DroneDJ

It’s raining drones in Zhengzhou. As the capital of China’s Henan province hosted a drone light show last weekend, a massive fail sent the machines tumbling out of the sky. The show organizer has since reported the incident to the local police, alleging interference by a competitor.

Autel Robotics has created quite a buzz with the recent announcement of two new drone series, EVO Nano and EVO Lite. Everything we’ve seen up until now has mostly been on paper, and that’s because Autel never released official promo videos of Nano and Lite for English-speaking users. Should that stop you from enjoying the action-packed Chinese-language promos though? Not in the least.

Interpol took its global police cooperation mission to the skies during a three-day series of tests at Oslo’s Gardermoen airport, part of its effort to develop a set of international counter-drone systems that member countries can draw from to protect restricted zones from small craft intrusions.

Backyard barbeque drone fliers in Britain may want to have a designated pilot standing by before long. UK authorities are now studying a proposal to set legal limits on alcohol for drone operation even tighter than the DUI thresholds for drivers.

The creature remains as fleeting as Scotch mist. An intriguing 4k drone video of the purported Loch Ness monster “surfaced” last month, but skeptics believe the Nessie video is fake.

Japanese automotive giant Honda Motor Co. has announced continued diversification of its wide-ranging manufacturing activities with plans to develop electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) craft as part of its pursuit of renewable-powered advanced air mobility (AAM) vehicles.

There are two things most people know about 18th-century scientist/politician Ben Franklin: He’s prominent on the U.S. $100 bill, and he didn’t get killed flying a kite in a thunderstorm. Would things have turned out differently if Ben Franklin had flown a drone? Amateur scientist and drone pilot Jay Bowles finds out.

YouTube influencer Peter McKinnon, famous for his photography and cinematography video tutorials, has inadvertently revealed the DJI Action 2 camera in his latest video. The accidental reveal confirms the cam’s cool new modular design and indicates the device could hit the shelves pretty soon.

Leading European unified traffic management (UTM) specialist Altitude Angel has gotten the nod from authorities in Sweden to deploy its GuardianUTM Enterprise system during trials at the country’s largest drone operations testing area.

A brand-new DJI Mini 2 suffered the full force of a croc attack when a saltwater crocodile snapped at the drone mid-air, clearly unhappy about being filmed. The mangled drone was then discovered two weeks later, with the dramatic footage from its maiden flight having miraculously survived the assault.

The Welsh coppers at the sticks have really hit the, er, air soaring. The recently formed North Wales Police drone unit has racked up a series of successful operations that has earned them plaudits from the region’s top law enforcement official as “high-flying heroes.” 

Saildrone has just made history by sending an ocean drone where no research vessel has ever ventured – right into the eye of a monster storm. And they got amazing video footage in the process!

Onboard navigation systems are not the only thing in the aerial world increasingly benefitting from automated capacities. Now Part 107 certified drone pilots requesting approval for commercial night flights in restricted zones can receive quasi-real-time authorization from providers of Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) processing services.

Spain’s La Palma island is expanding. As the red-hot lava from the volcano that erupted on the island on September 19 reached the Atlantic Ocean this week, it triggered plumes of white steam. The molten rock cooled rapidly on coming into contact with the water, binding itself to the cliffside, enlarging the island’s territory. A drone captured the historic moment.

In response to complaints from a resident, the city of Hamilton, Ohio has passed a proposal to outlaw drone-based invasions of privacy. The legislation, approved last week, makes it illegal to use drones “to invade the privacy of another’s home, office, enclosed space, or the private space of another.”

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.

Fast-moving UK drone delivery and infrastructure developer Skyports has obtained authorization to operate beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) missions in Ireland that don’t require any additional clearances – purportedly the first open-ended approval ever granted in the country or Europe.

It’s been nearly a year since the Ring’s Always Home Cam was unveiled at Amazon’s hardware event, and the reasons to love or hate the household security drone have been unrestrainedly shouted ever since. Now consumers are finally getting the chance to adopt the aerial watchdog, and either adore or detest it in their very own abode, sweet abode.

Here is a tale of drones for good, wrapped inside a wider effort to protect and preserve some of the world’s most endangered plants. Over the summer, botanist and drone pilot Ben Nyberg flew his craft while surveying flora in otherwise inaccessible locations on Kaua‘i, and discovered a species thought to have been wiped out apart from a single spot far across the island. Now he’s looking to expand use of drones from not only discovering the hidden survivors of threatened plants like those, but also in harvesting their seeds to ensure they’ll never die off.

To simplify drone operations for its enterprise customers, Autel has launched a new flight-control platform. Called the SkyCommand Center, the platform allows remote operators to schedule missions and manage tasks for their drones through a computer or mobile device. They can also monitor live video in real time and access the recorded flight data at their convenience.

Autel has quietly announced an autonomous drone charging station for the EVO II series, EVO II RTK series, and the new EVO II Enterprise series. The EVO Nest enables Autel’s industrial drones to land, take off, and carry out consecutive missions without any human intervention.

Autel Robotics has officially announced a mid-range drone series, EVO Lite, to bridge the gap between the sub-250-gram EVO Nano and the popular EVO II drones. With a maximum flight time of 40 minutes, the drone series comes in two options: The EVO Lite, which features a 1/1.28-inch CMOS sensor capable of 50MP stills and 4K video, and the EVO Lite+, which comes with a 1-inch CMOS camera sensor capable of 6K video and 20MP stills.

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.