LAS VEGAS — Smartphones, virtual-reality headsets, toy robots, quadcopter drones and self-balancing scooters can be hacked by powerful sonic blasts, a team of Chinese researchers demonstrated at the Black Hat security conference here last week.
Continue reading… “Sonic weapon knocks the drones right out of the sky”
The Drone Racing League has a $100,000 pot for this year’s winner.
Continue reading… “Drone racers will compete in abandoned malls and stadiums for $100,000 prize”
Who needs fishing prowess when you have a remote-controlled, sonar-equipped, bait-dropping, mini-submersible at your disposal? Because with the new PowerRay underwater drone, that’s exactly what you get.
The PowerRay UUV comes from Beijing-based drone manufacturer PowerVision, makers of the PowerEgg UAV that we saw last August. While the Ray officially debuted back at CES in January, a technical issue with their display (read: their tank sprung a leak) prevented the company from showing off the device in its natural environment.
Continue reading… “The PowerRay drone is an aquatic spyglass for playboy fishermen”
Recent advances in technology mean we can no longer rely on fences or barriers around our homes to protect our privacy. This was certainly the case for Darwin resident Karli Hyatt, who on Tuesday explained how a drone invaded the security and privacy of her suburban backyard.
Hyatt had returned home last week from an evening gym session, undressed and jumped into her secluded backyard pool. She thought she was “skinny-dipping” in private. Within minutes, though, a small camera-mounted quadcopter drone was hovering close overhead. Hyatt is certain it was watching her, although there was no operator to be seen.
She describes the experience as initially shocking and has ongoing concerns about who might have been flying the drone and why. The result is an erosion of trust and cohesion in her neighborhood and a feeling of insecurity in her own home.
Continue reading… “Backyard skinny-dippers losing privacy to peeping drone stalkers”
Over the last decade, the stock price of Domino’s Pizza has crushed that of Apple, Google, Amazon, and Facebook mainly because it stopped making pizza that tasted like cardboard. Now it’s innovating on the labor front with plans to test robots as substitutes for your friendly pizza delivery guy. “With our growth plans over the next five to 10 years, we simply won’t have enough delivery drivers if we do not look to add to our fleet through initiatives such as this,” Domino’s chief executive said in a statement announcing the pilot program.
DJI Technology Inc, the largest civilian drone maker, is claiming in a new study that “59 lives have been saved by civilian drones in 18 different incidents, with one life a week being saved by drones on average.”
The study was published on March 14, 2017, and is based on reports in the news. The majority of the rescues have occurred in USA and China, although instances have occurred in Canada and Turkey as well.
One third were saved by civilians using their hobbyist drones and not by emergency personnel, showing their far-reaching abilities. 31 lives were saved during floods, as drones spotted missing people and delivered rescue ropes and life jackets. 19 missing people were found on land, on terrain ranging from swamps to mountains to snow banks. 9 more people were rescued off beaches or in boats.
Continue reading… “Drones Are Saving One Life Per Week, DJI Study Finds”
Dubai has announced yet another pioneering initiative, but this time it’s not the world’s first rotating skyscraper or 3D printed office. It’s a fleet of flying taxis.
Small enough to fit into a car parking space when folded up, the one-seater passenger drones made by Chinese company Ehang are set to start picking up passengers in July this year, according to Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority (RTA).
Continue reading… “Driverless flying taxi service set to launch in Dubai”
Advancements in the robotics field are helping to transform a number of industries, construction being one of them. Companies that build things can expect to see a host of new machines that perform a variety of tasks — adding efficiency to construction projects as well as reducing injuries to human workers.
Continue reading… “Robots and drones: Coming soon to a construction site near you”
Is liquid-metal based 3D fabrication or is self assembling/shape retaining models the ancestor of Star Trek’s infinitely amusing holodeck?. According to Roel Vertegaal, from Queens University’s Human Media Lab, programmable matter is based on self-levitating displays, allowing physical interactions with mid-air virtual objects.
Continue reading… “BitDrones give a glimpse into the future of virtual reality”
Thomas Frey, a futurist from the DaVinci Institute in the United States predicts that by 2030 people will rely on billions of drones and sensors to live.
A University of Nevada, Las Vegas study has found that the design of a drone doesn’t actually impact people’s perceptions of drones. The study asked 647 people in the U.S. to rate their perception of drones that they saw in pictures, manipulated across four factors – color, propeller blades, legs and propeller safety guards. (Video)
Continue reading… “Drone design doesn’t impact people’s perception of drones: Study”
If you were hoping to have your next package delivery sent to you by drone, you may have even longer to wait than you thought. The FAA estimates it will be three years before it has a framework for drone operators to fly the machines without direct human oversight.
Continue reading… “It could be years before drones are flown without direct human oversight: FAA”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.