Feds charge drone pilot after MLB stadium no-fly violation
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Drone deliveries with Amazon, Wing Aviation, and Uber Technologies
This morning the Wall Street Journal has a detailed article about deliveries by drone. They take a closer look at Amazon, Wing Aviation and Uber Technologies. For some reason, UPS with their Matternet drones are not getting that same amount of attention in this article, even though they recently were awarded a Part 135 certification by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
DJI Mavic Mini: new photos and updated specs for palm-sized drone
New photos and updated specs for the palm-sized, DJI Mavic Mini (from DJI or Amazon). We’ve seen it before that when we get closer to a product’s release date more and more specifications and photos start to surface online. Sometimes the specifications are slightly different than what we have heard from industry insiders or have seen in pre-production models. And such is the case with the DJI Mavic Mini. We have some good and some less good news for you.
New drone technology can tell if a body is dead or alive from a distance
In a world-first study, university researchers from Adelaide, Australia, and Iraq have been working on drones with special cameras and software that can tell if a person is dead or alive, for instance in disaster-stricken areas.
DJI’s announcement: Fly as you are! – 9 am EDT, October 30th
DJI just sent out an announcement via email. It is titled: ‘Fly as you are’ and mentions October 30th at 9 am EDT as the day and time the Chinese drone-maker will release a new product. We can only guess (wink) as to what it is that DJI will introduce this time, but looking at the title it seems fair to say that it will likely fly. Will this be the first drone DJI releases this year?
DJI Mavic Mini $399 price tag confirmed — release ‘imminent’
This morning, our old friend and DJI leaker OsitaLV tweeted a short video showing the DJI Mavic Mini (from DJI or Amazon) listed on a Chinese website with a confirmed price tag of $399. If that number looks familiar, it is probably because of our article more than two months ago. The listing also shows us a few new photos of the sub-250-gram foldable mini drone.
DJI Airworks 2019 Keynote Wednesday morning with Mario Rebello, Jan Gasparic… — Part II
Here’s the second keynote from DJI Airworks 2019 from Wednesday morning with Mario Rebello, Jan Gasparic, Dinesh Narayanan, Brendan Schulman, Cynthia Huang, Suzanne Lemieux, and Greg Aldrich talking about topics ranging from DJI’s Qualified Entities Program, ADS-B, edge computing, safety and more.
Shave 50% off this GPS-enabled drone with a 2K camera, now $120 shipped
Potensic (98% positive lifetime feedback) via Amazon is offering its D80 GPS Drone with 2K Camera for $119.94 shipped when the code U67H3V7P is used at checkout. This is down 50% from its regular going rate and is a new low that we’ve tracked. With built-in GPS tracking, this drone is perfect for longer-range flying. Plus, it offers return-to-home functionality that makes sure your drone comes back should the connection between it and your controller is lost. Plus, it can fly up to 25 miles per hour, which makes for fun stunts with friends and is great for tracking shots. Rated 4.4/5 stars.
DJI Airworks 2019 in LA – Keynote Mario Rebello, R. Durscher, J. Gasparic, – Part I
DJI Airworks 2019 took place in LA this year. DroneDJ was invited and we recorded a number of the keynotes, panel discussions, and sessions that we think are worth sharing with you. We used automated transcription software on the videos to capture all that was spoken in text, however, this method is far from perfect. It does, however, offer you the benefit of searching through the text and skipping to the parts that are relevant to you. I will put a link to the entire text in a Google Doc so that in case you’d like to help clean up the text, you can. Actually that would be much appreciated because it is simply too much work for one person to do. We will update the articles on DroneDJ if better quality text becomes available. This is a bit of an experiment so we will see how it goes. More videos from DJI Airworks 2019 will go live soon. Let us know if we should keep doing this or if we are wasting our time.
The Skydio 2 warranty: Read the fine print
The brand-new Skydio 2 drone that was announced a few weeks ago is supposed to have an amazing warranty. Unlike other drones companies, Skydio will replace or repair your drone for free if it crashes. But as always, there is some fine print. I read it, so you don’t have to. I also got in touch with Skydio to clarify some of the details. Let’s see just how good this warranty really is. Spoiler alert: Don’t sell your Mavic just yet!
Parrot is announcing its new Enterprise Loan Program
The program allows enterprises to test Parrot’s professional ANAFI platform within a working environment for six weeks. Professional partners will receive a complete set of hardware (drone, controller, batteries) and software (piloting app, SDK documentation, third-party apps, and services)– providing them the opportunity to discover how Parrot’s professional drones can be integrated into their businesses. At the conclusion of the program, Parrot is looking to receive feedback from its program partners on how ANAFI professional drones perform in real use-case scenarios.
UPS and CVS partner to deliver prescriptions by drone
Not to be outdone by its longtime rival FedEx, UPS has announced a partnership with CVS Pharmacy to deliver prescriptions by drone. The logistics giant has reached an agreement with CVS to use drones for a variety of deliveries.
Wing Aviation partners with FedEx and Walgreens to deliver packages by drone
Alphabet’s Wing Aviation has partnered with FedEx and Walgreens to deliver packages by drone. The deliveries by drone are expected to start this fall in Christiansburg, Virginia.
LA Fire Department plans to significantly increase its drone fleet
The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) is looking to significantly increase its drone fleet. The LAFD is one of the largest fire departments in the United States next to New York City and Chicago. With an annual budget of about $691 million and 3,500 employees, the department responded to 492,717 calls in 2018.
It’s time for New York to craft common-sense regulations for drones
Justin Brannan, who represents Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, and Bath Beach in the City Council, argues in the New York Daily News that “it’s time for New York to craft common-sense regulations for drones.” I couldn’t agree with him more. However, Brannan also mentions new legislation that he has drafted to allow drones to be flown in the city. He mentions registration and insurance requirements as well as a form of Remote ID. It is unclear whether his drafted legislation is in line with what the FAA is doing, or whether Brannan is proposing legislation purely for drone flying in New York City. I would argue against the latter, as it will contribute to an impossibly hard-to-navigate patchwork of drone laws around the country, similar to what Mike Lee is suggesting with the Drone Integration and Zoning Act.
New drone registration and education service in the UK
On their website today, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announces new drone and model aircraft registration and education service that will come into effect and law on November 30, 2019, in the UK. Any drone pilot or operator flying a drone between 250 grams (0.55 lbs) and 20 kilograms (88 lbs) will need to register as an operator. The registration will need to be renewed every year for a cost of £9 or almost $12 USD.
Farmers now teach sheep to follow a drone
Instead of chasing sheep with a drone or using an unmanned aircraft to bark at them, farmers are now trying to teach the woolly animals to follow the drone as positive reinforcement seems to work best.
NPR: “It is increasingly likely that drone deliveries will soon take off”
Today, the NPR published a great article about drone deliveries that will soon take off. It talks about the drone deliveries that are taking place at the WakeMed Hospital Campus in partnership with UPS Flight Forward, using Matternet drones in Raleigh, NC. UPS recently was awarded a Part 135 certification from the FAA and the testing takes place as part of the UAS Integration Pilot Program. More testing with drone deliveries is taking place in Christiansburg, VA where Walgreens partners with FedEx and Wing Aviation.
These are the DJI Mavic 2 features that the new Skydio 2 is missing
The Skydio 2 is undoubtedly the most exciting and the most important consumer drone of the year. Despite its groundbreaking capabilities, there are two features that the Skydio 2 is missing that the DJI Mavic drones ($1439-$1729) have. These two features give DJI an advantage in the eyes of many consumers. In this post, I’ll tell you why the Skydio 2 does not have folding arms and why the Skydio 2 doesn’t have any landing gear.
FPV drone films world record MTB attempt of a ski jump! [video]
Johannes Fischbach’s attempt to set a world record for the longest jump on a mountain bike resulted in a ‘super crash’ from which he luckily walked away in one piece. The incredible jump was recorded from a number of different angles, the most spectacular one, in my opinion, is the FPV drone footage. Check out the video below.
DJI welcomes FAA and industry reports on improving drone safety
DJI welcomes FAA and industry reports on improving drone safety. Key recommendations from drone experts mirror DJI’s safety and security initiatives.
LIDAR equipped drones and airplanes help discover and map Maya ruins
In recent years LIDAR equipped drones and airplanes have helped to make a number of discoveries as it allows archaeologists to ‘see’ through dense vegetation and find ruins of old civilizations such as the Maya’s in Mexico
Skydio 2 vs. DJI Mavic Camera Quality – Can Skydio compete?
There is no doubt the Skydio 2 is going to be an exciting drone. It is most certainly an improvement over the original Skydio drone. Its autonomous flight modes are undoubtedly better than any DJI drone to date. But how will the camera stack up against the Mavic 2 series or the Phantom 4 Pro ($2199)? With a 1/2.3-inch sensor it can’t likely compete, right? After all, size matters. Or does it?
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Drone Integration and Zoning Act aims to transfer authority to local governments
The Drone Integration and Zoning Act, introduced by Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) on Wednesday, aims to transfer authority over low-flying drones to local governments such as states, cities, and Native American tribes instead of the federal government.
Could Little Ripper drone warn Cape Cod tourists about great white sharks?
Earlier today, I came across a story [paywall] in the Wall Street Journal that tells how a recent study from Woods Hole Group Inc. shows that there are no good methods to keep swimmers safe from great white sharks in the waters off Cape Cod. In recent years, several people have been injured by sharks, and at least one person died in 2018. It made me wonder whether the Little Ripper drone with SharkSpotter technology from the Australia-based Ripper Group might be able to help warn Cape Cod tourists about great white sharks.