A group of scientists is taking the problem of plastic pollution in the oceans by land, sea and air. While Marco Simeoni, the president of the Race for Water Foundation and his team spend 300 days in a yacht collecting samples of all the plastic pollution found in the ocean, a drone is flying over uninhabited beaches collecting images of converging garbage on its shores.
Category Archives: Non-Military & Commercial UAS
MIT Swarming Quadcopter can Float on Water
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have created a drone that can float on water and communicate with other drones via the cloud. Continue reading
AMA Provides sUAS Education Online
The Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA), an organisation that promotes the development of model aviation, has announced the latest addition to its AMA Flight School online learning centre: small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) education with partner Fly Robotics.
Swiss Postal Service to Start Testing Drone Deliveries
Swiss Post, the neutral nation’s postal service, has confirmed it is testing delivery-by-drone. Staff at the outfit have confirmed a report in local media detailing collaboration with Matternet and Swiss WorldCargo, the freight division of Swiss International Air Lines.
China Sets Standard Frequency Ranges for UAS
The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has set standard frequency ranges for handling unmanned aircraft systems. Continue reading
DJI Funding Talks Value Company at $1Billion
Chinese consumer drone maker DJI is in talks to raise funding at a valuation as high as $10 billion, according to people familiar with the matter, in what would be a sizeable bet by investors that flying robots will overcome looming regulation and safety concerns. Continue reading
French Anti-Drone Drone Spots Malicious Pilots in Under a Minute
Following several incidents of unauthorised flights over public monuments in France, ACE has developed a drone capable of tracking an offending drone and shooting it down. Continue reading
3D Robotics Solo Smart Drone
3D Robotics has announced the $1,000 Solo drone (or $1,400 with a GoPro-holding gimbal included) which is full of clever tools to automate and simplify shooting.