Category: drones

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drones, Latest Trend, Law Enforcement, mobile technology

The next frontier of police surveillance is drones

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A major drone company and a major police-camera company are teaming up, and the possibilities are frightening.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.

A company that makes stun guns and body cameras is teaming up with a company that makes drones to sell drones to police departments, and that might not even be the most worrisome part. The line of drones from Axon and DJI is called the Axon Air, and the devices will be linked to Axon’s cloud-based database for law enforcement, Evidence.com, which is used to process body-camera data too. And it could open a vast new frontier for police surveillance.

Continue reading… “The next frontier of police surveillance is drones”

Driverless vehicles, drones, Engineering, Robots

This Armada of Saildrones Could Conquer the Ocean

The Robots Roaming the High Seas

Engineer and adventurer Richard Jenkins has made oceangoing robots that could revolutionize fishing, drilling, and environmental science. His aim: a thousand of them.

Every spring, thousands of great white sharks begin a mysterious migration. From up and down America’s West Coast, they head straight for a Colorado-size patch of the Pacific about halfway between San Diego and Hawaii. Once there, they hang for months at what marine biologists call the White Shark Cafe, frolicking and diving 1,500 feet or more. For decades, we didn’t know much more about what they do there—or why. This year, we should get some answers, thanks to a pair of saildrones.

Continue reading… “This Armada of Saildrones Could Conquer the Ocean”

drones, Insects, Robots

Flying robot insect ditches wires, embraces freedom

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RoboFly is slightly heavier than a toothpick (via Mark Stone/University of Washington)

Humanoid robots can’t take over the world alone: Insect-esque androids are a great distraction, their tiny mechanical bodies crawling or flying to divert attention from the cyborg uprising.

Or, I suppose, they could be better used for time-consuming tasks too challenging for larger drones.

Continue reading… “Flying robot insect ditches wires, embraces freedom”

China, Crime Prevention, drones

Chinese police foil drone-flying phone smugglers at Hong Kong border

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Dozens of high-tech phone smugglers have been apprehended by Chinese police, who twigged to the scheme to send refurbished iPhones into the country from Hong Kong via drone — but not the way you might think.

China’s Legal Daily reported the news (and Reuters noted shortly after) following a police press conference; it’s apparently the first cross-border drone-based smuggling case, so likely of considerable interest.

Continue reading… “Chinese police foil drone-flying phone smugglers at Hong Kong border”

Agriculture, drones, Environment, Robots

Robo-bees and drone-seeded forests: can technology mend our broken relationship with the natural world?

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A drone offers a unique bird’s eye view as part of a forest fire surveillance system in the Landes region, France.

I’ve tried many ways to free my brain from my iPhone. I’ve invented rules, bought books, deleted apps, installed other apps. But the only thing that reliably works is to leave the phone at home and to walk along a path through the nearby woods. With trees overhead, and mud below, you quickly forget the last social media notification. You escape the internet of things by surrounding yourself with things that can never be plugged in.

Continue reading… “Robo-bees and drone-seeded forests: can technology mend our broken relationship with the natural world?”

Drone, drones, Entertainment, government, Hot Issues

Illegal drone use over New York City is steeply rising

Drone Racing Event Held On New York City's Governors Island

Within a single year, illegal drone sightings in New York City have increased by 68 percent.

When New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo vowed to establish the state’s first drone-testing corridor, this is probably not what he had in mind. New York City has seen an increase in illegal drone use of 68 percent from the first three quarters of 2016 compared with the same period in 2017.

Continue reading… “Illegal drone use over New York City is steeply rising”

drones, government, Military, military drones

The newest weapon for the U.S. Marine Corps is a fleet of quadcopter drones.

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Each squad in the Marine Corps will soon have a new member — a quadcopter drone that will be used in everything from training to surveillance to battlefield assaults. The Marines purchased more than 800 drones at the end of 2017 and now they’re rolling out quickly to every squad in the service, according to National Defense magazine. Continue reading… “The newest weapon for the U.S. Marine Corps is a fleet of quadcopter drones.”
Drone, drones, Latest Trend, Video

DJI’s new Mavic Air drone shoots in 4K, does 43 MPH, and fits in your pocket

We were admittedly a bit disappointed when DJI showed up to CES earlier this year without any new drones to show off, but it appears that the company had something new to show off all along. At a January 23 press event in New York City, the company unveiled the Mavic Air: A lighter, more streamlined version of the company’s popular Mavic Pro.

Continue reading… “DJI’s new Mavic Air drone shoots in 4K, does 43 MPH, and fits in your pocket”

Alternative Transportation, Drone, drones, Transportation

Boeing built a giant drone that can carry 500 pounds of cargo

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Boeing today unveiled a giant drone that’s capable of lifting a 500 pound payload. Calling it an “unmanned electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) cargo air vehicle (CAV) prototype,” the aerospace giant said it could serve as a precursor for future autonomous flying aircraft.

Continue reading… “Boeing built a giant drone that can carry 500 pounds of cargo”

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