French players in the sector recently held their first general meeting. More than 350 companies have joined this growing niche. The first General Assembly of the young Professional Federation of civilian UAS (FPDC) was standing room only on Monday of last week, at the Aéroclub de France. Continue reading
Category Archives: Non-Military & Commercial UAS
Dehogaflier UAS Battles Feral Hogs
Taking a cue from America’s use of UAS to fight terrorists, the war on feral hogs has gone high tech and high altitude. Two friends in Lafayette, La. modified a remote control aircraft for their frequent hunts for the destructive wild pigs. It’s more military op than hunting trip. “It’s not hunting,” said James Palmer. “It’s extermination.”
Construction Company Considers UAS for Motorway Inspections
Engineering and construction giant Balfour Beatty has revealed that it is interested in using UAS to inspect motorways and possibly even build walls. Continue reading
MTSI Expands UAS Services into the Commercial UAS Marketplace
Modern Technology Solutions, Inc. (MTSI), a systems engineering provider in the Government Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) domain, has announced the expansion of its UAS services into the Commercial UAS marketplace. Continue reading
US Venture Capitalists Invested $40M in UAS Start-Ups in 9 Months
Venture capitalists like Tim Draper are placing their bets on the commercial applications of UAS. Draper, an early investor in Hotmail, Skype and Baidu, is now backing DroneDeploy, a start-up that is building software to direct unmanned aircraft on land mapping and the surveillance of agricultural fields.
“UAS hold the promise of companies anticipating our every need and delivering without human involvement,” Draper, 55, wrote in an e-mail. “Everything from pizza delivery to personal shopping can be handled by UAS.” Continue reading
Northern Ireland Police UAS Helps Defuse Terrorist Explosive Device
The Police Service of Northern Ireland has confirmed that the UAS technology was used to help keep the community, police and Army officers safe as a “small, viable device” was defused in Jamaica Street in the Ardoyne area of north Belfast. Continue reading
French Start-Up Delair-Tech Raises $4M of Private Investment for Civil UAS Development
French start-up, Delair-Tech has raised 4 million dollars of private investment from the Andromede holding company and also the Parrot technology company, accelerating its growth in the ever expanding professional civil UAS market. Continue reading
“Crash Happy” Gimball UAS Bounces Off Obstacles
An interesting flying robot has been created called Gimball that is specifically designed to be able to crash and recover quickly. The creators of the robot designed it to be used in situations that might be hazardous for humans. The flying device has a spherical roll cage mounted on pivots that allows the helicopter to stay upright, as well as to handle cramped spaces where other aircraft would likely crash. Continue reading