Drones - SlashGear

American Robotics drones allowed to fly no on-site human operators

JC Torres | Jan 17, 2021

Drones have been a controversial topic in the aviation industry, with regulators still on the fence about approving these unmanned aerial vehicles for commercial use. The pandemic, however, may have made the need for drones, which reduced the need for human contact, even more urgent. While the US Federal Aviation Administration has given its green light for the use of many drones, those came with rather hard requirements when it came to the involvement of humans. Now the FAA has lifted that restriction for one drone maker, removing the need for having a human nearby.

Bluebot robots demo surreal “Blueswarm” like a school of fish

Chris Burns | Jan 15, 2021

A swarm robotic fish donned the cover of Science Robotics this week courtesy of researchers from Harvard University. Florian Berlinger, Melvin Gauchi, and Radhika Nagpal delivered a paper on "Implicit coordination for 3D underwater collective behaviors in a fish-inspired robot swarm." These little robots are very, very cute, too.

Sony Airpeak is a small drone that can wield Alpha mirrorless cameras

Brittany A. Roston | Jan 11, 2021

Sony has introduced what it says is the smallest drone ever capable of toting its Alpha camera system, making it a key new hardware option for photographers. The Airpeak drone is part of Sony's plan to launch a business that caters to video production and professional photography -- it'll arrive in spring alongside the Airpeak brand.

Betting on drone races is now a thing, but only in some states

Brittany A. Roston | Jan 10, 2021

The Drone Racing League has teamed up with DraftKings to launch drone race betting in some states, the two companies have announced, making DRL races the first of their kind open to legal betting. At this point in time, only a handful of states have made it legal to bet on drone races, but regulatory approval is likely to come from other states in the future.

Kia unveils new logo with a record-breaking fireworks display

Alvin Reyes | Jan 7, 2021

South Korean automaker Kia is not known for making supercars (at least not yet), but its new vehicles are gathering the attention of enthusiasts and ordinary car buyers alike. Case in point, the new Kia Telluride three-row SUV, the reigning 2020 World Car of the Year winner, or the brand-new Kia K5 sports sedan with its bold and angular styling.

FAA final rule on Remote ID for drones arrives with a few major changes

Brittany A. Roston | Dec 28, 2020

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has published its final rule on Remote ID for drones, clarifying the details about the previously announced remote identification plan and providing the details manufacturers will need to ensure their drones meet the requirements. Remote ID aims to provide national security officials and law enforcement with a way to identify drones posing a risk to the public.

DJI to continue selling drones in the US despite blacklist

Ewdison Then | Dec 20, 2020

The year is far from over and, as far as the current US government is concerned, there is still plenty of time for actions that have long-lasting effects. One of those is expanding the US' notorious "Entity List" to include not just SMIC, China's largest chipmaker, but also, surprisingly, popular drone company DJI. That said, the latter was already rumored to be on the country's hit list, giving it time to make a bold response assuring customers in the country that they will still be able to buy DJI's products as normal.

Why America just gave DJI the Huawei treatment

Chris Burns | Dec 18, 2020

This week the United States government added the drone company DJI to their Entity List. The United States Bureau of Industry and Security for Commerce added DJI to this list alongside 76 other entities on Friday, December 18, 2020. DJI and the rest of the entities added to the Entity List were determined to be "acting contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States.

DJI and SMIC added to US sales blacklist

Chris Burns | Dec 18, 2020

Today the United States Commerce Department added the drone company DJI to their trade restrictions blacklist. More specifically, this is the U.S. Commerce Department Entity List, making DJI subject to Export Administration Regulations (EAR). This is a move very similar to the U.S. government's move against other China-based companies like Huawei and ZTE.

DARPA Gremlins project closer than ever to grabbing drones in flight

Brittany A. Roston | Dec 11, 2020

DARPA has announced that its Gremlins project came closer than ever to snatching a drone out of the air. The series of flight tests kicked off in late October, with the most recent having taken place earlier this month. According to officials, the aircraft came within 'inches' of retrieving a Gremlins drone in flight.

DJI FPV racing drone, goggles and controller appear in new images

Brittany A. Roston | Dec 2, 2020

We've been hearing about an alleged DJI FPV racing drone for more than a year now, one that will reportedly include goggles so that users can pilot the drone in a more precise way. The drone first appeared in documents that surfaced on the FCC's website, including illustrations but no actual photos. A new image leak fills that void.

US Army explores drone-like designs for quieter stealth helicopters

Brittany A. Roston | Nov 29, 2020

The US Army is has prioritized the development of a quieter helicopter design that will enable it to operate these vehicles for surveillance and cargo transportation without the noise of traditional helicopters. The military has zeroed in on eVTOL tech as its potential solution, meaning future Army helicopters may resemble drones.