Scott Simmie

We’re back! After a brief summer vacation, the DroneDJ weekly panel returns August 25 at 10 a.m. ET.

This is a two-fold post. First, we wanted to point out an excellent CineWhoop fly-through that caught our attention on Instagram (along with an interview with the pilot). Second, we wanted to identify what’s becoming an increasing business trend in the world of drones.

We’ve all been there – or at least those of us who fly drones. Maybe you catch a tree, a component fails, or you just plain make a mistake. But the odds are you’ve crashed your drone, especially if you’re flying FPV. But take comfort in the fact that even if you’re facing a costly repair, it’s not the $130 million price tag for a recent military drone crash in North Dakota.

If you’re running a large warehouse, there’s a lot more to it than moving stock in and out. You have to track that stock as efficiently and accurately as possible. Now, we’re increasingly seeing the potential here for drones to play a role, saving employees from tedious (and even dangerous) work.

Looking to pick up the DJI Mavic 2 Pro? It’s getting harder to get. In fact, unless you want to purchase with the Smart Controller, it’s showing on the B&H website as “discontinued.”

A company known for products ranging from phones to air fryers to security cameras has taken a bold, four-legged step into the world of robotics. Xiaomi has announced the CyberDog, an Open-Source ground-based robot.

It’s Wednesday again. How did that happen so fast? No idea, but that means it’s time for our regular DroneDJ panel, discussing the latest news from the world of drones.

Did you see the image that comes with this story? Of all of the Iceland volcano drone videos we’ve seen, this one – showing lava literally overflowing the entire volcano – is perhaps the most spectacular.

If you’ve been waiting to get your hands on DJI’s forthcoming Mavic 3 Pro… get used to that feeling. Originally anticipated for release in Q4 of this year, the product won’t be available for prime time until January of next year. That’s right: Q1 of 2022.

Most people know Insta360 for its hardware. With excellent cameras like the ONE R, ONE X2 and the GO 2 (full review coming shortly on DroneDJ), the company has built a well-deserved reputation for its hardware. But Insta360 also has great software. And today, it’s lifting the wraps on its Insta360 App with significant upgrades, including faster exports and a new, cleaner interface.

Drones and ground-based robots are starting to work together. When it comes to enterprise work, particularly industrial inspections and surveillance, you just can’t beat the combination when it comes to some applications. And so it’s both not surprising and pretty forward-thinking that DroneDeploy has acquired New Zealand-based robotic software company Rocos.

Huh. The DJI Mavic Pro 2 is showing as being out of stock on the DJI online store.

Drones, as you are likely aware, are tremendously useful in the world of Search and Rescue. There have been literally hundreds of cases reported globally, which DJI tracks here, where drones played a role in getting a human being out of a tough spot. Sadly, this story does not have a happy ending — but it’s still important: A drone deployed in the S&R efforts found the body of a missing tourist in Slovakia.

We were over on Reddit when we came across a pretty intriguing post. A newer DJI FPV pilot captures a hawk simply by being in the right place at the right time. (No, we don’t mean he actually captured the hawk, just that he got some great footage.)

Canadian drone service provider/consultant RPV Aviation has obtained a Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC) for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flights using the FIXAR 007 drone.

This is a two-fold post: First, it’s going to point out some really stellar FPV piloting on BASE jump videos. Second, it’s going to be a refresher about simulators, practice, and passion.

Well, well. We’ve never seen a listing like this before on Amazon. But sure enough, you can buy a drone-jamming gun on Amazon. And while we believe it would be legal to own, we have significant doubts about your ability to legally use it, at least in many jurisdictions.

Well, after more than a year where it seemed pretty much every conference was virtual, here’s a sign things are starting to return to normal: AUVSI is going ahead with an in person XPONENTIAL drone conference later this month.

After operating in relative incognito mode for four years, the Advanced Aircraft Company has announced a new gas-electric VTOL drone. With dual payloads and 3.5 hours of continual flight time, the system is now available on the market, following extensive Beta testing.

It’s Wednesday. And that means it’s time for our live DroneDJ panel!

A leading US air medical service provider – think helicopter transport of patients between hospitals or directly from the scene of an incident – has announced ambitious plans to enter the uncrewed space. Air Methods will partner with Wingcopter on a drone health delivery solution it calls “Spright.” A news release says the new network will serve the entire United States, using fleets of Wingcopter drones.