Table of Contents

Drone News for Week of August 6th 2018

Drone NewsBytes "Your Unfiltered Drone News Source"

Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro survives apparent assassination attempt

Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, has survived an apparent assassination attempt after what officials described as drones armed with explosives detonated overhead during a speech he was making at a military event.

Footage ‘shows moment drone bomb explodes in assassination attempt on Venezuela President’ amid claims attack was faked

THIS is the moment a drone explodes in an apparent assassination attempt on the Venezuela President's life - amid claims the attack was faked. The unverified clip has been widely shared on social media accounts and shows a single drone suddenly exploding into a fireball. Dissidents apparently packed 2lbs of C4 explosives into the two M600 drones in an attempt on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's life, officials have claimed. The military managed to use electronics to knock one of the drones off-course, while another reportedly crashed into a nearby building.

What can defend against off-the-shelf drone weapons?

Small off-the-shelf drones have been used time and again to kill people. Repelling such threats is not that easy, but jammers, shotguns, shootable nets or birds of prey may help.

This Drone Footage Captures China’s Massive Bikeshare Graveyards

A Chinese photographer has captured jaw-dropping drone footage of the country’s infamous “bike graveyards,” a problem borne of too many bikes and not enough customers.Trust me you have NO idea how many bikes they are showing here

DJI announces Line Friends Spark drone with a bear on it

DJI has teamed up with Japanese chat app giant Line for what it describes as its “first characterized drone.” It’s a version of the entry-level, portable Spark that bears the visage of Brown, the stoic bear found in countless emoji and sticker sets.

Flying Drones Compete to Complete Unprecedented Feat

Can a vertical-takeoff drone hoist 20 pounds (9 kilograms) of communications equipment into the air and hover in place for two hours?

Bringing drones into a smart city network

San Diego is in the midst of a tech convergence. It is working to build what it calls the nation’s largest smart city network, and it also was selected for the U.S. Department of Transportation's UAS Integration Pilot Program. The city plans to bring these two efforts together, coordinating unmanned aerial systems with the smart city infrastructure it is building.

UPDATE: 19-y.o. fined $160 after drone injures Davenport toddler at park

A 19-year-old from Davenport, Iowa has been fined in connection with the case. The fine is $75 which, in addition to $85 in court fees, results in a total penalty of $160. Bettendorf Police Chief Keith Kimball says the drone striking the child was an accident and is a civil matter.

Harris County's Drone Fleet Catches Illegal Garbage Dumping in Houston

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) launched a drone program focused on aerial crash scene analysis in Austin, the very same city that law enforcement utilized drones for aerial risk-assessment in apprehending the Austin bomber. While car crashes and nihilistic murderers are certainly viable reasons for efficient drone use, Houston has found the UAV to be an excellent solution for an entirely different problem: illegal garbage dumping.

Fairfax County, Virginia Delays Drone Program Expansion to Focus on Public Concerns

The Board of Supervisors for Fairfax County, Virginia discussed the potential use of drones for law enforcement and emergency services at a committee meeting in January, but decided on Tuesday to delay the purchase of several drones to focus on the public’s privacy concerns before continuing.

DARPA chooses Silent Falcon drone for power beaming tests

The Stand-off Ubiquitous Power/Energy Replenishment – Power Beaming Demo (SUPER PBD) project is developing a laser capable of recharging an unmanned aircraft while it is flying, to remove the need for them to refuel. The Silent Falcon is a fixed wing, long range solar electric powered UAS (Unmanned Aerial System) manufactured by a company with the same name in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

KY Deputies use drone in making marijuana growing bust

A landowner in Carlisle County, Kentucky is facing a drug charge after deputies say their drone spotted at least one marijuana plant growing in Arlington.

Drones to Help Rescue Entangled Whales

A new program will pair drone operators with rescue boats trying to save entangled whales.With the help of remote-control drones, rescuers will get a good look at a whale’s situation without disturbing or getting close to the entangled creature. Rescuers will be able to view the video and make a game plan from the safety of nearby boats.

Drones and AI Deployed for Solar Maintenance in Massachusetts

By combining state-of-the art drone and camera technology with Raptor Maps’ industry leading AI software, the team will be able to simultaneously capture both infrared and high-resolution imagery of solar assets, perform post-processing at the source of the data, and deliver real-time analytics to assess the condition of the plant.

Menlo Park Fire Department's Thermal Imaging Drones Fly Shasta County Fire Zones

The department's drones not only provide a 360 degree aerial view of the destruction, they also have thermal imaging cameras that will allow firefighters to see through smoke. The drones will also create high resolution and interactive maps of the area, helping homeowners to locate their property. The information will also be helpful to send to residents' insurance company, officials said.

Drone nearly crashes into helicopter fighting Idaho fire

A drone nearly crashed into a helicopter over the Grassy Ridge Fire Wednesday morning and officials are trying to locate the operator of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

Hidden Britain by Drone - New BBC series

Tony Robinson presents a second series of the programme that uses drones to shoot aerial footage of areas of Britain that are off limits to the public. In the first episode, he dispatches flying cameras to explore an abandoned theme park, an immense stately home and underground wine vaults belonging to billionaires. The programme also examines the secrets that Argos conceals from the eyes of its customers and contains footage of a flower farm in full bloom, which is closed to the public for 50 weeks of the year.

Police officers in Daytona Beach made their first-ever arrest using a drone Wednesday when they found a man accused of attempted burglary hiding on a roof.

Controlling drones via voice channels

In the foreseeable future drones could replace delivery vehicles on the roads, in turn relieving the traffic burden and reducing CO₂ emissions. Drones would also make delivery routes considerably shorter and cut the time it takes for parcels to arrive. In the event of a fire, drones could fly ahead of firefighters and send them images of the situation at the site. Experts from Fraunhofer HHI, however, have developed a solution that is stable, affordable, not limited in range, and essentially, ready to go: controlling drones using the voice channels in mobile networks.

Kespry Introduces Drone-Based Roof Inspection Solution

Kespry has launched a new fully autonomous, simple-to-use, high-resolution thermal inspection solution for commercial property and industrial facilities. Using radiometric thermal technology, the drone-based product can be used to detect potential roof damage and dimensional analysis.

Father-son duo opens drone-flying experience in Altamonte Springs

Top Dronz in Altamonte Springs was created by a father-son duo. It's a place where children and adults can try out their skills st flying a drone, a piece of technology that's on the rise as a means of entertainment.

This drone charging pad protects your drone from the elements while always keeping it fully charged

Skysense offers two variations of just the charging pad: one of which is for indoor use while the other is designed to be used outside. Autonomous or not, once the drone lands on the pad it will begin charging its batteries.

Drone offers stunning views of ancient Pompeii site

In this drone footage of the ancient Pompeii site, you float over a stone-covered city street bordered by the ruins of houses and buildings. You also see the specter of Vesuvius looming in the distance. The video was posted to YouTube over the weekend and has quickly garnered more than 50,000 views.

Drone Footage Captures Breathtaking Underwater Waterfall Optical Illusion

From the same island as the previous A-380 video we get this amazing footage. A drone has captured footage of an underwater waterfall optical illusion from above in Mauritius, and it's just about as amazing as you'd imagine

The Army is buying microwave cannons to take down drones in mid-flight

The US Army has a new plan for microwaving drones out of the sky. In a public solicitation last Friday, the agency announced its intention to purchase an airborne high-powered microwave system from Lockheed Martin, which is intended for use against drones. The weapon, which would be mounted to an airplane, would disable fixed-wing or quadcopter drones with a beam of focused radiation.

Rauner signs law giving state authority over drone regulations, wipes out local regulations

Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a law that puts the state in charge of regulating drones, overriding municipal regulations in towns that had them. Rauner signed Senate Bill 3291 Friday making the state the regulator of drones, also known as unmanned aircraft. The law, effective immediately, says “the regulation of an unmanned aircraft system is an exclusive power and function of the state.” “No unit of local government, including home rule unit, may enact an ordinance or resolution to regulate unmanned aircraft systems,” the law states.

Police Investigate Drone Flying Over Emmanuel Macron's Summer Vacation Residence

Police are investigating the flight of a drone over the Mediterranean fortress on Monday afternoon, where French President Emmanuel Macron is spending his summer break. Authorities said Tuesday that the drone had been "neutralized" by scrambling its wave frequency, before it fell into the sea, AFP reported.

In crash investigations, police upgrade from chalk, tape measures to drones

Drones already have varied uses from mail delivery to storm tracking. Now, US state and local police are using the unmanned aerial vehicles' bird's eye photos to reconstruct car crashes more efficiently, accurately, and safely.

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Australia Drone News

A bird’s eye view of NSW’s heartbreaking drought

Photographers David Gray and Brock Mitchell have been travelling through some of the worst affected parts of NSW documenting the breadth of the struggles, and producing some stunning aerial shots that show another side to the drought stricken landscape.

FPV Australia brings drone pilots course to Wagga as farmers start adopting the new technology

A special course is en route to Wagga to give locals an opportunity to earn their official drone pilot’s licence.

Drone activity expanding in the Hunter as Lake Macquarie City Council takes to coastal weeds

Lake Macquarie Council has begun using drones along isolated cliffs at Swansea Heads and Caves Beach to spray tracts of Bitou bush, an invasive South African weed.

Australia's Hunter Valley Looks to Drones for Agriculture and Infrastructure Inspection

The Hunter Region in New South Wales, Australia is home to some of the world’s most famous wines and viticulture. The continent is no stranger to the benefits of modern drone technology, and, in addition to utilizing unmanned aerial vehicles to spot shark activity near surfers, has turned toward this practical aerial tool for agricultural purposes and infrastructure inspection.

Aussie gov't inquiry calls for mandatory drone licensing

Australians flying drones for recreational purposes could soon be forced to pass a written and practical test before they are allowed to do so.

Beautiful Drone Footage Captures Kerby Brown Tow Surfing Insane WA Slab

What he captured on his DJI Mavic Pro drone is beautiful: Kerby Brown, lover of all things heavy water, somewhere in Western Australia, towing into an absolutely mental left-hand slab.

Drone users urged to toe the line after a record number of near misses with aircraft

A growing number of complaints about drones involve near misses with aircraft despite efforts to educate drone operators about the risks. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) received 268 drone complaints in the seven months to the end of July. Thirty-five of them were classed as "air proximity" or near misses with aircraft, compared with 38 such reports for the whole of last year.

Drone operator breaking safety rules flying over Matamata's CBD

A high-end drone spotted flying above Matamata's CBD has triggered a warning from police and the Civil Aviation Authority.Eye witnesses have seen what police believe could be a DJI Phantom drone hovering above the town centre, during the day and night.

How To Videos - A Place to Learn

How to shoot surfing with a drone

Learn how to film surfing using a drone. Here are a few tips and tricks for shooting surfers from the sky

If your drone videos aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough

Robert Capa famously said that: “If your photographs aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.” It seems that the same holds true for drone photography and videography.

Ken Videos