DroneDJ

Opponents of UAVs claiming the tech poses a threat to personal privacy will dismay at this news. Scottish researchers have deployed drones to differentiate pregnant females from others in populations of dolphins. Thus far none of the Ms. Flippers has objected.

Leading global autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) company EHang has inched closer to eventual certification in China, after the country’s civil aviation authority specified the criteria the firm’s EH216-S air taxis will have to fulfill to obtain compliancy.

Specialized Atlanta-based UAV consulting firm Skyfire is itself launching into aerial action with the release of its SF2 drone, which is designed and manufactured specifically for public safety and critical sector operators.

As part of its UAS integration initiative called BEYOND, the FAA has approved Iris Automation to fly a small drone autonomously beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) in a rural, unpopulated area south of Reno, Nevada.

Ordnance Survey (OS), the national mapping agency for Great Britain, has decided to incorporate Altitude Angel’s aeronautical data into its in-house survey planning software. The information will help the geospatial experts at OS determine whether it’s better to carry out a survey using a drone, or if it’s more appropriate for one of the agency’s 230 surveyors to get their boots on the ground.

Next-generation aircraft and air taxi manufacturer Wisk Aero is teaming up with Long Beach to map out and prepare advanced air mobility (AAM) services in the city and region in coming years.

In another attempt to battle the spreading problem of drones transporting contraband to prison inmates around the globe, France is soliciting bids from companies to install anti-UAV defense systems in many of the nation’s penitentiaries.

Movie fans have been wowed by images of the Green Goblin cruising the skies on a drone-esque hoverboard. But engineer, inventor, and fearless flight enthusiast Hunter Kowald has made that Marvel-ous ability a reality with his SkySurfer craft, thanks to a never-say-can’t determination to reach his goal that Insta360 features in a new video.

Joining the push to make the drone community more gender-inclusive, AUVSI – the leading trade association for autonomy, robotics, and automated air, ground, and maritime vehicle industries – is rebranding itself as the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International.

Flyability, the Switzerland-based maker of the popular Elios range of drones for indoor and confined-space inspections, is establishing a new Asia-Pacific (APAC) regional hub in Singapore.

Drone operation and management software specialist SkyGrid has announced the extension of its popular Flight Control app from US distribution to worldwide release under a new iOS format. The free smartphone and tablet utility provides users a range of services built into the same, easy-to-use application.

To some readers, the punishment may seem as bewildering as the offense it addressed. On Tuesday, a Virginia judge sentenced a pilot who repeatedly dive-bombed Salem firefighters with his unregistered drone to two years of probation – radically milder treatment than the maximum three-year prison stint and $250,000 fine that laws allow.

Australia has announced it will be spending millions on drones and automated robotic vehicles for exploration and research on Antarctica, as well as to provide surveillance of what observers say is increased Chinese activity around the continent.

Ukraine is looking at agricultural drone technology to ensure it continues to be a major player in the global grains market despite escalating geopolitical tensions.

Spright, the drone division of air medical service provider Air Methods, is joining forces with Oregon-based Interpath Laboratory to launch a drone delivery network that can transport lab specimens from remote and rural areas quickly.

Draganfly is celebrating a major health and safety milestone with its spraying drones disinfecting more than 500,000 seats using the company’s proprietary pathogen and surface sanitizer technology.

In a US-first, two programs running under the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) are coming together to improve road safety with tethered drones.

Drone Racing League (DRL) says it has more than doubled its broadcast reach with the just-concluded 2021-22 season of high-speed drone racing. At the same time, digital viewership of DRL races has also skyrocketed, interestingly revealing China as the league’s second-largest market behind the United States.

DJI is rolling out a new firmware update for the Mavic Air 2 drone. At the same time, the technology giant is updating the DJI Fly app to version 1.5.10.

Drones from manufacturer DJI are valued by consumers and business users alike across a variety of applications, and now the craft are also being embraced by firefighters for their effectiveness in battling chemical blazes – among the most dangerous they face.

Aerospace company AVSS has been awarded a $1.1 million contract by the Canadian government to test whether its parachute delivery system can support drones to drop off packages at locations where it’s difficult to land an aircraft.

As its embrace of exceedingly questionable rule alterations in recent seasons reflects, Major League Baseball is no longer the change-averse organization it once was. Now the MLB has shown it’s ready to innovate with TV coverage of the game, too, by featuring video feeds from a DJI drone during a college tournament this weekend.

Australian startup Emesent has scooped up an impressive $23 million (AUD 32 million) in Series A funding to take its autonomous drone mapping and analytics tech to new markets across the globe.

A new listing from DJI has just hit the FCC with the name DJI RC Plus, pointing at a new drone remote controller to be released soon. The listing comes with the usual test documents, including the all-important FCC label and location.