drones – Page 6 – Impact Lab

Analysis, Business, facebook, Latest Trend, Science & Technology News

Facebook and Google are drooling over drone companies

April 21, 2014

Interest in Titan Aerospace and others is not just about the “next billion” Internet users.

Last month it seemed as if Facebook would acquire the long-range solar-powered drone maker Titan Aerospace and use its technology to deliver Internet to remote areas of the world. It was ostensibly a hedge against Google’s balloon-driven Project Loon and the possibility that Google, rather than Facebook, would connect the “next billion” Internet users.

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Business, Science & Technology News

Google buys Titan Aerospace, a solar-powered drone company

April 21, 2014

Solar-powered drone

This week, Google announced the acquisition of Titan Aerospace for an undisclosed sum in a move that sees the technology giant enter the unmanned race for the skies.

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Analysis, Business, facebook, Globalism, Internet, Science & Technology News

Zuckerberg explains why drones are better than balloons to deliver internet access

March 31, 2014

Facebook wants to place internet drones over specific population centers.

Facebook and Internet.org revealed their intentions last week to connect the developing world through aerial drones and satellites. Their plans drew the inevitable comparisons to Google’s Project Loon, which would field fleets of balloons in the Earth’s stratosphere. The similarities weren’t lost on Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

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Agriculture, Analysis, Latest Trend, Science & Technology News

The future of drones expected to transform agriculture

March 26, 2014

80% of the commercial market for drones will eventually be for agricultural uses.

Drones are moving quickly from the battlefield to the farmer’s field. They are on the verge of helping growers oversee millions of acres throughout rural America and saving them big money in the process.

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Big Problems, Science & Technology News

China to deploy drones to control pollution

March 12, 2014

Drones will freeze pollutants in midair with 176 pounds of chemicals.

China has decided to use drones on the front lines of its “war on pollution.” The drones will fire chemicals into the air, which will freeze pollutants and cause them to fall to the ground. Armed with 176 pounds of chemicals, which is expected to clear a five-kilometer radius, the drones will launch later this month.

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Great Videos, Science & Technology News

Autonomous drones flock like birds

March 3, 2014

Autonomous drone flock

The first drones that can fly as a coordinated flock has been created by Hungarian researchers. The team watched as the ten autonomous robots took to the air in a field outside Budapest, zipping through the open sky, flying in formation or even following a leader, all without any central control. (Video)

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Analysis, Business, Robots, Science & Technology News

9 robots that are actually stealing our jobs

March 3, 2014

One day robots will replace humans in certain jobs.

Eric Schmidt, Google chairman, thinks robots have their work cut out for them if they want to replace people. “There’s something about humans that technologists always forget,” he said. “Humans are creative and unpredictable.”

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government, Great Videos, Science & Technology News, Weapons

U.S. Navy to add futuristic laser weapon to its arsenal this summer

February 24, 2014

Laser Weapon System

The U.S. Navy will turn fiction into reality when it deploys its first laser weapon aboard one of its ships this summer. The solid-state Laser Weapons System promises to be able to incinerate aerial drones and speedboats quickly and less expensive that today’s weapons, which typically relies on a finite supply of interceptor missiles that cost roughly $1.4 million a shot. The laser, on the other hand, can be fired continuously and costs just a few bucks per shot. A prototype will be deployed this summer on board the USS Ponce in the Persian Gulf.

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Great Videos, Latest Trend, Science & Technology News

Drones are the future of sports photography

February 24, 2014

Drones allow the filmmaker to get much closer to his subject.

At the Winter Olympics in Sochi, drones were used to film ski and snowboarding events. But the use of unmanned aerial vehicles for sports photography is far from a passing gimmick. In fact, you should expect more and more athletic events to be filmed by drone. (Videos)

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Latest Trend, Robots, Science & Technology News

Delivery drones that can scan your eyes coming soon to the UAE

February 14, 2014

The UAE is looking to use drones to deliver government documents.

Drone delivery could soon become a reality in the United Arab Emirates. The UAE government announced it is developing a plan to use drones to deliver “official documents and packages,” stuff like government IDs and drivers licenses.

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Animals, Great Videos, Science & Technology News

Bird-inspired drone with robotic legs can perch on a branch

January 30, 2014

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7WR8MamHus[/youtube]

Quadcopter drones are built specifically for an easy takeoff and stable flight, but landing can be a tricky task. They generally need to land on flat ground or risk toppling over.

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Great Videos, Science & Technology News

Drones could be the next frontier in emergency response

January 28, 2014

Drones that can fly into some of the most dangerous crime scenes and disaster zones are coming to the aid of police officers and other first responders who put themselves in harm’s way. (Videos)

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