The Lily quadcopter flies itself and can follow you at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour at a height of 10 to 30 feet. But Lily also has packs a nice camera that captures high-definition video (1080p at 60 frame per second). The Menlo Park, Calif.-based startup, Lily Robotics, doesn’t see itself as competing with drone makers like DJI. Instead, it wants to take on action sports camera maker GoPro. Continue reading
Category Archives: Non-Military & Commercial UAS
Holographic Radar Can Detect sUAS at 4 Nautical Miles
Following a series of tests beginning at the end of last year, Aveillant’s unique holographic radar has proved able to detect and track drones, as small as the commercially available Phantom II, at ranges in excess of 4 nautical miles.
EasyJet Quadcopters for Aircraft Inspections
The U.K. budget airline EasyJet is known more for its bright orange logo and cheap flights than cutting-edge technology. Its new venture may go some way to change that though. Bloomberg found out how the company plans to use drones to check airplanes for damage. Continue reading
UAS Map Ice Floe in Antarctic
Scientists have successfully piloted drones over Antarctic ice floe from aboard a ship in a world-first operation they say has the potential to change the face of Antarctic science. Continue reading
Industrial Inspection of a 104-Year-Old Chimney
SkyDrones Tecnologia Avionica in Brazil was able to inspect and estimate the cost of repairing a 104-year-old chimney by reconstructing it using UAV-acquired images and image processing software.
Jammer Hunting with a UAV
A fully autonomous, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based system for locating GPS jammers, currently under development, seeks to localize a jammer to within 30 meters in less than 15 minutes in an area comparable to that of an airport.
Tropical Cyclone Damage Assessment by UAS
Following the devastation of Cyclone Pam, the Government of the South Pacific island of Vanuatu and the World Bank contacted Australian operator Heliwest, who deployed Lockheed Martin’s Indago small unmanned aerial system (UAS) to conduct a rapid damage assessment. The Indago collected imagery of the damage over a two week mission and provided the data to operators, without risking a life.
Tokio Marine Launches UAS Coverage at Lloyd’s
Tokio Marine Kiln Group Ltd. will now offer coverage for unmanned aerial systems, or drones, in the Lloyd’s of London market. Continue reading