST today to complete their Volumes III, IV, V and VI.
The FAA warns in a tweet that: “You will not be able to continue with the program if you do not meet the deadline.”
Commercial drone operators represent the majority of the interested parties that have submitted their applications to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s UAS Integration Pilot Program.