DroneDJ

After repeatedly warning about the dangers of artificial intelligence, and sparring with fellow tech billionaires on the issue, Elon Musk wants to create AI-powered humanoid robots. Speaking at his electric vehicle company Tesla’s first AI Day event in California, Musk gave a preview of the Tesla Bot – a general purpose, bipedal, non-automotive robot. So, what gives?

A municipal commissioner in a small Tennessee town is facing multiple charges for grabbing a gun and shooting a drone above his property that annoyed him. Then he refused to give the blasted vehicle back to its owner. Is that nice?

US aviation giant Honeywell has launched a new technology cluster that, among other things, will permit drones to fly longer beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) missions and carry heavier payloads by using hydrogen fuel cells.

London-based advanced air mobility (AAM) specialist Skyports is broadening its COVID-fighting medical services partnership with Australian logistics company Swoop Aero to establish drone delivery networks across Europe and the Americas. 

Ever wondered how flying taxis get made? EHang, a pioneer in passenger-grade drones and urban air mobility solutions, has released a behind-the-scenes video that shows off the company’s fully-operational flying taxi production facility in all its glory.

It’s no secret that the DJI Mini SE is old wine in a new bottle. DJI has packed the tech stack of the original Mavic Mini inside the shell of Mini 2 and relaunched the drone at a sub-$300 price to woo those looking for a reliable beginner’s drone. So, it stands to reason that one should be able to use Mavic Mini’s battery in Mini SE, right? Well, yes, but it may not be the best idea.

Drone manufacturers DJI and Autel Robotics have finally settled out of court their years-long patent infringement disputes. Though the details of the settlement have not been revealed publicly, the case has been reportedly settled only days before a jury trial was set to begin.

Uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) have been widely used to treat agricultural crops throughout the world, and spray against disease-carrying pests like mosquitos. Now researchers are expanding trial use of drones to control harmful insects by dropping enemy species on them.

Another day, another drone attempt to illegally fly contraband into a jail somewhere on earth. This time the Big House involved was in the French city of Nîmes, where outside accomplices respected the inmate tradition of smuggling bar-cutting tools into the prison – this time using an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) instead of a cake.

To many people, the pilfering of building areas is a quasi-victimless crime: goods are boosted, businesses file claims, insurance pays up. But that illegal activity costs affected companies hundreds of millions each year, which is why some are now relying on drones to patrol construction sites to battle thieves.

DJI is sharing some pretty awesome news today. The world’s largest drone manufacturer is increasing the warranty period for its intelligent flight batteries from the standard six months to 12 months.

The City of Woodland Park, Colorado, has a problem that cannot be buried: Its cemetery is running out of space. So now, the city is looking at modern technology solutions like drones and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) equipment to figure out how it can create more room.

Choo choo! Alternating between an uncrewed aerial vehicle and a robotic ground device, a new drone by Europe-based Nordic Unmanned promises to get maintenance and inspection tasks in the railway industry back on track.

There are deeds that qualify as “drones for good,” and others that must sadly be cast as “drones for dumb.” It’s that latter group that a pilot in Australia joined after he decided to fly his drone in the lion enclosure of a Victoria zoo – then got uppity when ordered to stop.

Aerospace giant Honeywell is teaming up with anti-jamming expert InfiniDome to develop a new drone sensor capable of enhancing GPS resiliency when signals are weak or experiencing blockages. The new tech, which is being designed for defense and commercial users alike, is expected to hit markets during the first semester of next year.

Boston Dynamics’ humanoid bot, Atlas, continues to impress. A video dropped today shows two robots navigating a complex obstacle course like a boss. The bipedal bots run up a series of plywood panels, leap over gaps and a balanced beam, and even conduct perfectly synchronized backflips as if it were no big deal.

Qualcomm has unveiled the world’s first drone platform and reference design that will tap in both 5G and AI technologies. The chipmaker’s Flight RB5 5G Platform condenses multiple complex technologies into one tightly integrated drone system to support a variety of use cases, including film and entertainment, security and emergency response, delivery, defense, inspection, and mapping.

The UK Department for Transport (DfT) is launching a multimillion-pound initiative to improve local roads across England. Among other things, this program aims to explore the use of drones and 3D printing technology when it comes to finding and fixing potholes.

Fans of drone videos know Ellis van Jason as a master of the art, and a veritable wizard of cinematic first person view (FPV) flights. For any readers who missed it, DroneDJ is now shouting about an absolute cracker he has uploaded featuring a dizzying plunge down the world’s tallest waterfall.

To anyone who has ever loved and temporarily lost a pet, this tale will qualify for vaunted “drones for good” status. Nine excruciating days after a newlywed couple’s puppy disappeared along the coast of Cornwall in the UK, a group of helpful, hopeful drone pilots flying a volunteer search mission found the lost dog, just as their last battery was about to give out.

Several lifetimes of change have occurred in life and business since the explosion of dotcom stock flotations (and, for many, subsequent busts) of the late 1990s. Among those differences is how futuristic advanced air mobility (AAM) drone sector companies that inspire so much market excitement today are raising finances faster and easier on Wall Street than their Silicon Valley elders – and in ways tech vets may regard with a mix of envy and wariness.

Baltimore-based drone manufacturer Watts Innovations has announced the launch of PRISM Sky – a heavy lift, LTE-enabled drone for industrial applications. Powered by Auterion’s open-source ecosystem, the PRISM Sky drone is NDAA-compliant, making it ideal for operators who require products that are manufactured in the US, free of data privacy concerns.

With drones making spying on sharks easier than ever, videos of close encounters where swimmers and surfers are oblivious to the predators’ presence have become commonplace. What’s not common is to see people willingly flock to a shiver of sharks to hang out with them. But that’s exactly what happens every summer on the shores off the coast of La Jolla in San Diego, California.

Updated: August 17, 2021, 7:53 am

The FAA has begun near real-time approval of night airspace authorization requests through its Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) platform, negating the need for special waivers. Here’s how you can get LAANC authorization for nighttime drone operations almost instantaneously…