DJI is by far the leading drone brand in the world. As such, its annual DJI AirWorks conference draws a large crowd from the professional drone industry — from construction inspection firms to law enforcement who use drones in first responder work.
None of DJI’s consumer drones are designed to carry anything other than the cameras that they come with. But with social distancing, and general boredom, a lot of people have experimented with tying cargo like donuts or beer bottles to the bottom of their drone and making deliveries. Which begs the question: How much weight can a drone like the Mavic Air 2 lift?
Unlike 7-Eleven or Domino’s, the food chain formerly known as Dunkin’ Donuts has not formally joined any drone delivery trial projects. But Dunkin’, as it’s now called, has been happy to promote a donut delivery mission by a Boston-area man.
A blaze is raging over a region called Darwen Moor near Manchester in the UK. But something else is also raging: a battle between emergency helicopters and gawker drones.
On Friday, alarms went off in the media after an investigative journalist spotted a US Predator drone flying a loop over riot-ravaged Minneapolis. Predators are associated with deadly combat missions in places like Afghanistan, not in the airspace above American cities.
California-based Skydio makes one of the most talked-about but least seen drones on the market today. The Skydio 2 stands out for its impressive subject tracking, which basically allows it to fly autonomously while filming the subject of a video.
But the drone has been elusive. For one, the company has been overwhelmed with orders. It was already contending with a production backlog before the coronavirus hit. With the lockdowns that took effect in California in March, Skydio’s domestic production has been shuttered.
