DroneDJ

Scores of search and rescue workers at Miami’s Champlain Towers site have been nothing short of heroic in their hunt for victims buried by the building’s June 24th collapse. Among those are a team of Florida State University (FSU) drone experts gathering evidence at the condo disaster that may explain why the structure crumbled – and provide information on how similar failures may been avoided in the future.

A major drone light show in China ended with some of the drones descending into the audience. The descents appeared controlled, but we can’t imagine why they would be intentional.

A startup called NeXt says it’s working on new e-VTOL (Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing) vehicles called iFLY and Pegasus that could become your personal transport drones.

The FAA is trying to raise awareness among drone pilots about NASA’s CALLBACK Aviation Safety Reporting system, which allows drone pilots (and others) to anonymously submit safety-related incidents. The database also allows you to view other submitted incidents, hopefully allowing readers to learn from the mistakes of others.

It’s difficult to imagine the scale of the tragedy caused by torrential rains and flooding in Germany, Belgium, and elsewhere. But drones can help give us — and, more importantly, First Responders — a bigger picture. And one drone video shows a massive sinkhole in Germany.

COVID air travel bans may continue to frustrate holidaymakers, but in India, the skies are finally opening up for business. Only four months after it was introduced, India has junked a contentious drone policy that made industry compliance virtually impossible. Taking its place is the new Draft Drone Rules 2021.

Unfortunately, when we report on drone swarms, it’s typically about a new way to kill or destroy. But here’s a drone swarm designed to save lives.

At least 1,000 baby flamingo carcasses – some partially buried in the mud – have been discovered at Turkey’s Lake Tuz. Horrifying drone footage captured above the dried-out lake bed has alarmed environmentalists who say climate change, drought, and unsustainable farming practices are to blame.

A home-grown drone services company has considerably accelerated New Zealand’s drive to plant a billion trees by 2028 through aerial drops of so-called “seed bombs.”

As seashores start to get packed with sun-worshippers, a coastal town in northeastern Spain is using drones to monitor beach crowds in real time. The drone trials in Sitges come at a time when COVID-19 cases are rising dramatically across Spain.

Drones are set to fly new missions over Pacific atolls, aiming to replicate their coup in the Galápagos archipelago earlier this year by eradicating invasive rats endangering the survival of indigenous wildlife. Topping that list of creatures the flights seek to protect are majestic green sea turtles, whose nests are raided by the voracious rodents.

Record rainfalls in Germany and Belgium have killed at least 70 people and caused widespread destruction in some areas. Drone video from just one flooding location in Germany reveals the extent of the damage.

Inspection of critical assets is one of the areas where Enterprise drones truly excel. Drones like DJI’s M300 RTK can get to places, quickly, that would take a person a long time to reach – and might also endanger that person’s safety. But a drone is only as good as the data it acquires. In this example, that data is excellent.

We’ve posted before on how the demand for drone countermeasures is growing. And now, more proof: Citadel Defense locked down a $4 million contract in June to an undisclosed government customer.

Maybe you’ve wondered where Amazon will find drones powerful enough for a return trip from the warehouse to your house. Amazon apparently shares your sense of wonder. A new patent suggests the company recognizes a serious limitation with Amazon drone delivery.

The world of drones is changing – and fast. And these changes, specifically around autonomy and automation, will undoubtedly have implications for many of the commercial pilots around the world – particularly those who fly in the Enterprise space.

SwellPro, one of the few companies on the planet making waterproof drones, has a new model. It’s called the Splashdrone 4. And it’s made, as you can guess, for wet environments.

Leading global electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) craft manufacturer Volocopter is teaming up with Canadian aviation tech and instruction company CAE to create what the partners call the world’s first eVTOL pilot training and development program. The scheme seeks to produce certified pilots in time for Volocopter’s planned launch of air taxi service for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

The US Marine Corps are testing tiny drones capable of performing a range of duties – including striking remote enemy targets with military-grade grenades. The application adds another reason to react fast to any buzzing sounds swiftly approaching from above.

As an initiative, it qualifies as “doing good for drones for good.” Tech, cloud, and solutions provider Aquiline Drones is offering its uncrewed aerial system (UAS) commercial training and education program free of charge to first responders across the US in gratitude for the work they do on everyone’s behalf.

India has decided to free its drone industry from countless complexities and sluggish bureaucracy. The new draft drone rules proposed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) – Drone Rules, 2021 – promise to bring in an era of trust, self-certification, and non-intrusive monitoring. Here are the 20 biggest takeaways…

This is going to be one hot post.

In what can only be described as a win for the drone community in India, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has repealed the “UAS Rules” that came into force in March 2021. Based on the “valuable feedback from academia, industry, and other stakeholders,” a new set of draft drone rules are being introduced to regulate drone-related activities in a manner that they do not pose any risk to the safety or security of people and property.