DroneDJ

The initial reviews of Hubsan’s long-delayed Zino Mini Pro may still be trickling in, but the drone manufacturer says it’s ready with another entry-level, sub-250-gram offering: the Zino Mini SE with 4K/30fps video and 45 minutes of flight time.

Zipline has made a name for itself blazing new trails in drone delivery, and has fully revolutionized the way medical supplies are transported across Africa in the process. Now the company is looking to shake up aerial navigation as well with an audio-based aircraft detection and avoidance system as a possible alternative to radar – and one drones might also use.

Italian justice officials are investigating an aviation and defense company for an allegedly illegal scheme to secretly transfer ownership and production to China. In addition to other aircraft, the Venice-area business makes military-grade drones that Italian forces have used in NATO operations.

In their effort to reconnect southeastern communities cut off by Hurricane Ida, telecom companies are taking to the skies with flying COWs. Far from heifers, however, those cell-on-wings units are ultra-buffed, extreme weather-resistant drones that provide phone service to isolated people with the outside world.

Chinese company EHang, a pioneer in passenger-grade drones and urban air mobility solutions, has announced that its flagship electric air taxi, EHang 216, and delivery drone, Falcon, have successfully completed Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) trial flights for airport transport and parcel delivery in Estonia.

A police drone has captured the dramatic rescue of four men who had become cragfast (stuck on a rock face and unable to ascend or descend) on dangerous ground on Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales.

Experts knew wildfires that charred huge swaths of Australia in recent years killed hundreds of millions of animals, yet none had a firm idea of just how many died – or survived. Now an effort is underway to use drones backed up by artificial intelligence (AI) to make a more complete accounting of the nation’s wildlife.

Automated construction analytics company AI Clearing is teaming up with South Korean hydrogen-powered drone specialist Doosan Mobility Innovation (DMI) to offer longer, more efficient work site tracking services for clients. The partners believe their strengthened joint offer comes at just the right time, especially with the US gearing up for massive infrastructure renovation.

Argentine photographer Maxi Jonas has been shooting wildlife for more than two decades. But he never dreamed of capturing his latest footage: a drone video of a southern right whale lazily playing with a stand-up paddle (SUP) board as its rider quietly sits, watching the giant say hello in its unexpected way.

Wow. No shortage of news this week. And we’ll be diving in to discuss the highlights and take your questions on our weekly live DroneDJ panel.

Drone logistics company Swoop Aero and drone safety technology firm Iris Automation are joining forces to offer safety-focused beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone delivery solutions to clients across the globe.

London-based advanced air mobility (AAM) and uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) cargo specialist Skyports has announced a partnership with US aviation supplier and manufacturer Kencoa Aerospace to create drone delivery services to and from the South Korean island of Jeju.

Aircraft engine fires, a collision between two jets, a fire on a flight deck with missing maintenance personnel, a small airplane crashing into a warehouse… these are only some of the emergency scenarios that an airport’s aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) unit have to deal with.

A year after first being used in trials, drones will be deployed to accompany the UK coast guard air and sea vessels during search and rescue missions. The first craft flown in will be a Schiebel S-100 uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV), stationed at a helicopter base in the northern Wales coastal town of Caernarfon.

A bit of airborne controversy erupted near Toronto Tuesday amid claims local “spies” had flown a drone over the Honduras national soccer team’s training session ahead of its World Cup qualifier against Canada. 

A2Z Drone Delivery has built an aircraft around its patented tethered freefall aerial delivery mechanism. The result is the RDSX commercial delivery drone, whose dual payload and elevated package drop system allow companies to increase mission efficiency while responding to consumer concerns about noise or privacy.

Joby Aviation and NASA are kicking off a two-week test campaign to study the acoustic signature of Joby’s all-electric passenger aircraft. These tests come as part of a nationwide campaign launched by NASA to promote public confidence in emerging aviation markets including passenger air taxis.

A pair of US legislators is seeking to extend the operational and PR difficulties of drone giant DJI in the US with a letter to the Commerce Department in which they insist the company be kept on the restricted Entity List for a range of violations ­– including complicity in human rights abuses.

A grim scene awaited state troopers, emergency workers, and rescue teams responding to a crash site in southeastern Mississippi late Monday. Seven vehicles driving through the two-lane Mississippi Highway 26 – some 36 miles from Mobile, Alabama – had plunged, one after another, into an abyss 50 to 60 feet long and 20 to 30 feet deep. As a result, at least two people were killed and 10 others injured, three of them critically. Drone footage shows the scene of the devastation…

When it comes to rescuing a panicking swimmer, every second counts. Lifeguards mentally urge victims to “hang on” as they rush through the heavy waters toward them. In such a scenario, if a drone flies above the distressed swimmer and drops a flotation device, it offers more than just hope for the victim to hold onto. This is exactly what Spain’s eastern coast has been witnessing these past few days.

Words fail – at first, anyway. Then near universal condemnation is unleashed upon the tourists who posted a video featuring their drone’s animal harassment of an Everglades alligator, and ensuing titillation when the craft is snapped out of the air and starts fuming inside the reptile’s maw.

Okay, then. September usually means the tech industry’s fall product launch season, and DJI plans to top our list with a possible product unveiling slated for September 8.