Ishveena Singh

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is seeking public comment on requests by four companies to conduct beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations at or below 400 feet. These companies are Zipline, UPS Flight Forward, Phoenix Air Unmanned, and uAvionix.

Switzerland-based VTOL drone manufacturer Wingtra has released a new mapping payload, the RGB61. Wingtra’s latest drone mapping solution is a customized Sony Alpha 7 Mark IV 61MP RGB camera that maps 1.4 times the area with up to 40% lighter data and post-processing loads to complete missions much faster than previously possible.

Another drone tracking app has hit the market. Air Sentinal, an app that allows you to detect drones flying near you broadcasting Remote ID signals, is now available for download on the Google Play Store.

A DJI Mavic 2 Pro drone has captured what is believed to be rock paintings around 7,000 years old. The cave art, discovered in the Alicante province along the coast of Spain, has managed to remain hidden till now because the mountainous region is extremely difficult to access on foot.

Drone Assist, a popular flight planning tool in the United Kingdom, has received its most extensive update since the app was first launched in 2016. The new version begins rolling out today for both iOS and Android devices.

DJI has finally made its IP54-rated RC Plus remote controller compatible with the company’s popular commercial drone, the Matrice 300 (M300) RTK.

SkySafe, a San Diego-based airspace security and drone defense technology company, has launched a new certification course for drone forensics.

Human-machine collab specialist XTEND says it has acquired Performance Rotors, a Singapore-based drone inspection firm. The collective technologies of these companies will make human-guided, remote interactive operations possible in a range of industrial inspection scenarios, including GPS-denied, unsafe, or confined spaces.

Nokia’s 5G-connected drones are all set to blanket Belgium. The Finnish drone platform has been selected by Belgium’s Citymesh in a deal that would see automated drones quickly reaching emergency sites after 911 calls come in and gather critical aerial data for first responders.

European drone manufacturer Parrot’s flagship ANAFI Ai drone can now be used for automated indoor monitoring.

A new DJI product launch teaser has just dropped. The tech giant says it is preparing to upgrade one of its flagship drone models, and that further details will be unveiled on May 18, 2023, at an online launch event.

Microdrones, an aerial mapping technology company with German roots, has built a new drone platform to cater to the demands of surveying professionals. Named EasyOne, the new Microdrones offering is an optimized and fully integrated drone system with the lifting power to carry LiDAR and photogrammetry surveying equipment.

US drone maker Skydio says its X2 drone solution for aerial intelligence, reconnaissance, situational awareness, emergency services, and search and rescue operations is now available with multiband technology and capabilities. The new Skydio X2D Multiband offers wireless range and frequencies up to 10 km, and delivers an average flight time of 35 minutes.

Leading drone-in-a-box solution provider Percepto has received an unprecedented waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This new approval allows the company to operate autonomous drones beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) in shielded airspace, and that too without expensive ground-based or airborne detect and avoid (DAA) systems.

The just-released Mavic 3 Pro is the first triple-camera drone in the DJI’s flagship Mavic 3 series. As the tech giant begins shipping the new Mavic 3 Pro to customers, here’s a look at how DJI’s latest drone matches up against the original Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Classic.

DroneUp, the drone delivery company that Walmart uses, has announced a major push to make beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone flights safer. DroneUp has partnered with Iris Automation, a developer of AI-based vision technology for crewed and uncrewed aircraft to prevent airborne collisions. Together, these firms will install hardware nodes that will act like a cellular tower-type service providing DroneUp with visibility of its airspace.

A new software update is now available for all Skydio drones, and according to the company, it’s one of its most significant yet. “There’s something for everyone in this release,” Skydio stresses, detailing that several improvements have been made to subject tracking and autonomous flight capabilities for cinematography.

Volarious, a Singapore-based tech company specializing in tethered drone systems, has updated its software to give its flagship product, V-Line Pro, a nifty new functionality. A DJI drone that is attached to V-Line Pro for unlimited flight time can now move autonomously in tandem with the vehicle carrying the tethered system.

A leading drone maker from Japan, ACSL, says its compact 4K video drone SOTEN will be available to buy in the US later this year. The company has opened a new subsidiary in California to ensure that the aircraft is both competitively priced and compliant with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) — key considerations for many government users.

US drone maker Skydio has updated its 3D Scan software to enable autonomous indoor mapping missions at large-scale facilities such as construction sites, factories, and warehouses. And the good part is, if you’re already a Skydio 3D Scan customer, you will be able to leverage this new Indoor Capture feature at no additional cost. 

Commercial drone flight planning and execution platform Drone Harmony has announced support for the new DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise series. Moreover, the Swiss company now supports DJI Matrice 30 drones, which essentially means its platform is compatible with the entire drone lineup from DJI Enterprise.