DJI has just made its UAV platform a lot more developer-friendly with a new test drone and collision avoidance system, along with an SDK for its current DJI Inspire 1 and Phantom 3 models. The Matrice 100 (M100) is a new quadcopter made specifically for developers to help them test new sensors, processors and other tech.
Category Archives: Research
Boeing Gets Patent to Charge Drones Midair
Boeing was recently warded a patent to charge a drone midair. The patent describes the use of drones equipped with tethers that can connect with ground-based power supplies while they’re still airborne, to recharge their batteries on the go. Continue reading
First Weather Observing Mission for a NOAA UAS within the Continental United States
The NOAA Air Resources Laboratory’s Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division (ATDD) has received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification to fly its DJI S-1000 small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) at the Knox County Radio Control Society’s model flying field near Knoxville, TN.
Fold-up Quadrotor
Thanks to the power of its rotors, this fold-up quadrotor extends its articulated arms and takes off in a fraction of a second. This prototype will be viewed by specialists on May 25 at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation in Seattle. Continue reading
Unmanned Aircraft Used to Survey Ice for Whalers
Researchers used an unmanned aircraft to map the sea ice north of Barrow in April as part of a cooperative effort between the Native community of Barrow and the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Continue reading
US Navy Needs Help to Defeat UAS Cyber Threats
The US Navy says it’s not sure what kind of cyber threats its drones, sensors and missiles are up against. That’s because aerial weapons systems were not expected to become part of the so-called Internet of Things, the present-day entanglement of networked appliances, transportation systems and other data-infused objects.
Quadcopters Perform Sticky Landings
Researchers from the mechanical engineering lab at Stanford University working with researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, they have figured out how to enable a quad-copter drone to stick a landing — at any angle — much like a flying gecko or a bat. Without any kind of suction or sticky, the flying robot can now perch on a slippery surface. Continue reading
DARPA TERN Programme Produces Spin-Offs
The Tern program, which seeks to develop long-range drones that can launch from the deck of a ship, has already got a couple of spinoffs.