Table of Contents

Drone News for Week of August 20th 2018

Drone NewsBytes "Your Unfiltered Drone News Source"

ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 214471 - Drone collides with Helicopter

UPDATE - FAA has been notified and is currently investigating the Hollywood Beach video we showcased last week - more to follow as it becomes available

Drone caught on surveillance camera hovering outside a woman's bedroom

The device she's using to monitor her backyard is called "Wyse Cam" and for less than $30, she can tap into a live feed anywhere, anytime on her phone or tablet. The camera recorded a drone flying in her backyard

Incredible moment a lifeguard DRONE saves a drowning woman and six other swimmers after they were swept out to sea in Spain

This is the dramatic moment a woman is rescued from drowning by a lifeguard drone after she was swept out to sea. The woman and six other swimmers were left fearing for their lives when they were pulled away from the beach at the Spanish town of Sagunto. An operator on the shore then steered a drone to the struggling swimmers and dropped a life jacket to the women who seemed most threatened. The jacket was designed to inflate automatically and kept the woman afloat before lifeguards arrived to bring her back to the shore

'It's like flying a dragonfly': Manitoba drone racers compete for spot at nationals

The high-speed sport of drone racing is taking off in Manitoba. That's according to officials with the local drone-racing league, Winnipeg FPV, which held a regional qualifier Saturday where local pilots raced for a chance to compete nationally.

Lucie micro-drones dance with Drake in songs Elevate and Look Alive during show in Detroit

The Lucie micro-drones from Swiss company Verity Studios dance with Canadian rapper Drake during the songs Elevate and Look Alive. Elevate, a song on Drake’s new album Scorpion opens with the little drones flying around Drake to create a cloud of lights. During the song Look Alive the drones form a red 3D cross that rotates around the Canadian artist.

Drone Video Captures Abandoned Bayley Seton Hospital on Staten Island from Above

Videographer Matthew Chirico has been using Untapped Cities’ archives as inspiration for his location shoots, starting with a drone video of an abandoned bathhouse in the Rockaways and now of the partially abandoned Bayley Seton Hospital on Staten Island.

Consumer Drones Are Propaganda Tools, Not Killing Machines

The Maduro attack shows that the threat of drones in private hands is all smoke and noise.

Firefighters battle massive mulch fire in Harris County

Firefighters in Harris County say a massive mulch fire could burn for several more days. The fire broke out in northwest Harris County on Monday night at around 10 p.m. Drone video from Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department shows the burning pile glowing orange.

Drone mysteriously crash lands in South Tampa yard, family hopes to reunite it with owners

When reviewing the footage, Fierro discovered pictures and video of a man and a teenager launching the drone from Coleman Middle School's football field. The family posted on the Nextdoor app and other social media sites, but so far, they have not been able to track down the owner.

Autonomous drones will help stop illegal fishing in Africa

Drones aren't just cracking down on land-based poaching in Africa -- ATLAN Space is launching a pilot program that will use autonomous drones to report illegal fishing in the Seychelles islands. The fliers will use computer vision to identify both the nature of boats in protected waters as well as their authorization. If they detect illegal fishing boats, the drones will note vessel locations, numbering and visible crews, passing the information along to officials.

Colombia Tests Drones to Destroy Coca Plants Used for Cocaine

In Colombia, tests are underway that use drones to destroy coca plants that are used for the production of cocaine. The drones carrying defoliants (glyphosate) can target the coca plants with greater precision than can be achieved with airplanes. Colombian anti-drug officials have said that in recent weeks 10 drones, loaded with herbicide, have been used in tests in the southwest Nariño province to reduce the illegal crops.

Undergraduate team helps to develop drone-based intro robotics course

With the help of a Brown summer research grant, a team of undergraduates is helping to develop a course that uses simple drones as a gateway into autonomous robotics.

Arrest made in theft of drone

The drone, which was taken from an Innisfil Beach Road store, has not been recovered

Ukrainian company unveils new drone with grenade launcher

The configuration of drone with a grenade launcher is designed to pre-emptive surprise attacks on armored vehicles, firing points, air defense systems, enemy headquarters at distances up to 10 km. The control is manual (will be semi-automatic) by the operator on the video channel with the signal transmission via the air repeater based on the chimera “Chimera” UAV.

Texas Students Undergo Drone Training for Public Safety Use

Gov Tech reports that Students in Texas will receive training through a partnership between a drone operations and consulting firm and the Sharyland Independent School District.

Intel Claims Leadership Role in Drone Regulation Space

As the UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP) gets underway, Intel is claiming a leadership role in the development of new drone regulations. Intel is a partner in four of the ten sites chosen by the FAA to participate in the IPP, testing drone applications currently outside the boundary of FAA regulations. The IPP will last several years and feedback from the projects will inform future laws.

Amazon Prime Air Drone Inducted to Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum has officially inducted an Amazon Prime Air hybrid drone into its collection of essential examples of aviation history

Flying blind: How a drone can soar without using GPS

Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a new method that gives aircraft a backup system in case GPS fails: An antenna on the ground that can tell a drone where it is.

Autonomous drone is making test flights in Kansas, Illinois

New drone from American Robotics is capable of flying missions for up to a year from one location, requires no pilot.

The Drone Revolution Shakes Up Tort Law

A ULC committee tabled for discussion a new act for adoption by state governments that attempts to clarify property and privacy rights amidst proliferation of drones operated by hobbyists, companies, and government agencies. The proposed “Tort Law Relating to Drones Act” [PDF] has provoked controversy across many levels and areas of law implicated by growing use of drones.

A game of drones takes off in Pullman

Pullman residents joined the Pullman Police Department in Kruegel Park Saturday for the second annual Aerial Adventure Day - a day of drone education, piloting and racing.

Asteria and SatSure sign agreement to integrate drone and satellite data analytics

As per the agreement, SatSure customers will have access to Asteria Aerospace’s innovative and robust drone data collection and processing platforms to serve customers in the Agriculture, BFSI, Utilities and Energy sectors, with a focus on India and South-east Asia geographies.

DJI calls the August 23rd event their ‘biggest announcement of the year’ and admits that ‘it’s about time’.

In a post on Instagram, Chinese drone-maker DJI calls their “See the Bigger Picture” event their biggest announcement of the year. Of course, we all know what to expect on that day, the official introduction of the DJI Mavic 2 Zoom and Pro models. The event can be followed live at live.dji.com (video) as it starts on August 23rd at 10 am EDT.

Fire operations thwarted by drone

Deputy Noah Strohmeyer of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said at about 1:00 p.m. an unknown suspect flew a drone over a helicopter which was dumping water on the fire. Strohmeyer said the incident posed a significant safety risk to the helicopter and ground crews, and effectively caused a stoppage to air operations in the area.

These 8 VTOL Passenger Drones That Actually Exist Will Blow Your Mind

This is a future that is getting closer and closer. Imagine: instead of spending hours and hours bumper to bumper, or in a crush to get on that last full bus or train to work on time, you sidle out of your home, hop in your own personal jet plane and zoom…up in the air and across town in a matter of minutes you go. Here are some real vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) passenger drones to whet your workaday whistle:

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Australia Drone News

Boeing Completes Autonomous Synchronised Drone Flight Tests in Australia

An Australian-made and developed command system for unmanned systems has been successfully tested in a series of UAV tests by aerospace giant Boeing in Brisbane, Queensland. The system, which allows UAVs to fly in synchronisation by ‘seeing’ and reacting simultaneously with other unmanned vehicles, was tested in a regional Queensland airfield last week, according to the company.

Ballarat kestrels are revealing their secrets of flight in wind tunnel testing for drone research

Martin Scuffins, who runs Leigh Valley Hawk and Owl Sanctuary, and his kestrels Jedda and Kevy, are taking part in wind tunnel testing for an RMIT research study on how the birds maintain stability in gusty winds, particularly while hovering.

Australian Film Maker James Ricketson, Facing 10 Year Sentence for Flying a Drone in Cambodia

One of Australia’s most famous movie directors testified Thursday in Cambodia at the trial of a film-making countryman facing a possible prison term of five to 10 years for flying a drone to capture images of an opposition political rally.

100% drought in Australia made visible through drone photos

In an article from The Guardian, photographer David Gray shows us that the drought, when seen from the air, can provide some really artful scenes. David captured them with his drone for all of us to see.

Drone employed to check security of New Plymouth's water supply

A former commercial pilot is in charge of keeping an airborne eye on New Plymouth's water network. Water Treatment Plant Technician Sam Dymond uses a drone to survey the hard-to-reach pipes and reservoirs of the district's water supply.

One sky: we must develop a unified approach to the national airspace with drones in mind

Anticipating the proliferation of drones with expanding capabilities, the report assesses the prospects of a viable drone industry which does not compromise aviation safety, security and privacy. It’s not a roadmap to open skies, but sets out the conditions on which any future drone policy must rest.

Drone grounded NSW firefighting aircraft

Water-bombing aircraft battling a bushfire in northern NSW were grounded after an "idiot" flew a drone over the blaze, authorities say. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority is investigating after the drone took to the skies near the Mothersoles Road bushfire at Ellangowan on Saturday. Aircraft were grounded as a result despite the blaze continuing to rage out of control.

How To Videos - A Place to Learn

A Guide to Drone Photography/Cinematography for Architecture

The construction industry has begun implementing drones on construction sites as a way to get a birdseye view of a project, capture the finished building from a unique perspective and even be used in the actual construction of the building itself. But when it comes to architectural photography and cinematography, we are just beginning to scratch the surface.

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