drones

An initial series of drone test flights over cities has been rolled out in Poland as part of an effort to speed preparations for the introduction of urban air mobility (UAM) services and navigation systems across the Europe Union.

Living as he does near a wastewater treatment plant, Santiago Marco knows all about recurring odors fouling the surrounding air. So the researcher at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia developed an e-nose that, when paired with a drone, may help managers proactively reduce the stink their facilities emit.

Drones equipped with thermal sensors are being deployed in one of the UK’s largest-ever surveys of Atlantic grey seal pups as a less intrusive, faster, and cheaper alternative to manual counting.

The Dallas Police Department is under intense scrutiny after a security breach allowed over 600 hours of aerial surveillance video to be published on a privacy activist website – footage from helicopters that quickly led many suspicious observers turn their gazes toward drones.

Don’t be penny-wise and pound-foolish. That, in a nutshell, is the advice of experts whose new report urges the UK government to make some necessary investment and regulatory moves in UAV activity today in order to avoid missing out on the economic bounties that drone activity of tomorrow will bring.

The practice of flying drones to live-stream UK horse races – and thereby giving viewers betting on the outcomes an advantage – has come to a head again, with pilots battling parimutuel, track, and legal officials seeking to shut the profitable activity down.

Why does this not sound like a necessarily great idea? A startup in Japan has unveiled a one-person drone intended to be flown like a motorcycle, hurtling through the air and around corners at top speeds of 100 kmh.

Efforts to rescue dogs trapped by surrounding lava flows from an erupting volcano on the Spanish island La Palma are reportedly advancing. Practice flights of drones intended to airlift the hounds up, over, and out of their molten prison have passed tests with flying colors.

With strict rules on drone operation now gradually relaxing in India, European UAV manufacturer Fixar has announced plans to begin marketing its craft in the giant south Asian market with local partner Paras Aerospace, focusing first on its flagship fixed-wing Fixar007.

If you can’t beat ‘em, buy ‘em. That, apparently, is the attitude of Brussels Airport, which has taken a 50% stake in a specialized service startup that provides safe and efficient operation of the very drones currently banned in the air around Belgium’s busiest aviation hub.

Limited battery capacity has been the primary brake on operating longer drone flights, but tech developed by a Washington state company may hold the key to powering UAV longer – perhaps indefinitely – through its remote charging application.

New York officials have announced the state’s 50-mile drone corridor will be equipped with 5G technology, making it the first in the US to test the cutting-edge communications capabilities for navigation purposes. The decision adds heft to the state’s claim of being a leading force in applied use and development of uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) and related technologies.

College students in Cambodia have produced the prototype of single-passenger drone they hope to develop for eventual use as air taxi transportation and an aerial asset for firefighters. Though only backed by limited funding, the aspiring engineers say their project was driven by the simple desire to solve a few of society’s problems.

It’s been nearly two weeks since the popular topic was refreshed on the pages of DroneDJ, so herewith a brief update on that gift that keeps giving: people pursuing the truly lousy idea of using drones to deliver contraband to prisons. Cue the Benny Hill theme, but keep the one from The Sopranos ready just in case.

A municipal commissioner in a small Tennessee town is facing multiple charges for grabbing a gun and shooting a drone above his property that annoyed him. Then he refused to give the blasted vehicle back to its owner. Is that nice?

Another day, another drone attempt to illegally fly contraband into a jail somewhere on earth. This time the Big House involved was in the French city of Nîmes, where outside accomplices respected the inmate tradition of smuggling bar-cutting tools into the prison – this time using an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) instead of a cake.

There are deeds that qualify as “drones for good,” and others that must sadly be cast as “drones for dumb.” It’s that latter group that a pilot in Australia joined after he decided to fly his drone in the lion enclosure of a Victoria zoo – then got uppity when ordered to stop.

Aerospace giant Honeywell is teaming up with anti-jamming expert InfiniDome to develop a new drone sensor capable of enhancing GPS resiliency when signals are weak or experiencing blockages. The new tech, which is being designed for defense and commercial users alike, is expected to hit markets during the first semester of next year.

The enduring pandemic hasn’t managed to undermine France’s passion for going on vacation whenever the opportunity arises, though it has forced most travelers to choose domestic destinations over foreign options. That has translated into a recent surge in visits to France’s nature reserves and national parks, and a corresponding increase in the number of drones overhead that now constitute a real problem.

As DroneDJ has sadly had occasion to note, the incidence of misguided pilots flying uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) too close to wildlife has increased considerably around the globe in recent months. In an effort to turn that curve around on their watch, Canadian authorities are issuing stern reminders that laws prohibit disturbance or marine animal harassment by drones – and carry heavy fines for pilots who do.

Wildfires continue raging across the western regions of the US and Canada – accompanied by reminders from authorities to drone enthusiasts to steer clear of all blazes. But one Canadian company believes it can assist the urgent efforts to extinguish them by doing just the opposite: flying its drones into the heat of the action to battle fires.