DroneDJ

Tech giant DJI has released a major new firmware update for its latest sub-250-gram drone, Mini 4 Pro. The firmware significantly improves camera functions, aircraft safety, and device compatibility. Read on to see what all is new…

Like the state itself, everything is really, really big in Texas – including the distances separating remote towns from teeming urban areas. Now Texas Tech University is moving to bridge those gaps that often undermine healthcare in more isolated locales by testing drone deliveries using Australian UAV company Swoop Aero craft.

Sony Electronics has released a major new firmware update for the Airpeak S1 commercial drone. The update features advanced mapping and improved safety protocols for enterprise users while making the drone compatible with additional iPad and iPhone models.

Reports that Russia‘s armed forces are starting to claw away at the specific aerial advantage Ukraine has long held with its production and skilled use of small drones took on a significant footnote this month. The qualifier designates what’s described as the mass manufactured, inexpensive AQ 400 Scythe loitering munition – a UAV capable of 750-kilometer flights deep into occupied Crimea or Russia’s heartland, and created to shift the momentum of the war in Kyiv’s favor.

In the latest episode of US government vs. drone maker DJI, lawmakers are demanding oversight into the Department of Defense’s role in allowing American companies to export critical components to DJI. In the middle of the controversy is Maryland-based Ceva whose technology is powering some of the most popular DJI drones including the Mavic 3, Mini 3 Pro, Air 2S, and DJI FPV aircraft.

Manufacturer of high capability security and defense UAVs, Performance Drone Works (PDW) has announced its C100 heavy-lift C100 quadcopter has been named to the Blue sUAS list of drones approved for US government operation.

Drone fleet and airspace management tech specialist Aloft has announced the release of its new UAV flight planning tool Air Aware, an application the company says “effectively replaces the B4UFLY app.”

Christmas may be less than a week away but you still have the time to get the perfect gift to add some magic to the holidays. DJI, whose products usually top the wish lists of most tech enthusiasts, is running discount deals on several drone and camera models for last-minute shoppers. Here are some of our favorite picks that would make great gifts this year.

Global instant logistics leader Zipline will initiate its medical drone delivery activity in the UK by assuming a central role in an aerial network planning to serve over 30 hospitals and other healthcare facilities operated by northwest England’s regional unit of the National Health System (NHS).

Wing Aviation, one of the world’s leading operators of drone delivery services, has received additional authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) allowing the company to considerably broaden its use of beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights without ground observers in the Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX area – and, eventually, in scaling across the US.

Tech giant DJI regularly releases firmware updates to enhance the functionality, stability, and user experience of its products. If you’ve recently bought a new DJI drone, you should know that the company strongly recommends updating firmware promptly. The DJI Fly app will notify you when a new firmware update is available.

Efforts to undermine the fortunes of the world’s leading drone maker DJI are about to bare a bumper crop fruit with legislative passage of a key defense bill that contains the National Security Drone Act of 2023, which blacklists aerial tech from China-based companies for use in official federal agency work. The wider package now awaits President Joe Biden’s signature.

The second iteration of DJI’s audio recording solution, Mic 2, made a quiet debut through the Osmo Pocket 3 Creator Combo a few weeks ago. But the product has seen several firmware tweaks since then, with the latest adding support for connecting to the new Osmo Action 4 camera via Bluetooth.

New York’s Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance (NUAIR) announced a major expansion of its capabilities to prepare diversified drone and advanced air mobility (AAM) activity, with the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) approval to expand the organization’s beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flight zone to cover 240 square-miles.

Today, DJI announced that its Ronin 4D-8K, a camera initially unveiled in 2021, is officially shipping. The full-frame camera can capture ProRes at 8K/75fps internally. The complete Ronin 4D kit comes bundled with the Zenmuse X9-8K gimble camera that attaches to the main body and features 4-axis stabilization for extremely smooth camera movements, even when moving vertically.

The kit includes DJI’s 17-28mm lens, a handy 1TB SSD, wireless transmission and control monitor, battery, a LIDAR focusing system, and everything else you need to get started for $12,838. Professionals who already own the DJI 4D-6K can also purchase the standalone Zenmuse X9-8K gimble camera for $3599 and upgrade from 6K to 8K.

Dronisos, the outfit behind the largest drone light show at Disneyland Paris, is expanding to North America. The company is opening a new office in Florida and plans to conduct its first US holiday drone show at Orlando’s Lake Eola Park on December 23.  

As predicted when policies and budgets were passed to mend long neglected infrastructure across the US, the deployment of drones for inspection and restoration of public assets has increased dramatically. Yet another example of that is the work the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) will do in surveying its aging rail system using a newly-issued Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) waiver for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operation. 

The future of autonomous piloting has come at least two steps nearer with news that two breakthrough trial flights were completed by different aviation tech companies – including one whose systems permitted a cargo plane to fly with nobody in the cockpit.

Drone maker Autel Robotics has announced the launch of its official service center in the United Kingdom. The company, which is offering up to 50% off on its drones during this holiday season, has opened its UK drone repair store in partnership with local drone specialist Vantage UAV.

One-click drone reality capture specialist SkyeBrowse has announced a new price plan that promises to make advanced 2D maps and 3D models affordable for all.

Commercial drone systems developer Matternet says it has been selected to operate medical deliveries between Berlin hospitals and laboratories in a project that will involve the first ever beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) UAV flights over the German capital.

Litchi, a third-party app for DJI drones, has updated its iOS offering. The company has released v2.15.3 of the app to fix some critical issues that users have reported.