Category: drones

By I. Bonifacic

A team of researchers from Germany’s Fraunhofer FKIE institute has created a drone that can locate screaming humans. While it sounds like the stuff of dystopian fiction, it’s actually something they set out to create to make it easier for first responders to find survivors following a natural disaster.

“(Drones) can cover a larger area in a shorter period of time than rescuers or trained dogs on the ground,” Macarena Varela, one of the lead engineers on the project, told The Washington Post. “If there’s a collapsed building, it can alert and assist rescuers. It can go places they can’t fly to or get to themselves.”

To create their drone, the researchers first recorded themselves screaming, tapping and producing other sounds that someone in need of help might make. They then used those recordings to train an artificial intelligence algorithm and tweaked the software to filter out ambient sounds like the hum of the drone’s rotors. Outside of software and UAV, the rest of the system isn’t that complicated. The team used the type of microphones you might find on your smartphone, mainly because they wanted to keep the drone light and agile.

Continue reading… “This drone tracks human screams (to save lives)”

By Bruce Crumley 

British aeronautic and defense giant BAE Systems has developed a solar-powered, stratosphere-flying drone that can act as a backup option to disabled communications satellites.

Dubbed Phasa-35, the so-called “pseudo satellite” is designed to operate at altitudes of up to 70,000 feet – far above weather systems that could block its solar source of power. The High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) craft will most frequently be used to provide continual high-quality images of terrestrial locations, as well as for monitoring, surveillance, security, and conventional communications services. 

But in the case of disruption or destruction of a satellite, the Phasa-35 can also act as a stand-in to relay information between ground stations or airborne planes – or, in war situations, between troops and remote commanders. 

BAE says the  drone “will provide both military and commercial customers with capabilities that are not currently available from existing air and space platforms.” Using 5G and other communications technologies, it says, the Phasa-35 can also be a far more affordable tool to disaster relief and border protection services than traditional satellite options.

Continue reading… “New BAE ‘pseudo satellite’ can remain aloft at 70,000 feet for a year”

An MQ-9 Reaper sits on the flightline at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada. STOCKTREK IMAGES VIA GETTY

By PATRICK TUCKER 

In the first experiment of its kind, military researchers will attempt to link drones to satellites via light.

Early next year, the U.S. military’s Space Development Agency will test whether low-earth orbit satellites can communicate with an MQ-9 Reaper drone via optical links, or lasers. 

If the experiment is successful, it will pave the way for a new, less hackable means of communication between drones, jets, and other weapons and commanders and operators from afar. 

“In just a few short days, we’ll be launching several satellites. Two of those are [MQ-9 maker] General Atomics satellites to be able to do the laser conductivity in space,” Derek Tournear, the head of the Space Development Agency, told Defense Oneduring a taping of a segment to air next week during the Defense One Tech Summit. “Then those satellites will also be able to do the laser conductivity down directly to an MQ-9 platform.” 

Continue reading… “US Will Try Using Lasers to Send Data From Space to Drones”

DELIVERY OF COVID-19 VACCINES BY DRONES IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN, TRANSPORTING 10,000 VIALS FROM A CENTRAL LOCATION TO PRIMARY HEALTH CENTRES NEARBY

A global drone services provider ANRA Technologies will hold experimental deliveries of medicines in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology Ropar and with Swiggy for food deliveries.

India will carry out the first long-range drone flights for delivery of medicines and food in parts of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Punjab.

The experimental deliveries will be conducted using long-range drones that can fly upto 20 kilometers, a report in The Economic Times said. This will mark the first time for use of such drones as India permits only drone flights within visual line of sight or 450 metres from the operator.

A global drone services provider ANRA Technologies will hold experimental deliveries of medicines in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology Ropar and with Swiggy for food deliveries, the report added.

Continue reading… “India to start drone trials for delivery of food, medicines, vaccines: Check details”

By Hugo Britt 

It is only a matter of time before the skies above U.S. cities are filled with the buzzing of airborne delivery drones.

With e-Commerce sales increasing by more than 30% between 2019 and 2020 (and an expected 11% increase in 2021), the way we approach our purchases has shifted for good. Delivery methods, too, are undergoing a period of rapid change.

In fact, you might say last mile delivery is up in the air.

Continue reading… “FAA Takes Steps to Enable a Future of Airborne Drone Deliveries”

By Ishveena Singh 

This month, Botswana became the first country in southern Africa, and the third in Africa, to begin the use of medical delivery drones. Their aim? To bring down maternal mortality by delivering life-saving health supplies to hard-to-reach communities in a timely manner.

The initiative, called “Drones for Health,” has been made possible through a collaboration between Botswana’s Ministry of Health and Wellness, Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST), and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Unlike Ghana and Rwanda, where US-based drone company Zipline has been delivering on-demand medical supplies to remote areas, the drone delivery ecosystem platform for Botswana has been developed in partnership with Dutch drone engineering company Avy.

The Avy Aera drone can travel a distance of 100 km on a single charge, carrying cargo weighing up to 2 kg. An uber-cool, interactive flight simulation page will show you three drones taking off from a BIUST drone port and flying to different communities of Botswana.

Continue reading… “Botswana begins medical drone delivery service to prevent maternal deaths”

The drones will be used to carry COVID testing kits and assorted mail. 

By S. Shah

It’s not just online and big-box retailers that are exploring deliveries by drone. Following in the footsteps of the Swiss Post, the UK’s Royal Mail is the latest postal service to trial drone flights. The company has announced a landmark project to deliver packages — including personal protective equipment, COVID testing kits and assorted mail — to a UK island using an autonomous Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV). 

As part of the government-backed project, a large drone will take off from the mainland and fly to the Scilly Isles (a remote archipelago off the Cornish coast in southwest England). The twin-engine UAV can carry up to 100kg of mail of all shapes and sizes, which the Royal Mail said is equivalent to a typical delivery round. Thereafter, a smaller vertical take-off and landing drone will be used to fly parcels between the islands to recipients.

Continue reading… “UK postal service tests autonomous drone deliveries to remote islands”

Posted By: Miriam McNabb

Drone Express and Kroger begin testing drone grocery delivery in a pilot program – part of the retailer’s goal of providing customers with “anything, anytime, anywhere,” says a company press release.

The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) and Drone Express, a division of TELEGRID Technologies, Inc., will offer package delivery near the Kroger Marketplace in Centerville, Ohio.

“Kroger’s new drone delivery pilot is part of the evolution of our rapidly growing and innovative e-commerce business – which includes pickup, delivery, and ship and reached more than $10 billion in sales in 2020,” said Kroger’s Jody Kalmbach, group vice president of product experience. “The pilot reinforces the importance of flexibility and immediacy to customers, powered by modern, cost-effective, and efficient last-mile solutions. We’re excited to test drone delivery and gain insights that will inform expansion plans as well as future customer solutions.”

Continue reading… “Kroger, Drone Express Begin New Drone Grocery Delivery Program”

Canada-based agritech startup Precision AI has raised seed funding of $20 million to help the agriculture industry reduce its chemical footprint. Its solution? Deploying swarms of artificially intelligent drones to bring down the use of herbicides in agriculture dramatically.

Continue reading… “Precision farming company raises $20M to deploy herbicide-spraying AI drone swarms”

By Greg Nichols 

Since October 2019, Alphabet’s Wing has operated a drone delivery service five days per week in the tiny hamlet of Christiansburg, Virginia; a community of just over 20,000. The early testbed has been one to watch for a delivery drone sector that’s just emerging from in a slowly evolving regulatory regime.  

Key to the future of drone delivery is positive consumer sentiment. So how do the people of Christiansburg feel about the delivery drone service that’s made their community one of a small number of canaries in the coal mine for the consumer drone sector?  

In short, they love it.

Continue reading… “Staggering approval for Alphabet drone among early customers”

Posted By: Miriam McNabbon:

Doosan hydrogen drones will take flight in the Netherlands, testing offshore solutions including drone delivery, marine monitoring, and search and rescue.

South Korean Doosan Mobility Innovation (DMI) has penned a deal with Dutch government agency NHN (Development Agency Noord-Holland Noord, NHN), a regional development organization and governing agency for maritime economic development support project METIP.

As part of the METIP project, METIP partner DroneQ Aerial Services will be the local drone services provider, operating the Doosan hydrogen drones.   The Doosan solutions feature hydrogen fuel cell “powerpacks” which give their commercial platforms a flight endurance of more than 2 hours.  Projects will include drone delivery, lifesaving applications like search and rescue, environmental monitoring, facility inspections and reconnaisance.

Continue reading… “Doosan Hydrogen Drones Take Flight in the Netherlands”

Firm achieves highest level aerial autonomy yet documented. Why that’s a game changer.

By Greg Nichols 

A company that develops autonomous drone technology for industry and defense achieved a milestone heretofore reserved for land-based vehicles: Level 4 autonomy. This appears to be the first successful demonstration of level 4 autonomy in an aerial system.

We’ve tracked the company, Exyn Technologies, particularly its national defense aspirations. As I wrote in early 2020, Exyn began developing for the enterprise and is active in sectors like oil and gas and infrastructure inspection. The company’s drones are designed to work in complex, GPS-denied environments where unknown terrain and uncertain ground conditions can make flying perilous. This mission brief has also led Exyn to explore defense industry applications.

Continue reading… “Level 4 aerial autonomy: Drones can now fly themselves”