The prefectural government of Kanagawa has used drones to survey a no-go zone in the Owakudani hot spring district on Mount Hakone, where a level 2 volcanic alert has been in place. Continue reading
Category Archives: Non-Military & Commercial UAS
‘Abortion Drone’ to Drop DIY Drugs to Women in Poland
A drone carrying medical abortion pills is set to fly to Poland, where abortion is severely restricted for women. The ‘abortion drone’ is being sent by not-for-profit organisation Women on Waves – which provides medical abortion pills around the world – in a bid to help Polish women terminate their pregnancies safely.
Amazon 30 Minute Drone Delivery Service will be Ready when FAA Regulations Change
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated in a congressional hearing that regulations for commercial drones will be finalized and put in place within one year. Almost immediately after, Amazon said that as soon as these regulations are implemented, they will be ready to launch their drone delivery system. Continue reading
Nigeria to Deploy UAS for Surveillance of Oil Installations
Dr Ade Abolurin, Commandant-General, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), says the Corps had concluded plans to deploy about 500 UAS and aircraft for proper surveillance of oil installations in the country.
Test Flights to Detect Mock Pipeline Hazards
Unmanned aircraft researchers associated with the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership at Virginia Tech tested new sensor technology designed to detect potentially disruptive activities along energy pipeline routes.
Factory Drone that Investigates Failures
When a sensor detects a problem within a factory a human worker is usually sent to investigate. CyPhy Works, from Boston, Massachusetts, plans to hook its camera-equipped LVL 1 drones up to Cisco’s DevNet platform so they can complete tasks traditionally done by people in everything from factories to shops.
Parrot Hydrofoil Drone
A new drone from Parrot does double duty, flying through the air like any other quadcopter but converting in a snap to propel a small hydrofoil boat. By attaching the drone perpendicular to the body of the boat, the gadget sends its thrust rearward instead of down, causing the boat to move forward and rise up on its little pontoons. Continue reading
Drone to Fly Autonomously Inside Fukushima Reactor
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