Category Archives: Non-Military & Commercial UAS

Mail & Medicine Drone Delivery Experiment in Botswana

The Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) through its Department of Computer Science and Information Systems in the process of launching drones that would assist with community service in Palapye and surrounding areas. This is part of the strategy to demonstrate the effectiveness of technology in delivering services. Continue reading →

Phase One Industrial and Lufthansa Aerial Services Sign Cooperation Agreement for UAV-based Aerial Imaging

Phase One Industrial and Lufthansa Aerial Services announced that they have signed an agreement to build technological synergies in the context of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and system integration for a range of specialized industrial surveying and inspection use cases. Continue reading →

CNN Gets First Part 107 Waiver for Operations Over People

CNN has received a first-of-its-kind Part 107 waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fly a small unmanned aircraft system (UAS) over people.  This approval represents an industry milestone, as this new waiver for the first time will enable real-world UAS operations over people.   Continue reading →

WiBotic PowerPad – Wireless Drone Charging Pad

WiBotic, a provider of wireless power and battery intelligence solutions for the robotics industry, has announced WiBotic PowerPad, a completely integrated wireless charging pad for drones. Designed for the many drone operators who don’t want to develop their own wireless charging pad, WiBotic PowerPad contains the WiBotic transmitter circuit, transmitter antenna and power supply in one ready-to-go unit. Continue reading →

Project Wing Expands Testing in Australia

Over the past few years, Project Wing has conducted thousands of flights to get our drone delivery technology ready for everyday use. In early 2016, we successfully completed our first drone deliveries to members of the public in an open field at Virginia Tech University. This fall we’ve been testing in a rural community on the border of the ACT and NSW and tackling an entirely different level of operational complexity: making deliveries directly to people’s yards. Continue reading →

MQ-9 Supports Fire Fighting Efforts in Northern California

The California Air National Guard’s 163d Attack Wing operating out of March Air Reserve Base is using MQ-9 Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), with full-motion video (optical and infra-red) and ground imaging Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) capability, in support of CAL FIRE’s firefighting efforts in Northern California. SAR is able to see clearly though both clouds and smoke. Continue reading →

Aerovel’s Flexrotor Sets VTOL 32 Hour Endurance Mark

Long range and endurance are capabilities not often associated with VTOL aircraft. But Aerovel’s unmanned Flexrotor, a unique miniature tailsitter, is cut from a different cloth. Last week a Flexrotor named for the sea nymph Actaea lifted off into a grey and rainy morning with 7.5 kg of fuel onboard. It transitioned from hover to wing-borne flight, and soldiered on through a showery day, a blustery night, and then another day in the breezy and unsettled air behind a cold front. Continue reading →