Last week, the US Forest Service officials said they’ve dropped plans to use unmanned aircraft systems to survey forest fires because of clashes with Federal Aviation Administration rules. While some national forest firefighters in Alaska touted the remote-control planes’ ability to map forest fires in thick smoke, their legality proved a limitation. Continue reading
Category Archives: Non-Military & Commercial UAS
Geologists in Norway Deploy UAS in Search for Oil
Researchers at Centre for integrated petroleum research (CIPR), a joint venture between the University of Bergen (UiB) and Uni Research, have found a new preferred method – using UAS to map new oil reserves from the air. Continue reading
Russian Bears to be Protected by UAS
Unmanned aircraft systems are to be tested at a nature reserve on Russia’s Pacific coast this summer to help track wildlife and crack down on poachers, an official from the reserve said . Continue reading
Dancing with Drones
For the past several years, researchers at MIT and the modern dance company Pilobulus have teamed up to explore the interactions between humans and robots as the line between man and machine continues to blur. Continue reading
US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Conducts Ship-Based UAS Mission
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) conducted its first ship-based unmanned aircraft system (UAS) mission with AeroVironment’s Puma UAS. Continue reading
Unmanned Cargo Helicopters Prove Worth in Afghanistan, Leading Way to Civilian Uses
In January a small group of U.S. Marines at a remote base near the village of Shurakay in northern Helmand province was running low on ammunition after fighting fiercely for days. The road in was too dangerous for a resupply convoy, and there were so many Taliban fighters that a helicopter crew trying to fly in would have been at serious risk. Continue reading
Draganflyer Helps Canadian Police Find Accident Victim
A Saskatchewan man, lost and alone, was found by an RCMP remote controlled helicopter that spotted him from the sky. Continue reading
New OctoCopter from Tescorp in Colombia
Tecscorp Industries will soon unveil its new VTOL “Chronos” unmanned aircraft system, as part of an effort to develop covert equipment for use by special forces personnel and for agricultural, industrial applications. Continue reading