Thanks to artificial intelligence, drones can now fly autonomously at remarkably high speeds, while navigating unpredictable, complex obstacles using only their onboard sensing and computation.
Government administrations and researchers in Australia are teaming to use drones and facial recognition technology in an effort to count, monitor, and protect the nation’s beloved koala bears.
A team of Japanese researchers has come up with a novel solution that enables people with low vision to play badminton. The unique concept replaces the shuttlecock with an encased DJI Tello drone and requires a special set of rackets.
Aircraft engine fires, a collision between two jets, a fire on a flight deck with missing maintenance personnel, a small airplane crashing into a warehouse… these are only some of the emergency scenarios that an airport’s aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) unit have to deal with.
Bees are among the most hardworking creatures on the planet. But in many parts of the world, honeybee colonies are declining so quickly that even the United Nations is worried. About two-thirds of the crops that feed the world rely on pollination by bees and other insects. Without them, we’d be looking at an agricultural doomsday scenario. And this is exactly what a University of Maryland professor wants to avoid – with the help of an army of tiny drones.
When England’s Loughborough University student Dominic Leatherland was on a beach holiday with his family in 2017, he witnessed a teenage surfer being pulled out to sea due to rough conditions. While two off-duty lifeguards heroically saved the surfer, Dominic noticed the teen didn’t have access to a flotation device for at least 35 seconds. And he found himself thinking: “Why can’t we just fly a drone over the waves and drop a flotation device with the casualty?”
