A drone is being developed to survey the interior of reactor buildings at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima No. 1 plant. The unmanned aircraft will use lasers to detect and avoid obstacles in flight and will be able to land to replace its batteries in the absence of an operator. Continue reading
Category Archives: News
Microsoft to use Drones to Predict Disease Outbreaks
Microsoft, founded by a man who is not a fan of mosquitoes, wants to develop drones to detect and catch mosquitoes. Researchers on the ominously named Project Premonition will then take blood samples from the mosquitoes to determine if they are carrying diseases from animals they’ve bitten, or any diseases they’re carrying themselves. Continue reading
Malaysia Deploys UAS for Earthquake Disaster Relief
The Communications and Multimedia Ministry is collaborating with the Malaysian Emergency Response System (Mers 999) to do aerial surveys and mapping of the areas affected by last Friday’s 5.9-magnitude earthquake, by using UAVs.
Electric Propulsion System Improves Safety of Light Aircraft
Researchers at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and the AXTER Aerospace firm have developed an electric propulsion system to install in small gasoline-powered planes for extra power and range in emergency situations. This new hybrid system could prevent 600 accidents a year.
Anti-Jam Antenna Trialled on HexCopter
Blue Bear Systems Research Ltd has successfully conducted trials to validate the performance of Chemring Technology Solutions‘ GPS anti-jamming module, GINCAN. Continue reading
Thales Developing Counter-UAV Technology
Thales is embarking on the development of counter-unmanned air vehicle systems by adopting sensor technology it has already developed to prevent malicious systems from flying near critical infrastructure. Continue reading
China’s Divine Eagle Stealth UAV
Photos have emerged of the Divine Eagle, perhaps China’s most ambitious drone design. Planned to hunt stealth planes from afar, it could turn out to be not just the world’s largest drone, but one of the most important to the future of war. Continue reading
America Is Building a Fake City to Test Drones
Out in the middle of a desert a company is building something that at first glance seems utterly pointless: A fake city. Capable of holding an entirely imaginary population of 35,000 people this city will have an industrial sector, a suburban centre and even a park. Continue reading