UPS has announced its participation in a multi-state study on the use of drones for humanitarian disaster relief operations. The study was coordinated by Measure, a 32 Advisors Company specializing in drone applications, on behalf of the American Red Cross and participating companies, including UPS. The study was initiated to help inform decision-making on key issues related to drone use and policy.
Category Archives: Non-Military & Commercial UAS
Radioactive Drone on Japan Prime Minister’s Office Roof
Japanese authorities were investigating Wednesday after a small drone laced with traces of radiation was found on the roof of the prime minister’s office. No injuries or damage were reported from the incident, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in Indonesia to attend an Asian-African conference.
UAS Hinder Coal Theft in Poland
Polish railway company PKP Cargo has said the introduction of drones across its network has led to a dramatic decline in the theft of coal. The special units were deployed to combat criminals, who targeted the freight wagons some 900 times in the first 10 months of 2014, costing the company millions of dollars. Continue reading
US Red Cross Studies Drones for Disaster Relief
A new study, commissioned by the American Red Cross, calls drones one of the most promising and powerful new technologies to improve disaster response and relief efforts. Continue reading
Belgian Police Acquire UAS After Testing
Belgian Police Authority, MidLim, announced that they will be using a new Altura Zenith unmanned aerial system (UAS) to complement their operations in the Limburg region. They praise the Altura Zenith for its reliability, stability and versatility after deploying it 70 times to search for missing persons, monitor traffic and use for crowd control. Continue reading
Workhorse Shorlisted for US Postal Service
The US Postal Service has narrowed down the companies bidding to build the next generation of its delivery vehicles – and one of them is offering up an all-electric truck that doubles as a drone launcher.
Scientists Use UAS to Map Ocean Trash
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.
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