The United Arab Emirates (UAE), a region that's home to hot temperatures and three deserts, has experienced heavy rainfall in multiple places over recent hours due to deliberate manipulation of the weather. The effort involved drones and a technology called cloud seeding, which disperses substances in the air that alter clouds' properties, increasing the likelihood of rain.
Many use their smartphones to capture anything anywhere, sometimes even in difficult or dangerous locations and positions. One thing our powerful smartphones will never be able to do is to take aerial photos, at least not without some help from a drone or any other flying contraption. Never say never, as they say, and Vivo seems to be thinking of something to solve that problem. Its latest patent shows a smartphone that houses an honest-to-goodness quadcopter drone to take pictures from above, almost like in the movies.
Parrot has a new drone, but the French company would really rather you think of the new Anafi Ai as a 4G-connected flying robot. Tapping cellular data for better, broader range, and a new 3D vision system for obstacle avoidance, Anafi Ai's other big boast is an open-source platform that effectively turns the drone into a flying computer for surveys, research, and more.
Alphabet's Wing has released its OpenSky drone piloting app in the US, aiming to make it easier for UAV operators - whether individuals or companies - to figure out where they can fly without falling foul of FAA and other rules. The app initially debuted in 2019, though was originally only available in Australia.
DJI may be readying its most affordable drone yet, with the DJI Mini SE tipped to land at just $299. As you might expect, given the rumored price tag, this won't be the most advanced or most capable drone on the market; however all signs are pointing to it being based on some reliable - and familiar - tech.
DARPA has wrapped up work on a system designed to take down small drones operating over places where an explosive countermeasure wouldn't be acceptable. Put simply, this system involves launching a device into the air that, once it detects a drone, launches giant streamers into the air, not unlike the kind you may see shooting out of a small cannon at a party.
Researchers from the University of Michigan have developed 3D morphing wings they believe could help small aircraft safely navigate windy urban streets. The wing design could also help aircraft land with shorter approaches. The wings designed by engineers at the University of Michigan can vary their shape as freely as birds wings and could have advantages for small aircraft in urban environments.
Drones for pros and consumers are nothing new and neither are drones with cameras covering a wide range of qualities. Most of these drones come with their own cameras, however, and few actually let you use whatever professional camera you may already own. That's what makes Sony's first foray into the world of drone photography interesting in that it is designed to be used with a different camera, specifically Sony's own interchangeable-lens Alpha cameras. In fact, the Sony Airpeak S1 drone doesn't come with a camera or even a gimbal of its own.
There have been concerns about using hardware from China for several years. Worries the Chinese government might have software installed to allow it access to information stored within and transmitted by devices made in China resulted in several Chinese firms being barred from use by governmental agencies. Restrictions against Chinese companies and using hardware they make for government purposes are beginning to ease under the Biden administration. A pair of Chinese-built drones made by Da Jiang Innovations, better known as DJI, have been cleared for government use by a new report published by the Pentagon.
There is a benefit to creating drones able to fly in swarms. If drones fly in swarms, they can cover larger areas and collect more data and information from any onboard sensors. Swarms would also allow drone designers to equip different units in the swarm with different types of sensors allowing them to gather a wider range of data.
Volocopter is a company that sees itself as a pioneer in urban air mobility. The company has announced its latest aircraft called the VoloConnect, an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft designed specifically to connect suburbs to cities. VoloConnect is designed to complement other aircraft the company has already revealed that are aimed at transporting goods and people within cities.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has announced that on May 14, one of its exploration vessels called Okeanos Explorer departed from Port Canaveral in Florida for a two-week expedition. The vessel has onboard an autonomous underwater vehicle called Orpheus that is a technology demonstration.