dronelife

At last week’s Stellantis EV Day 2021 conference, the parent company of the Jeep brand announced future technology that ranged from peer-to-peer charging to autonomous vehicles and biometric facial recognition, should you lose your keys. Some of these technologies are real changes towards cleaner transportation – but is the Jeep drone pairing technology announced a […] The post Is the Jeep Drone Follow-Me Feature Useful – or Just a Marketing Gimmick? appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

The drone industry could face a massive shortage of qualified pilots, as flight beyond visual line of sight, drone delivery, cargo drones, and passenger aircraft become a reality. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Foundation’s High School Aviation STEM Curriculum is working to meet those needs by introducing aviation carreers – both manned and unmanned […] The post Accreditation for AOPA’s High School Aviation STEM Program: the Next Generation of Drone Pilots appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

World energy leader GE and global mapping solutions provider Microdrones have partnered to bring GE industrial drones to market. The worldwide licensing partnership will allow Microdrones to “bring the GE industrial drone line to market globally, providing professionals access to powerful aerial surveying technology that will enable them to work more efficiently, accurately, safely and profitably,” […] The post GE Industrial Drones Hit the Global Market: Microdrones Partnership appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Who will pilot passenger drones and air taxis? As urban air mobility and other advanced air mobility projects advance, a workforce shortage looms. Aviation training firm CAE and urban air mobility pioneer Volocopter have partnered to train the pilots that the industry will desperately need. Urban air mobility, drone taxis, flying cars, passenger drones, […] The post Who Will Pilot the Passenger Drones of Tomorrow? Volocopter and CAE Partner to Train the Air Taxi Workforce appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Maggie Schuster and North Central Texas are working towards greater diversity in the drone industry – critical for expansion and growth. North Central Texas – Leading the Way in Developing a Diverse Drone Workforce! By: Dawn M.K. Zoldi The autonomous flight ecosystem of tomorrow requires a concerted effort to create a diverse workforce today. Last […] The post Diversity in the Drone Industry: North Central Texas is Making it Happen appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

What is the most important factor driving enterprise drone adoption? In this DRONELIFE Exclusive interview with senseFly‘s Pierre-Alain Marchand, Regulatory Compliance Manager: a drone manufacturer’s viewpoint. The Factor Driving Enterprise Drone Adoption Right Now senseFly’s iconic eBee has made an industry name as a lightweight, long endurance aircraft ideal for distance: from agriculture to large […] The post The Factor Driving Greater Drone Adoption: A Conversation with SenseFly [DRONELIFE Exclusive] appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

In this in-depth interview from her Drones at Dawn podcast series, Yolanka Wulff of the Community Air Mobility Initiative discusses what it will take to reach public acceptance for passenger drones, urban air mobility and other advanced air mobility projects. By Dawn Zoldi Many puzzle pieces need to fit together before advanced air mobility (AAM) […] The post Public Acceptance: the Linchpin for Advanced Air Mobility and Passenger Drones appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

News and Commentary. The U.S. infrastructure bill could have a profound positive impact on the drone industry. U.S. infrastructure was rated a “C-minus” by the American Society for Civil Engineers, who says that failing infrastructure costs every American thousands of dollars a year: while U.S. infrastructure overall ranks second in the world, the country falls […] The post What the U.S. Infrastructure Bill Means for the Drone Industry appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Israel’s Elsight believes that flight beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) is the future of the drone industry. They’re willing to put their money on the line to help companies get there faster: with the Halo Value Investment Program. Elsight’s Halo is a drone communications system – one that provides the rock-solid, secure connection between […] The post Elsight Believes in a BVLOS Future for Commercial Drones, and They’ve Put Money On It: the Halo Value Investment Program (VIP) appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

News and Commentary. What is Section 2209 of the FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act of 2016 – and why is it so critical to the drone industry that stakeholders are urging the FAA to implement it as soon as possible? What is Section 2209? Simply, Section 2209 requires the FAA to establish defined boundaries protecting […] The post What is Section 2209 – and Why is the Drone Industry Urging the FAA to Implement it as Fast as Possible? appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Teledyne acquires FLIR for $8.2 billion, and rebrands FLIR’s thermal imaging solutions as Teledyne FLIR. Teledyne Technologies (NASDAQ: TDY) announced just this week that the acquisition of FLIR (NASDAQ: FLIR) was completed, giving the details of the transaction in a press release and providing media sources with the new Teledyne FLIR logo. In the drone […] The post Teledyne Acquires FLIR: Teledyne FLIR Thermal Imaging Continues appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

The new Easy Aerial Raptor is a drone built for the future of autonomous applications. The hybrid tethered or free fly, drone-in-a-box system gives companies the unprecedented flexibility to use the best mode for the mission. US-based Easy Aerial provides autonomous drone-based inspection, monitoring and surveillance solutions for commercial, government, and military applications. Easy Aerial […] The post Easy Aerial Raptor is a Hybrid Tethered and Free Flying Drone-in-a-Box System appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

A Zipline funding round of $250 million raises the medical drone delivery company’s valuation to $2.75 billion – and will fuel expansion into new geographies and new industries. Zipline already boasts the world’s largest automated on-demand delivery service. Utilizing specially designed and manufactured aircraft, Zipline has established themselves in developing countries around the world, delivering […] The post Zipline Funding: $250 Million Raise to Bring Drone Delivery to New Places and New Industries appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

In this in-depth interview from her Drones at Dawn podcast series, Rex Alexander of Five-Alpha discusses what it will take to build out vertiport infrastructure to enable urban air mobility. By: Dawn Zoldi As infrastructure bills flow through the halls of Congress, many different groups vie for funds. For advanced air mobility (AAM), money is […] The post Advancing Air Mobility: What We Need for Vertiport Infrastructure appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Parrot’s new drone breaks new ground: the ANAFI Ai is the first 4G connected, robotic UAV – inspired by nature’s best flyers. In an interview with Parrot’s Martin Line, UX and Marketing Director, the company’s pride in this newest offering is evident: and they have good reason to be excited. The ANAFI Ai is the […] The post Parrot’s New Drone Sets New Standards: ANAFI Ai, 4G Connected Robotic UAV [DRONELIFE Interview] appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

North Dakota’s official, statewide drone system is growing after lawmakers recently approved a $20 million grant. The network, known as Vantis, is the first of its kind in the U.S. The network uses multiple radar posts, surveillance sensors and command-and-control-radios to give drone pilots a “drone’s-eye” view of their surroundings, much like being in a […] The post North Dakota’s BVLOS Drone Network Snags $20-million boost appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

The Wing free drone pilot app, OpenSky, launched today: with features to simplify airspace intelligence for both commercial and recreational flyers. The Wing free drone pilot app has been available in Australia for a couple of years: OpenSky is available in the U. S. today for the first time. OpenSky is an adaptation of the […] The post The Wing Free Drone Pilot App for Commercial and Recreational Users: OpenSky Launches Today in U.S. appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

In this Drone Public Safety Column, Steve Rhode reminds public safety drone pilots that it is their responsibility to limit liability. When it comes to believing product claims in drone marketing, trust but verify. The following is one of a biweekly serieson public safety drone issues by Steve Rhode, Chief Pilot with the Wake Forest Fire […] The post When it Comes to Drone Marketing, Trust but Verify: Steve Rhode’s Drone Public Safety Column appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

In another amazing implementation of drones for environmental protection, Oceans Unmanned and The Ocean Cleanup have joined forces to fight marine debris. Oceans Unmanned, Inc. is a non-profit dedicated to the use of drones for environmental protection: The Ocean Cleanup, a non-profit founded in 2013 to deal with the problem of plastic and debris in […] The post Drones for Environmental Protection: Oceans Unmanned and The Ocean Cleanup Join Forces appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Every drone pilot eventually faces challenging environments. Here, a pro’s best tips for flying a drone in the wind, cold, and other problematic conditions. The following is a guest post by Jason Steinberg, CEO of Scanifly: the only drone-based solar software committed to improving the efficiency, accuracy and safety of solar projects globally. DRONELIFE neither […] The post Flying a Drone in the Wind, Cold, and Other Challenging Environments appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Skyward, A Verizon company, announced a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the FAA to test cellular connected drones. Skyward was a visionary company in commercial drone software: the company was founded in 2012, before the enactment of Part 107. They were acquired by communications giant Verizon in April 2017: since then, parent company Verizon has […] The post Cellular Connected Drones: Skyward Works with FAA appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

U.S. drone manufacturer Skyfish announced a $20 million funding round, in a further indication that investment in drone companies is shifting to reward companies that are offering advanced technology for an established sector. The drone industry has often been accused of being a solution in search of a problem, but as drone technology matures that can […] The post Investment in Drone Companies Shifts as Drone Technology Matures: U.S.-Based Skyfish Scores $20 Million appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

New data from Skywatch.ai, drone indsutry insurtech experts, indicate some early shifts in commercial drone market share. The commercial drone market has changed dramatically since the FAA issued its first comercial permit in 2006, points out Skywatch Head of Marketing Ilan Yusim. From their unique position in the industry, Skywatch gathered data from policies issues across […] The post Drone Market Share: What’s Changed in the Race Between DJI, Autel, and Skydio? appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Drones have proven to be an incredibly valuable tool for environmental scientists: now, Reign Maker, a drone and data services innovation company, has developed a system using drones for water sampling. Nixie, “the world’s first drone-enabled water sampling and data collection system, designed to drastically increase sampling rates and accuracy while reducing the number of required […] The post Drones for Clean Water: Nixie Water Sampling System Brings Samples to Scientists appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Drone services company DroneUp has been selected to the FAA’s Aviation Rulemaking Committee to advance regulations for flight beyond visual line of sight, the FAA BVLOS ARC. The BVLOS ARC was announced earlier this month during the FAA and AUVSI’s UAV Symposium. The government and industry consortium will provide insight and recommendations to the FAA […] The post DroneUp Selected for FAA BVLOS ARC appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article