Logistics firm DHL is using a quadcopter to fly parcels to the German island of Juist, in what it says is the first time an unmanned aircraft has been authorized to deliver goods in Europe.
Category Archives: Non-Military & Commercial UAS
FAA to Announce Approval for UAS Use In Filming
The FAA will approve Hollywood’s request to use UAS for filming, government and industry sources familiar with the process have told Forbes. On Thursday afternoon the FAA will announce its decision, and explain the procedures under which production companies will operate and the aviation rules which they are exempted from, the sources say. Continue reading
Indian Students Develop QuadCopter with Facial Recognition
A group of students at SRM University in Chennai, India, led by Sobin Santhosh, final year student in the Aerospace department have designed and implemented an autonomous copter equipped with an automatic face and person recognition system in a day. They have trained their intelligent software to detect a person irrespective of his/her attire, face orientation, posture and/or background. Continue reading
Flying Lampshades by the Cirque du Soleil
If anyone could turn quadcopters into romantic, magical, flying lampshades, it’s the Cirque du Soleil. The Cirque, the worldwide, billion-dollar-plus entertainment empire, on Monday unveiled a video (see below) showcasing its use of quadcopters as a lyrical storytelling tool. Continue reading
3-D Printed Military-Grade UAS Using Off-The-Shelf Components
A group of engineering professors and college students have come up with a 3D-printed UAS for the U.S. Department of Defense. The research group at the University of Virginia is led by David Sheffler, a lecturer in the university’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Continue reading
PrecisionHawk Raises $10M to Expand
PrecisionHawk, an information delivery company that uses a small, lightweight UAV [Unmanned Aerial Vehicle] and cloud-based software to collect, process and analyze aerial data, today announced it has closed a Series B financing round of approximately $10 million led by New York City-based investor Millennium Technology Value Partners. Continue reading
DJI Phantom – NYPD Helicopter Near-Miss Over Brooklyn
An NYPD helicopter had an 800- feet-high near-miss with a drone as the cops searched for a missing teenage girl in Brooklyn early Wednesday, law-enforcement sources told The Post. Just before 1 a.m., the chopper was hovering over 1240 Greene Ave. in Bushwick when it was forced to suddenly change course because of the drone, sources said.
Google Wants to Test UAS Internet Access in New Mexico
Google on Sept. 12 filed a request with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) asking permission to access two frequency blocks for tests lasting six months. Scheduled to start on Oct. 6, the tests will be carried out above an area spanning over 1,400 square kilometers east of Albuquerque in the heart of New Mexico.