UK insurer Direct Line has a clever idea: drone streetlights you summon on your phone and that follow you around when you need them. As the video above shows, this is very much a marketing campaign rather than a real service, but the software behind it is open source and the company’s execution is convincing. Continue reading
Colombia’s Cocaine Drones
With all the good things that can come from the use of drones, there is always someone out there who will use them for bad intentions too. Recent reports from Colombia explain how drug barons are now employing the use of drones to deliver their goods and do their dirty work for them. Continue reading
New FAA Video Stresses Holiday Drone Safety
If you’re one of the lucky people who gets a drone as a holiday present, the Federal Aviation Administration wants you to know how to fly it safely. The agency has released this new video reminding everyone of the rules and regulations that safe drone pilots must follow. Continue reading
Kratos BQM-177A Subsonic Aerial Target Ready for Production
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has announced that its Unmanned Systems Division (USD) has recently successfully achieved the final development program milestone for its BQM-177A Subsonic Aerial Target (SSAT), which will allow for Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) to begin once the Federal Fiscal 2017 Budget is approved. Continue reading
European Civil RPAS Operators’ Forum – Brussels December 6-7
This is an international conference for the RPAS operators community focusing on the implementation of the European RPAS Roadmap, and on issues that are of particular importance to RPAS operators, e.g. national regulatory matters, insurance, privacy & data protection, civil RPAS operational matters, current & future applications [commercial, non-commercial (corporate, governmental non-military)], current bottlenecks, technical and performance requirements, aerial work customer requirements, novel operations, operational experience & lessons learned. Continue reading
UNHCR Drones Help Displaced Populations in Africa
For many people drones conjure up images of remotely piloted aircraft bristling with missiles, used for military ends. But in conflict-affected parts of Africa, versions of the technology are being used by humanitarian aid organizations like UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, to plan relief responses and save lives. Continue reading
Bringing Down North Korean Drones with EMP
South Korea is developing a technology to bring down unmanned North Korean aircraft using electromagnetic pulse (EMP), military officials said. According to the officials, the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) has developed a directional, high-powered EMP generator, and it’s trying to devise ways to use it against small North Korean unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Defibrillator-Equipped Drones in Canada
The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada estimates that about 40,000 Canadians suffer cardiac arrest each year. University of Toronto computer science engineer Timothy Chan thinks that drone technology might help a greater proportion of them survive. Continue reading