DroneDJ

It may not be the tastiest meal ever flown, but researchers in Switzerland have developed an edible drone designed to serve as life-sustaining nutrition for people stranded in emergency situations.

DJI drones have several automated shooting modes that enable even new pilots to capture creative videos. However, an extremely useful feature that has typically remained restricted to FPV offerings or hidden under Free Hyperlapse is Cruise Control. That changes with the new Mavic 3 Classic unleashing the function across Normal, Cine, and Sport mode in addition to APAS, Free Hyperlapse, and Spotlight.

Joby, a leading developer of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for air taxis and other services, has said it is pushing plans to launch commercial transportation services back a year to 2025, citing internal considerations and shifts in Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification criteria.

The Candy Crush craze continues to reach new heights. This time, quite literally.

Candy Crush Saga – one of the longest-lasting, hugely successful mobile games to date – is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a drone show in New York City. As many as 500 drones are expected to take over the NYC skyline on the evening of November 3.

Just a month after its mighty Rhaegal-A “Alpha” transportation UAV hauled a world-record-setting 829-pound payload, California start-up Sabrewing this week landed a multimillion-dollar contract to provide its craft to the Arabian Development and Marketing Corporation (ADMC) to support Saudi Arabia’s stated goal of becoming a global center of heavy-lift drone activity.

DJI’s latest flagship drone, Mavic 3 Classic, is available to buy now. Just like the original Mavic 3, the new aircraft features a specially-made 4/3 CMOS Hasselblad sensor, up to 46 minutes of flight time, and an advanced video transmission system. To become more affordable, it ditches the telephoto lens of the OG drone. But how does this Mavic 3 Classic stack up against other popular consumer drones from DJI: Air 2S and Mavic 2 Pro? Let’s find out…

In the wake of today’s launch of the new, more affordable Mavic 3 Classic compact version of its top-of-the-line camera drone, DJI has issued firmware upgrades for a few products to bring them up to speed with the new craft and its features – including the original Mavic 3.

Despite the now habitual deluge of leaked specs, photos, and videos that precede the arrival of all DJI drones under development anymore, their actual launches are always red-letter occasions – and that’s definitely the case with today’s rollout of the new Mavic 3 Classic. Indeed, ambient excitation may be even greater this time around with the release making most of the tech in DJI’s top-of-the-line photography Mavic 3 UAV more affordable to budget-conscious enthusiasts who’d thus far had to go without it. 

German electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi developer Volocopter has raised over $180 million in new funding that it says will help power the company through certification and into its launch of aerial services by mid-decade.

Skydio drones come with incredible cinema autonomy features that both first-time pilots and seasoned professionals can leverage to capture creative shots. But now, even more cool new features are on the way to take the guesswork out of composing an aerial shot.

Radiation is one of the most dangerous threats to humans. You can’t smell it or hear it. But now there’s a new drone sensor payload in the market that can be used to quickly detect and identify radiation sources and radiological hazards from a safe distance.

Swiss drone manufacturer and services company RigiTech has continued pushing the boundaries of its activities by staging a long-distance beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) aerial delivery over Lake Geneva, linking two medical labs.

Leading airspace protection company Dedrone is broadening the range of activity of its drone detection and identification tech into everyday circumstances by teaming up with Johnson Controls, a specialist in building and venue safety services.

They’re back… The Michigan couple that has been battling Long Lake Township officials over drone photography of their yard to substantiate allegations it was being illegally used as a dump are going back to court again – this time to have the evidence invalidated with arguments the UAV flights violated their Fourth Amendment rights.

In an apparent bid to reduce dependence on Chinese drones, Russia’s state-owned defense contractor Almaz-Antey Concern has begun manufacturing small civilian aircraft at scale. The company says its aim is to assemble 400 drones in November, with another 1,000 units being produced in December when the product goes on sale.

A duo of UK startups working to improve deliveries of materials critical for medical care is pairing up to trial beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone flights in exacting real-world scenarios over a three-month period between Warwickshire hospitals.

The Drone Racing League (DRL) has announced the launch of DRL Flight Club, a new rewards program that would allow fans to aggregate, convert, and spend loyalty points on DRL experiences.

German fixed-wing drone manufacturer Quantum-Systems has racked up another accomplishment in what has already been an eventful year by obtaining the European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s (EASA) C3 certification of its Trinity F90+ UAV.

It is small, ruggedized, and capable of flying and seeing in complete darkness. And now, it has been redesigned and resourced, so that its sensitive Chinese components could be replaced with European and American parts. Belgium-based manufacturer Sky-Hero says LOKI Mk2US has now become the world’s first NDAA-compliant indoor tactical drone solution.

Editor’s update: DJI Mavic 3 Classic is now available to buy. Here’s DJI Mavic 3 Classic vs. Air 2S vs. Mavic 2 Pro at a glance.

DJI has dropped a promo teaser inviting fans to a product launch event on November 2. But while social media is buzzing with speculation about the new offering, a German website has gone ahead and leaked the complete photo gallery and specifications of a new DJI drone: the Mavic 3 Classic.

Drone tech group Red Cat Holdings has announced its defense and security UAV specialist, Teal, has partnered with Tomohawk Robotics to further enhance the unifying control system of the multiple craft platform known as 4-Ship.

The payloads carried by UAVs are as diverse in application as they are varied in size. But arguably nothing quite as weighty has yet been loaded onto drones as the responsibility the next sheriff of Las Vegas wants to give them in aiding police battle the city’s violent crimes.

In a huge milestone for the US commercial drone industry, the AgEagle Aerial Systems eBee drone series has secured FAA certification for flying over people or moving vehicles without any additional waivers.

DJI is teasing us again. The world’s largest consumer drone maker is preparing to launch a new product next week, and it has just offered a little glimpse of what’s to come on its social media channels.