Josh

Drone deliveries have taken off in Latvia for the first time, delivering tablets to seniors to allow them to connect with loved ones. The drone delivery was a result of a partnership between LMT, SPH Engineering, and DPD Latvija.

During CES, chipmaker Ambarella announced its new CV5 processor capable of 8k 60 fps and 4k 240 fps video. Looking back, past DJI drones, such as the Mavic Mini, have used Ambarella processors – so let’s take a look to see if the upcoming DJI Mavic 3 will also use it.

Counter-drone company DroneShield has received its first order from the EU police agreement announced back in May of last year. The product chosen in the order is the well-known DroneGun Tactical and will allow the police force to take down drones if required.

The Singapore Transport Ministry has accepted a panel’s recommendation to set up specific drone-friendly areas to increase interest in the hobby. The Minister for Transport Ong Ye Kung made the announcement last Friday, with the areas coming in the next few months.

Researchers have managed to use drones to transmit light particles across large distances to transmit information. A team from the Nanjing University in China has transmitted data using drones over a one-kilometer (0.62 miles) distance.

Russia’s Okhotnik stealth fighter or Hunter-B killer drone has dropped an unguided bomb for the first time in the latest testing round. The testing took place at the Ashuluk range in southern Russia, where a 1,100-pound bomb was reportedly dropped.

FoxFury and Autel Robotics have once again worked together to produce the D100 lighting system for its EVO 2 series of drones. The new light system uses Osram LEDs and turns the EVO 2 into the perfect search and rescue drone.

Sydney Water workers have turned to a specially equipped drone to suck water from a location and get tested back on land. The drone is being put to the test at nine locations to check the water quality after the recent downpours.

A woman from Rutherford County, Tennessee, has been found by an emergency response team using a drone to aid in the search. The drone was used to locate the woman from above, who made her way into the woods sometime earlier.

While it’s normal to hear about drones being used to aid in search and rescue missions worldwide, this story is a little different but still required a drone for a happy and safe ending.

Drone manufacturer Insitu is expected to pay $25 million in fees for allegedly using used parts for some of its drones being built under contracts with the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and the Department of the Navy.

China’s latest armed surveillance drone has just completed its first flight after first making an appearance at the 2018 Zhuhai Airshow in Zhuhai, China. The WJ-700 is the fifth drone from Haiying General Aviation Equipment, a subsidiary of the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC).

Researchers at the University of Zurich and the Delft University of Technology have been able to keep a drone flying after a motor fails. The researchers have managed to use onboard cameras to keep the test drones in the air and flying safely.

The Japanese Defense Ministry is reportedly beginning research into the use of vehicle-mounted counter-drone lasers to fend off rogue drones. The news comes from sources close to the Japanese government, with an expected arrival date no earlier than 2024.

Autel Robotics has released a few new drones at CES this year – its heavily leaked Dragonfish VTOL and the new EVO 2 RTK series of drones. Autel teased the launch of the new products last week, to which we then speculated about the drones it would release.

DJI has confirmed on Twitter that it currently has no plan to add DJI Mini 2 support to the DJI Smart Controller. The info was shared in response to a tweet from one of the biggest drone YouTubers, Aldryn Estacio, talking about a recent update to the controller.

During General Motors’ (GM) CES 2021 keynote, it showed off a new series of concept products under the Cadillac brand. The concept is made up of a passenger VTOL drone and an autonomous car to get you and your friends to and from locations and drones.

A resident in Dalian, China, has come up with a smart solution to take out the trash as the country endures another wave of COVID-19 lockdowns. The resident has chosen to use a drone to drop the package off on the ground through their apartment window.

Verizon’s Skyward and UPS Flight Forward have announced they will be working together to bring drone delivery to The Villages in Florida. The drones will use Verzion’s 4G and 5G networks, running on Skywards’ drone management platform.

Thanks to a new partnership with Skypersonic UAV, Fat Shark has managed to fly a drone from 1,200 miles away with minimal lag. The system uses custom-developed hardware and software from Skypersonic and Fat Shark’s Shark Byte system.