Farmers Insurance has announced that it has enlisted a fleet of unmanned aerial aircraft systems (UAS) to enhance the claims experience for customers who have suffered significant damage to their roof following major weather events. Continue reading
Category Archives: Non-Military & Commercial UAS
Drones to Protect Koala Bears in Queensland
Queensland University of Technology will deploy drones in a high-tech effort to find and protect koalas in South East Queensland, with the State Government announcing a funding boost for koala conservation. Continue reading
NOAA Picks SuperSwift for Nighttime Fire Observation
Black Swift Technologies (BST), a specialized engineering firm based in Boulder, Colo., is supplying its small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) nighttime wildfire measurements. Continue reading
CSIRO and Ruralco Team to Push Digital Management and Drones on Farms in Australia
CSIRO and agribusiness, Ruralco, have teamed up in a partnership which will promote greater use of digital technology, including drones and long-range sensing in agriculture. Continue reading
UK Small RPAS Mid-Air Collision Study Published
Airliner cockpit for impact testing (left) and computer reference model
The Department for Transport, the Military Aviation Authority and British Airline Pilots’ Association commissioned a study into the effects of a mid-air collision between small remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS, commonly known as a drones) and manned aircraft. Continue reading
Precision Farming via Satellite Imaging
Drone with Butterfleye LS hyperspectral images
Precision farming is set to become even more precise with a new camera drawing on satellite imaging. Thanks to research with ESA on new cameras, hyper-spectral cameras flying on drones are now able to see details as small as 4–5 cm. Continue reading
China to Use CH-T4 Solar Drone as ‘Quasi-Satellite’ and Wi-Fi Hub
China is developing an airborne mobile Wi-Fi hub in near space with solar-powered drones. The Feiyun (“Flying Cloud”) project is able to secure emergency communication for more than one week and proof of concept is expected to be demonstrated before the end of year. Continue reading
Drones and AI Beat Humans at Fake Duck Test
Jarrod Hodgson/Unmanned Research Aircraft Facility University of Adelaide
An experiment using fake ducks to stand in for the real thing has found that when it comes to counting birds, drones beat humans. Jarrod Hodgson and his colleagues at the University of Adelaide in Australia had previously used aerial images from drones to count seabirds and found that the drones had a more comprehensive view of the colonies than the people trying to count them on the ground. Continue reading