A wave of mysterious drone sightings has ignited swift federal action in New York, with Gov. Kathy Hochul announcing the deployment of a cutting-edge drone detection system to the state. This move comes after reports of unidentified aerial activity disrupted operations at Stewart International Airport and stirred public concern across the East Coast.
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The New York Power Authority (NYPA) has secured an exciting new waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). It gives NYPA operators the unprecedented ability to conduct fully remote drone inspections without requiring a pilot or observer to maintain visual contact with the aircraft. Additionally, the waiver permits these operations without the use of traditional airspace monitoring systems, such as radar.
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Central Park visitors may soon find themselves under the watchful eye of NYPD drones, as the iconic Manhattan park faces a dramatic uptick in crime. Mayor Eric Adams has suggested deploying drones and other new technologies to address the alarming rise in sex crimes, assaults, and robberies in the area.
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A 60-year-old has been arrested by New York State Police for menacing in the second degree and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon. The arrest followed an incident on June 18, when Ogdensburg resident Joseph H. Dishaw allegedly shot down a neighbor’s drone using a shotgun.
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Though moves to ease the operation of drones in New York City only date to last July, municipal authorities are already so habituated to deploying UAVs when occasions arise that they immediately turned to their fleet in response to Friday’s 4.8 magnitude earthquake.
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It took New York City ages to get over its aversion to drones, but now that it has its leaders are pushing for their deployment in expanding numbers – including helping beach lifeguards reach drowning victims faster.
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Seattle-based UAV security and emergency situational awareness specialist BRINC has recruited another big US client to its LEMUR 2 drone offer, with the New York city of Schenectady voting Tuesday to approve a nearly $700,000 contract with the startup to introduce the craft as police department asset.
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When New York Mayor Eric Adams announced the liberalization of permitting rules for drone operation in the city last July, he predicted it would lead to a growth of aerial services improving residents’ daily lives. One application he didn’t mention is one many New Yorkers are least enamored with: UAV surveillance by the police, which has increased exponentially over the past year.
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New York has recently taken considerable steps toward facilitating and increasing the use of long-banished drones within the city – and also overcoming lively resident opposition to those rooted in personal privacy concerns. But it’s precisely the enduring strength of that resistance that now risks making a decision by NY police to deploy UAVs for outdoor and backyard party surveillance this long holiday weekend a “too much, too soon” decision officials may wind up regretting.
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Despite the recent moves toward liberalizing drone flights in New York, police officials have made it abundantly clear that any unauthorized UAV spotted around this year’s US Open Tennis Tournament in Queens will be subjected to the city’s traditional bum’s rush treatment of aerial reprobates.
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In the wake of recent moves to facilitate drone operations in the formerly closed skies of New York City, officials are now reportedly examining the further expansion of already increasing police use of UAVs to include emergency responder activities – provoking immediate, albeit suspiciously motivated alarm.
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The New York Power Authority (NYPA) has announced the financial approval of its five-year, 37.2 million drone program that will build on the utility’s accumulating experience in deploying UAVs for inspection, safety, and other continuing operational activities.
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If drones are being deployed to keep people safe from sharks at the city’s beaches, the New York Police Department (NYPD) figures they may prove just as useful in broadcasting audio messages to residents of areas facing emergency situations.
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New York state officials are providing funding for additional drones to monitor downstate beaches following a series of shark attacks off NYC and Long Island weekend and vacation spots, and the frenzy of news coverage those produced.
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New York State has announced additional measures to protect beachgoers from sharks at Long Island State Park beaches this summer. More specifically, 10 new drones are being deployed to enhance the State’s shark monitoring capacity.
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The operational footprint and activity range of drone development organization, Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance (NUAIR), is set to get considerably larger through its participation in a new US-Canadian consortium aiming to create what it calls “the first international advanced air mobility (AAM) corridor” between New York and Quebec.
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Already accustomed to using drones to inspect its enormous 1,400 circuit miles of transmission infrastructure, the New York Power Authority (NYPA) says it’s now turning to artificial intelligence (AI) analytics to both speed up and improve detection of weak points requiring repair, and take action to prevent costly outages.
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A 22-year-old videographer and financial trader from Texas could never have guessed that he would be spending day two of his New York vacation with the FBI and New York Police Department’s counterterrorism unit. But that’s what happens when you accidentally fly a drone into the 7 World Trade Center building.
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Researchers from the Agile Robotics and Perception Lab (ARPL) at New York University (NYU) have developed a way for drones to control swinging loads. The system essentially works by estimating the payload location and adjusting accordingly to stop the swinging motion.
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Airspace Link has been delivering COVID-19 test kits from hospitals to a lab to speed up testing turnaround times since mid-January. The company has been working with DroneUp and the University of New York (SUNY) to make it happen.
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Drones are now being used to detect and locate abandoned oil and gas wells that are spilling methane into the environment in New York (NY). The drones are equipped with methane detectors that allow for the wells’ location to be estimated before a team goes in.
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Israeli drone company Blue White Robotics is planning to open a control center in the US at the Technology Garden accelerator in Syracuse, New York.
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Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced Geopipe as the winner of the GENIUS NY program with a grand prize of $1 million to create 3D models using drones. BotsAndUs, Droneseed, Eget Liber, and Skyy Network all received $500,000.
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The Herkimer police department in New York State has acquired two new drones to assist search and rescue operations, emergency deliveries, and other departments within town. The police department was able to secure $4,200 in funding from the village board to purchase the DJI drones.
