Last year on 13th October 2016 King Bhumibol of Thailand passed away. He was Thailand’s most revered King in living memory and the nation’s sorrow has been overwhelming.
Is New England ever more beautiful than during the fall season? After watching this video, you may be hard-pressed to deny that.
The team at Above Summit, a Somerville photography and video studio specializing in drone footage, went to the White Mountains in New Hampshire and Vermont to capture these beautiful images of fall foliage, leaves, streams, roads, and mountains.
Dubai has had their first test-flights with the drone, called the Autonomous Air Taxi (AAT). The city claims that the vehicle will be the world’s first “self-flying taxi service.” The AAT was supplied by the German manufacturer Volocopter and offers an environmentally friendly, fully electric ‘cab flight’. The prototype has a maximum flight time of 30 minutes at a cruising speed of 31 mph. Its maximum speed is 62mph.
The Herald Bulletin reports that when a Summitville teenager recently ran away from home, the Madison County Emergency Management Agency officials brought in a DJI Inspire drone outfitted with a thermal infrared camera to aid in the search.
Within minutes of arriving at the scene, the department’s new unmanned aerial vehicle was flying through the air in search of the youth. Todd Harmeson, deputy director of EMA, was piloting the Inspire drone.
This week in London is the 9th DroidConUK conference (Thursday, 26th – Friday, 27th October at Business Design Centre, London), where leading experts in the Android space will share their ideas and thoughts on all things mobile. This year at droidcon London you will have the opportunity to try your hand at one of the Drone Simulation Stations on the droidcon London exhibition floor throughout the conference.
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Researchers testing cutting-edge unmanned aerial vehicle technology went to the 24 hours a day sunlight of Greenland to power ‘perpetual’ solar drone flights.
The main goal of the project from the manufacturer’s perspective was to find a practical application of a solar-powered drone that could fly indefinitely, as there’d been few real-world uses. To partial success, the group tested the ‘First-ever solar-powered flight in the Arctic’ on June 20th.
Caught in the act! The drone captured footage of a 33-year-old man as he pointed a rifle to the drone, just before it crashed to the ground, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said. The man from White City, OR faces accusations he shot down a $1,000 unmanned aerial vehicle Tuesday evening, reported KVAL. The shooting of the drone happened around 5:35 p.m. at the Hoover Ponds recreation area near White City.
The Liverpool Echo reported that a man was arrested after a foiled drone drugs drop-off at the Walton Prison in Liverpool, England. Prison staff had sighted the drone flying over the prison on Thursday, October 19, around 12:40am with a package hanging below it. Merseyside police officers came out and located a man in a nearby field. The package contained not only drugs but also mobile phones and tobacco. Very similar to the drop-off attempt we reported on earlier in Michigan. The suspect in this case fled but was apprehended in a backyard on Stuart Road North in Bootle. The drone and controller were located in the field. Another package was later found under a van on Stuart Road North. It contained mobile phones, cannabis, and tobacco.
After Police departments in Boston and Los Angeles, Hong Kong is now testing drones outfitted with thermal cameras to fight terrorism, catch bad guys and help with search and rescue operations. The Hong Kong’s elite police squads have recently begun testing with thermal drones. The drones manufactured by DJI, the world’s largest manufacturer of unmanned aircraft vehicles, that recently had its products banned by the US army, were being considered for anti-crime and antiterrorism operations, police officials told the Post. The drones would not be used for surveillance at protests and rallies.
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to soar like a bird along mountaintops in the Swiss Alps? Very few people get to see the snow-capped mountains this way. However, this amazing drone video “Elevations” brings it right to your screen.
The short film, “Elevations,” was made by Montreal-based Swiss physicist Gabriel Kocher, who has a second career as a drone racer (Gab707). He finished second in the Drone Racing League’s Allianz World Championship earlier this year. The drone in the short movie races over a rocky valley up the face the face of a mountain. On its way up it passes over waterfalls, flies around moutaintops and captures breathtaking 360-degree views.
Amidst protest, the civilian board overseeing the Los Angeles Police Department voted 3-1 in favor of the LAPD using the pilot program. On Tuesday the Los Angeles Police Department signed off on a year-long test of drones. The LAPD is the largest police department in the U.S. to do so.
According to the proposal, the drones will be specifically used by the LAPD’s Metropolitan Division SWAT Team in “dangerous, high-risk tactical situations and improve situational awareness capabilities during natural disasters and catastrophic incidents.”
The FAA said on Monday, that hobbyist drones are becoming a problem in the California wildfires that continue to burn. So far at least two drone incidents have been reported in which unauthorized amateur drones were interfering with firefighters.
Earlier last week in the Santa Rosa area, where the mail was still being delivered after the fires had gone through, there was a drone incursion reported. Last Sunday Cal Fire helicopters were halted in Petaluma after a drone had been spotted.
Ever wanted to go drone racing in Tokyo Japan? Well starting Saturday, October 21 you can in the 535 m² “DJI Arena By JDRONE Tokyo” Arena. The drone space does not only feature a flying-area but also a retail store and will offer technical support. The Tokyo DJI Arena will be managed and operated by Authorized Dealer Japan Circuit in partnership with DJI Japan.
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BBC News just reported that an Airbus 319 narrowly missed a large drone while approaching Gatwick Airport. A UK Airprox Board report revealed that 130 lives were at risk when a large diameter drone passed directly over the wing, in between the wingtip and the fuselage. An “airprox” is when distances between aircraft are seen to compromise safety. The incident happened on July 9th when a drone was “flown into conflict” with the Airbus 319. According to the report, there had been a high chance of collision.
Drones are making inroads in all different aspects of our lives. Most people fly them for fun and tend to see drones as a hobby or a toy. Meanwhile, however, these unmanned aerial vehicles are quietly transforming many professional operations and for instance, they are increasingly being used by real estate agents, insurance inspectors, maintenance crews, farmers and emergency responders.
