Antoine Balaresque, who co-founded the Lily company in the basement of a University of California, Berkeley robotics lab, set out to make the simplest drone — make that, flying camera, or one that didn’t require any flight skills. Continue reading
Category Archives: Non-Military & Commercial UAS
Drone Policies at US Ski Areas
Last January, at a seminar on drone use held during the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) Eastern Winter Conference hosted at Killington Resort, members heard that a policy would be needed at ski areas and that there were many potential uses for drones, from an operations standpoint—lift and trail inspections, searches for lost persons, etc.—to guest use and commercial usages. However, it was noted that FAA regulations were in progress and that privacy and safety concerns made it a complex issue.
DHS to Expand Drone Testing to Improve Border Protection
Department of Homeland Security researchers are spearheading a push to better protect the nation’s coasts and borders by consolidating research efforts and standardizing unmanned operations between two of its agencies. Continue reading
Drone Controlled by Apple Watch
A Taiwanese technology research team has found a way to pilot drones and manipulate light using gestures from an Apple Watch, which could mean a realistic future for The Force not on the “Star Wars” movie screen, but in the palm of your hand.
No Drone Footage at 2016 X Games in Aspen
ESPN will not employ drones to videotape the 2016 X Games in Aspen, according to a spokesman who said the decision is unrelated to the International Ski Federation’s recent ban of the flying devices after one almost hit an Austrian racer during a December World Cup event.
Parrot Unveils Fixed Wing Disco at CES
The 700-gram Parrot Disco, which the company has been working on for the last two years, is a small fixed-wing consumer drone that looks like a model airplane. It can fly up to 45 minutes and reach speeds of just under 50 mph. The 1080p 14-megapixel camera at the front of the drone is the same one that Parrot used for its Bebop 2 quadcopter. Continue reading
Smallest Quadcopter with Streaming WI-FI Video
The Axis Aerius is considered to be the smallest RC quadcopter you can buy, even smaller than the company’s new Vidius drone. But that’s because Axis has managed to fit a live-streaming wi-fi video camera inside the new Vidius, giving pilots a first-person view of their flights. Continue reading
Tokyo Police Snatch Illegal Drones Out of the Sky
Tokyo police have adopted a new system for dealing with illegal drones. They now have a fleet of drone catchers, each equipped with a 10-foot net that can capture a drone without letting it fall to the ground.
Source: Tech Insider