Drone racing hasn't quite yet set the world of sports entertainment on fire, but that doesn't mean it hasn't found an audience or that there aren't impressive feats on display. Case in point: the Drone Racing League (DRL), which uses a specific quadcopter design that all competing teams use, has engineered a model that reached a flight speed of 179.6mph, in turn setting a Guinness World Record.
The AirDog team is back with another AirDog drone, this one being called the ADII. The original model launched on Kickstarter back in 2014, and the latest model is no exception, with the company again seeking funding on the crowdfunding website. The AirDog ADII resembles the original model, but comes with suitable upgrades and an overall design intended for extreme athletes -- dirt bikers, mountain bikers, and more.
Prisons around the world have implemented anti-drone systems in an effort to curb smuggling, but many remain with little or no methods for stopping outside drones from flying over prison groups. Prisoners have previously been caught receiving items from others that are delivered via drone, and now one prisoner has topped them all: he managed to escape from a maximum-security prison in South Carolina thanks in part to a drone.
Anti-drone technologies are failing to stop drones from smuggling content into prisons, according to Department of Justice documents, which reveal more than a dozen attempts to use drones for prison smuggling, as well as successful efforts. Drones are being used to deliver cell phones, drugs, and more to prisoners by dropping the items onto prison grounds. Though anti-drone technologies exist, they appear insufficient for stopping the smuggling.
Easy-to-fly drones are big business these days, and Parrot is looking to get novice pilots off the ground sooner with a pair of "Adventurer" packs. Combining two of Parrot's most popular models - one fixed-wing; one quadcopter - the bundles allow newbie pilots to get a drone's-eye view courtesy of a head-mounted display. Meanwhile, there's also potential for autonomous flight.
Another Amazon patent related to drone deliveries has surfaced, this one describing possible methods the company's future delivery drones may utilize to get packages to customers. One big question regarding drone deliveries is how, exactly, the package will go from the drone in the sky to the person on the ground. The patent details one method -- a package label that is also a parachute, deploying when the package is dropped to lower it safely to the ground.
In the past year we've seen Snap Inc., the parent company of the well-known social media app Snapchat, make an interesting entry into the hardware market with their camera-outfitted Spectacles. It seems drones could be next on the company's list, as Snap has reportedly just acquired Ctrl Me Robotics, a small drone manufacturer located in Los Angeles, California.
The dirty secret about drones is that they generally take some practice to fly well. We're not talking "sit in front of the TV and master the latest console game" practice, either: you need a big open space, no trees to crash into, and enough daylight to see what you're doing. That's before you get to flexing your camera-operator skills. Not for nothing do the drone videography pros generally have two people at the controls: one piloting, and the other operating the gimbal.
Drone pilots have a new, compact camera-drone option, with the DJI Spark promising not only portability but piloting so simple you don't even need a controller. Smaller than the DJI Mavic, the Spark mini-drone is designed to be controlled by hand gestures. Indeed, once it's powered-on and it takes off from your palm, it automatically starts watching for instructions.
DJI has announced that drone operators with one of its aerial vehicles will experience restricted operation if they update to the latest firmware or software but fail to properly activate the product afterward. This is part of a 'new application process' the company detailed over the weekend, saying that it applies to all of its customers except those located in China. Failing to update will cause camera streaming to be disabled and more.
Drones pose a problem for prisons, being one of many methods employed to smug drugs, cell phones, and other items to prisoners. In cases where drones have been caught, officials have reported spotting drones dropping items for specific recipients within the prison yard. Some locations have threatened to shoot down any drones that get too close as a result, but one prison in the Channel Islands has employed a more reliable method: it has installed a 'force field' around itself to stop drones from operating over its land.
Back in January, we reported that French drone company Parrot planned to restructure the company and that, as a result, it would be cutting about 290 jobs. Now, nearly half a year later, we're seeing the fruits of that effort: the company is launching a new division that will focus on so-called 'prosumer'-tier drones -- models that appeal to hobbyists and amateurs who want more than a cheap toy but less than a five-figure pro-tier model. The drones produced in this segment will fall into the $1,000 to $5,000 range and will be targeted at various industries.
