DroneDJ

Air taxi manufacturer Archer Aviation has announced a trio of developments that, even taken individually, represent huge news for the company – the biggest among them being the abrupt transformation of its bitter legal battle with sector rival Wisk into an autonomous flight tech sharing partnership.

Nearly 48 hours after news began circulating that the prototype air taxi by UK advanced air mobility firm Vertical Aerospace suffered an accident, the company is still managing public response in the worst possible way – by acting like a slow-moving, tight-lipped, stodgy, “Mad Men” corporation rather than the creative, quick, and innovative startup it is.

DJI has released the teaser for a new drone launch event scheduled to take place in China on August 16, 2023. The world’s largest consumer drone maker looks set to officially enter the delivery and logistics segment with its latest product.

Skydio, the US drone maker considered by many to be the only real competition to China’s DJI, has announced it will no longer manufacture recreational or hobby drones. Skydio cofounder and CEO Adam Bry says the company has taken the “very difficult decision” to exit the consumer business “in order to put everything we’ve got into serving our enterprise and public sector customers.”

AirHub, a Netherlands-based drone software maker, has announced an exciting new addition to its drone management platform. Called Live Operations, AirHub’s latest offering supercharges live video streams from DJI drones and DJI Dock with features such as AI-based object detection, live telemetry data, and sharable video links.

The recent firmware updates for the DJI Agras T40 and T20P drones pack in several noteworthy optimizations that help to improve the overall drone efficiency and reduce operation times. Here’s what to expect when you update the T40 or T20P drones to their latest firmware version…

Drone logistics specialist A2Z Drone Delivery has launched the second generation of its off-the-shelf RDST Longtail cargo aircraft. The upgraded drone has a more streamlined design and boasts a new propulsion system. But the most exciting upgrade comes in the form of a new rainproof delivery winch that allows the drone to fly for longer-range missions even in inclement weather.

In another indication that medical transport services may well be the largest initial activity for emerging drone delivery operators, UK company Skyports says it has successfully wrapped up a month-long trial of aerial shuttles with the nation’s EMED Group.

India’s services company Garuda Aerospace says it’s extending the reach of its work-around to the nation’s 2022 protectionist ban on drone imports – and the gaping hole created by excluded DJI craft – through a new agreement with a quintet of specialized international producers compliant with those restrictions.

Even during the dog days of August, leakers never sleep – with one decidedly active online sleuth unearthing unprecedented video of what’s now described as a DJI Mini 4 development drone, as well as an elevated-armed mystery UAV.

It may not fly like one of the company’s trademark drones, but DJI says its new video transmission and receiver products will significantly elevate the capabilities – and improve the work – of professional cinematographers and hardcore movie makers using the devices.

Defense and security UAV and robotics group Red Cat Holdings has announced its new contract to supply a US government agency with over 150 of its Teal 2 drones, which will be used for the monitoring and protection of US Air Force bases.

Surf Life Saving NSW, a water safety and emergency rescue organization in Australia, is trialing new drone technology to look for missing bushwalkers or people swept into rough seas.

Birdstop, a California-based company that operates a drone network across the US akin to a constellation of satellites on the ground, has scooped up $2.3 million in new funding. The startup says it will use the funds to buy more drones that can inspect critical infrastructure and grow its AI capabilities.

Leading global consumer and enterprise drone manufacturer DJI has issued a warning to customers about the risk of scams in downloading apps for its product from third-party sources, and urges users to obtain operating interfaces only from its own service.

In the wake of the city’s recent decision to introduce permitting procedures expected to ease its notoriously tight drone restrictions, the New York Police Department (NYPD) has moved to expand its own fleet by procuring cutting-edge BRINC tactical UAVs designed for use in critical situations to reduce threat to human lives.

An Orlando-based company planning to support emergency medical services in Florida with advanced drone delivery operations says it has reached a major new milestone by successfully getting its small UAS parachute recovery systems certified according to ASTM International standards.

A group of Washington state startup executives is pooling the experience and knowledge of overlapping backgrounds to turn their Data Blanket creation into an effective and powerful tool for the firefighters increasingly called out to battle raging blazes blackening multiplying areas of the planet.

Photographs shared with DroneDJ by an irrepressible leaker of DJI development products suggest the global drone leader is currently readying to market a Mini 4 Pro atop the multiple UAVs it has already rolled out in 2023 – an image of which we can offer as a preview with this post.

Aerial transport services company Drone Delivery Canada says it has successfully completed test flights of its Canary UAV in commercial operation conditions, verifying the craft’s enhancements over the firm’s earlier Sparrow vehicle.

The world’s leading drone company is set to launch its first dedicated DJI-Hasselblad Concept Store outside of Asia later this month, with tomorrow’s opening of a two-story retail showcase in the UK.

ModalAI, a Blue UAS framework manufacturer of autonomous drone technology, has launched the Starling, the company’s smallest, smartest, and safest development drone to date. With the VOXL 2 drone autopilot supercharging its core, the Starling packs in powerful computing and artificial intelligence.

California maker of large-scale special purpose Pelican drones, Pyka, has received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval to operate its highly automated agricultural UAV for crop spraying missions – an achievement that may facilitate the company’s planned deployment of its cargo delivery craft as well. 

Despite the general cooling of previously hot investor enthusiasm for tech – especially companies pursuing next-generation aviation aircraft and services – startups pursuing what now remain largely conceptual drone delivery operations continue attracting a remarkable flow of development capital according to recently published figures.