Drone News for Week of October 29 2018

Drone NewsBytes Your Unfiltered Drone News Source

Gatlinburg man's drone breaks after only one use - When buying a product online, customer service is important if something goes wrong. A man in Gatlinburg who bought a drone in July is disgusted with the lack of service after the device failed after just a single flight

GoPro Karma Vs DJI Mavic Pro: A Comparison - The DJI Mavic Pro has been a popular drone for years. But can it be topped by the GoPro Karma? Check out our comparison to find out.

Police deny bringing down Leicester owner's helicopter with a drone | Metro News - The helicopter crash that killed Leicester City soccer club owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha was not caused by a police drone, Leicestershire Police have confirmed. Thai businessman Srivaddhanaprabha died along with four others.

Failed drone startup Airware auctions assets, Delair buys teammates - Luckily, at least part of Airware’s team is being rescued from the wreckage. French drone services company Delair is buying Airware’s Redbird analytics software and IP, plus the 26 employees who ran it. Airware had acquired Redbird and its 38-member team in 2016 to integrate its analytics that derived business metrics from 2D maps and 3D models of work sites based on imagery shot by drones.

FAA Tightens Drone Restrictions Near High-Security Navy Submarine Bases | Military.com - The Federal Aviation Administration is warning amateur drone pilots that flying their aircraft near sub bases is a no-go. In cooperation with the Defense Department and U.S. Coast Guard, the agency is restricting drone flights near military vessels moving toward or away from Naval Base Kitsap in Washington and Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia, according to an FAA news release..

Drones, police dog help apprehend suspect in Dublin carjacking - A man who attacked and attempted to kidnap a woman at a Dublin gas station, and then fled in the victim’s car, was tracked to Oakland using the victim’s cell phone and captured using drones and a police dog, police said Sunday.

Presidents everywhere will thank DroneShield for its latest drone killing device - Stockhead - DroneShield’s latest product is known as the “DroneNode” and it’s an evolution of an existing DroneCannon product released earlier this month. It’s described as a portable, compact and inconspicuous counterdrone jamming device which can be used at large outdoor events without raising public concern.

Two local men sentenced for involvement in prison drone drugs gang - Two local men have been sentenced for their involvement in a 15 strong drone operating gang which is believed to have smuggled drugs worth more than half a million pounds into prisons across central and northern England.

New Russian owl drone will hunt tanks in northern warfare - Without needing to accommodate a human on board, drones are bound only by the laws of aerodynamics. That means shapes familiar and strange, from palm-sized rafts that resemble miniature helicopters to tube-launched boxes with wings that transition into fixed-wing vehicles in flight. One exciting frontier for drone body shape is biomimicry, masking the outward appearance of the robot by giving it a form that resembles an animal. Consider, if you will, a Russian drone, built to resemble an owl.

100 Intel drones join the cast of Radio City’s Christmas Spectacular - Radio City Music Hall’s Christmas Spectacular, a holiday tradition since 1933, is getting a high-tech upgrade: 100 of Intel’s Shooting Star Mini drones will now join the Rockettes onstage.

Parrot launches the Anafi Extended Pack for its compact 4K drone | Tech/Gadgets | Malay Mail - In the runup to Christmas, Parrot has launched a comprehensive Anafi Extended Pack comprising a drone, a Parrot Skycontoller 3, two extra batteries, an ergonomic carrying cases and a two-month subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud or Adobe Premiere Pro CC. The pack is…

Zipline to start assembling drones in Rwanda - Zipline,a US-based company that operates the world’s only drone delivery system for urgent medicines such as blood and vaccine is set to unveil a drone assembling plant in Rwanda.

Physicist Jen Fowler brings drones to Missoula - Drone regulations are a new area of interest for Fowler, who has a knack for balancing numerous projects at once. When she was an undergraduate physics student at Rutgers University in New Jersey, she spent her summers fighting fires in California and Montana. After she graduated, she decided to stay in Montana, where she got a job teaching at an all-girls boarding school. There, she met Jim Jacobs, another teacher who told her of an opening in the physics department at the UM.

Concern raised about cane farm sediment run-off into Queensland creeks - The Queensland Government investigates concerns raised by environmental groups that sediment run-off from more than 2,000 hectares of cane farming land south of Mackay is potentially polluting waterways leading to the Great Barrier Reef.

DJI releases a modified Mavic 2 drone aimed at enterprise – TechCrunch - DJI announced today at an event in Texas a modified version of its well-received Mavic 2 aimed squarely at business ranging from government to education. The base of the folding drone is the same as the commercial one that launched a few months back, but there are a few updates on-board aimed specifically at enterprise customers.

Drone created by UT-Austin student aids campus water conservation | The Daily Texan - If students see a drone flying through the sky around the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library, it means UT is looking for ways to improve water conservation on campus.

This is the best drone according to Amazon? - The HS100 - DroneDJ - The HS100 drone retails for about $280 on Amazon and has incredible reviews. Learn what drone is better and where to buy this drone for a 60% discount. The HS100 and HS100G from Holy Stone are two of the best-rated drones on Amazon. As we have pointed out, these reviews can’t really be trusted.

Latest tech on display at UH drone demo – University of Hawaii System News - State-of-the-art, unmanned aerial, surface and underwater drones were on full display at the Hawaii Institute for Marine Biology on Coconut Island.

Commercial Drone Airfield Could Be Coming To Laramie | Wyoming Public Media - The Laramie Regional Airport could become the nation’s second private drone hub. The airport is partnering with Infinity Development Partners to bring the growing industry to Wyoming.

Schumer seeks more funding for drone test sites in transportation-spending bill - U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer on Friday said he would push lawmakers to include new funding in a federal spending bill for programs benefiting drone testing in Rome, New York.

Drone Scholarship Will Open Doors for Students Pursuing Careers in Unmanned Systems - At this year’s Commercial UAV Expo, Dyan Gibeens announced a drone scholarship program for students pursuing degrees towards careers in unmanned systems.

Japan Post to start test deliveries using drones - The Japan News - Japan Post Co. said Friday that it will start test deliveries using a drone between post offices in Fukushima Prefecture.

Xiaomi FIMI A3 - Spark-like features for less than $300 - The Xiaomi FIMI A3 is a small portable GPS drone with an HD camera on a gimbal that starts at $269. Nice challenge to the DJI Spark.

Seven jailed over 'drone mail' prison drug smuggling plot | Bromsgrove Advertiser - SEVEN members of a gang which used drones to deliver around £500,000 worth of drugs to prison cell windows have been jailed. Birmingham Crown Court was told on Friday how mobile phones, cannabis and other illegal substances were flown into seven jails, including HMP Hewell in Tardebigge, as part of what is thought to be the UK's biggest ever “drone mail” smuggling plot.

Tiny flying robots haul heavy loads in amazing video | Fox News - A remarkable video released by Stanford University shows tiny flying robots that have been modified to move loads up to 40 times their weight

Parrot Anafi drone update adds new photo modes and more - Geeky Gadgets - A new update has been released by Parrot for its Anafi drone, adding a range of new photo modes including panorama options, slow motion which now captures video at 120 fps in a 720P resolution and more.

Australia Drone News

Australian company selected in world first to trial drone delivery - PORT VILA/ SYDNEY, 25 October 2018: In a global first, the Vanuatu Government has awarded two international drone companies, Swoop Aero from Australia and Wingcopter from Germany, with commercial contracts to trial the use of drones to bring lifesaving vaccines to children living in remote rural islands.

Canberra Liberals call for parliamentary inquiry into drone deliveries - The Canberra Liberals are pushing for a parliamentary inquiry into household drone delivery in the ACT, amid growing calls for greater scrutiny of the technology. The ACT opposition will on Thursday call for the assembly's economic and tourism committee to conduct an inquiry into Wing's ongoing drone trial in Bonython, as well as the future of similar services in the territory.

Esperance photographer, filmmaker named as WA Young Australian finalist - His spectacular videos showcasing the southern coastline of Western Australia have been devoured on social media, and now acclaimed drone photographer and videographer Jaimen Hudson is set to reach new heights.

Researchers in China and Australia want to reinvent the wheel - This rolling liquid-metal drone is no Terminator, but it could be a useful pocket-sized scout in the future.

Drones deployed to archive sacred Indigenous areas and culturally significant sites - Indigenous Australians in the Northern Territory hope modern technology will give them new perspectives on ancient and culturally significant sites.

Airobotics raises another $30 million for its automated drone technologies - The new funding will be used to boost the company’s manufacturing efforts to meet new demand and help with the development of the company’s global headquarters in Arizona as it looks to capitalize on interest from mining companies in North and South America.