In February, Sweden’s CybAero announced that it had received an order for unmanned helicopter systems to be delivered to an unnamed end-user in China. The company has now revealed that this end user is in fact China Customs, and the purchased systems will be used for various tasks such as customs control, port management, and to counter smuggling.
Category Archives: VTOL
DJI Phantom/GoPro Video of Alaska’s Hidden Ice Caves
This UAS video lets us fly through narrow passageways into the luminous ice caves of Alaska. Firelight Films claims that Bigger Than Life represents the first documented UAS flight through ice caves. Continue reading
Parrot AR.Drone Films Solo Trek to South Pole
Antony Jinman, British Explorer, teamed with Parrot for an amazing expedition – a 47-day solo trek the South Pole.
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Tethered QuadCopters Shoot Aerial Photos
Three UAS on retractable dog leashes fly overhead, capturing live aerial video of the all the faces gaping from auditorium seats below. Welcome to TED 2014.The leashes are held by Sergei Lupshin, the Zurich-based roboticist who invented these tethered quadcopters. He calls them Fotokites, and the idea is to show that a leash can completely change the nature of a UAS. Continue reading
Bloomberg Report on Commercial UAS Applications
Skycatch CEO Chris Sanz discusses the possible commercial applications for drones. Continue reading
Dubai Free Zone Plans Parcel Delivery by UAS
Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) has planned to introduce a futuristic concept of “Delivery by Jafza” using Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). Through this initiative, Jafza seeks to use technology to further augment its delivery system to ensure faster execution of transactions. Jafza provided a demo of the new delivery system during its annual event last week, which was held to celebrate its landmark achievements in 2013. The free zone did not disclose the date of the launch of this service. Continue reading
DroneShield Offers Protection for Prisons
WTRF 7 News Sports Weather – Wheeling Steubenville
Four people were arrested in Georgia after smuggling in cell phones, tobacco and binoculars into a state prison by flying a drone over the prison walls and into the yard. Tobacco, cell phones and binoculars don’t seem dangerous but the contraband could have been much worst and that’s where the Drone Shield comes in. Continue reading
Onboard Quadrocopter Failsafe Algorithm Demo
The Institute for Dynamic Systems and Control (IDSC), ETH Zurich, Switzerland has developed an algorithm allowing a quadrocopter to maintain stable flight despite the complete loss of a motor/propeller. In a previous video they have shown this algorithm in use, where a motion capture system was used to measure the position and orientation of the quadrocopter. Continue reading