dronelife

Here at DRONELIFE, St. Patrick’s Day is a company holiday on other years: our CEO holds an Irish passport, and our home town of Boston usually celebrates Evacuation Day (look it up) as a reason to take the day off. This year is different – but the St. Patrick’s Day drone show over the night […] The post St. Patrick’s Day Drone Show: The Stunning, Moving, Orchestra of Light Over Dublin’s Night Sky (VIDEO) appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Texas lawmen team up with Austin-based drone software company By DRONELIFE Staff Writer Jim Magill Picture a search and rescue mission in which a hiker is lost in a remote brush-covered region of West Texas. The state’s premier law enforcement agency, the Department of Public Safety, launches several drones to conduct the search, as does […] The post DroneSense: Teaming Up with Texas Law Enforcement appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

(A DRONELIFE Editorial.) A recent headline from the Brookings Institute is a stunning example of the drone industry’s public perception problem. Death from above: How criminal organizations’ use of drones threatens Americans is actually an article about the growing opioid crisis: but the authors places the blame for our current problems first on COVID, then on fentanyl, next on […] The post International Relations, Drug Trafficking, and Murder: Don’t Blame Drones for Crime (Opinion) appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

California-based drone startup Skydio is flying into friendly skies with a lucrative deal with public-safety tech player Axon. The strategic partnership will allow Axon to offer Skydio’s autonomous drone platform to law enforcement and emergency agencies through the company’s Axon Air brand. As a Skydio Elite Partner, Axon will be the exclusive reseller and digital evidence management […] The post Skydio Soars Into Drone Marketing Deal with Top Law-enforcement Tech Provider appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Counter-drone provider Citadel Defense is teaming up with Syzygy Integration to develop a custom solution for the U.S. Department of Defense and other federal government agencies. Company officials say the new application “accelerates situational awareness and coordinated responses to uncooperative drone activity around critical infrastructure, national special security events, military bases and the border.” It will […] The post Citadel Defense Teams Up with Syzygy to Develop Advanced Counter-drone Platform appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

The commercial drone industry, and BVLOS drone delivery, took a big step forward last week as officials demonstrated the first working UTM prototype in Singapore. U.S. company OneSky joined global technology firm Nova Systems on the project to provide advanced unmanned traffic management capabilities in Singapore’s unique urban environment. “This brings to a close a […] The post UTM in Singapore: OneSky Works on Nationwide UTM Services for a Unique Urban Environment appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

The FAA has announced when rules on Remote ID will go into effect, along with the newly released regulations on drone Operations Over People and Moving Vehicles and Flight at Night. In a press release published Friday night, the FAA says that the “final rules requiring remote identification of drones and allowing some flights over […] The post When Will Remote ID Go Into Effect? FAA Announces Date appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Vertical Aerospace’s Urban Air Mobility solution may be the Rolls-Royce of passenger drones, a phrase synonymous with luxury engineering. Rolls-Royce has recently announced that their electrical power system will be integrated into Vertical Aerospace’s “piloted all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicle.” The aircraft will carry up to four passengers for 120 miles at cruise […] The post The Rolls-Royce of Passenger Drones appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Used for creating precise 3D models of terrain for mapping and more, LiDAR surveys are an important commercial application for the drone industry – but battery limitations and the associated short flight times remain a problem. Now, California-based Skyfront is working with European UAV LiDAR solution provider Routescene to explore the impact of increasing flight […] The post LiDAR Surveys by Drone: Increasing Flight Endurance for a Big Impact on Productivity appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

In a recent DRONERESPONDERS webinar, Kerry Fleming of the FAA SOSC explains SGI waivers and how they work for small UAS operators. A Conversation on Public Safety UAS – Information You Don’t Want to Miss By: Dawn M.K. Zoldi, Guest Contributor This year the DRONERESPONDERS non-profit started hosting a free monthly open-to-all public safety-focused webinar […] The post SGI Waivers: “Special Government Interest” Waivers and How they Work appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

The FAA today announced a groundbreaking partnership with the Choctaw Nation to determine how drones can best transport cargo—including parcels—at lower altitudes. The agency’s Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center (MMAC) signed a three-year agreement with the Oklahoma-based Native tribe that will enable the center to study human factors, supply chain management and air-traffic control as they […] The post FAA Taps Choctaw Nation for Groundbreaking Drone Program appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Automated airspace approval has been a game changer for commercial pilots in the U.S., through the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC). The digital transformation of a slow and manual process means that drone pilots can get the authorization required within minutes rather than, in some cases, weeks. Now, Australian airspace authorities CASA have […] The post Automated Airspace Approval in Australia: CASA Announces Beta Launch in Fall 2021 appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Choosing the right drone hardware for public safety applications is a critical step in establishing a drone program. How can public safety professionals sort through the hype and find the right tool for their needs? Steve Rhode gives his best advice on getting started. (Check out Public Safety Flight’s recent podcast, where DRONELIFE Editor Miriam […] The post Beyond the Hype Cycle: Choosing the Right Drone Hardware for Public Safety Applications appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Aviation Week writes that FAA drone registration is down by 50% – but why is that, and what does it mean for the industry? Has the use of drones dropped as much as registrations have, or are pilots simply not using the system? The total number of pilots who registered drones through the FAA’s online […] The post FAA Drone Registration Down by 50%: Why? appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

A select group of American airports are launching the latest tech solutions surrounding drone air-traffic systems. The FAA announced today the selection of five American airports to evaluate technologies that could detect and mitigate potential safety risks posed by rogue drones. As part of its Airport Unmanned Aircraft Systems Detection and Mitigation Research Program, the […] The post FAA Taps Five U.S. Airport to Test Drone Safety Protocols appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Launched! The 2021 Women to Watch in UAS Global Awards 5th Year Anniversary Program is Here Five years together supporting & inspiring women to break boundaries and thrive. By Guest Contributor: Dawn M.K. Zoldi* Women and Drones is pleased to announce that the milestone 5th Anniversary Women To Watch (WTW) in UAS Global Awards 2021 […] The post The 2021 Women to Watch in UAS Global Awards! appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Seattle, Shanghai and Denmark based technology platform Clobotics has announced a $30MM capital raise. “Clobotics announced today that the company has completed its Series Pre-B-4 capital raise and received an additional $30 million of investment towards its goal of “turning sight into insight” for customers in the wind and retail point of sale industries,” says […] The post Industrial Drone Solution Provider Clobotics Raises $30 Million appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Has the conflict had any noticeable effect upon DJI’s drone market share? The latest report from Drone Industry Insights (DRONEII) answers the question, as the U.S.-China trade war continues, and with it the U.S. government’s focus on Chinese-manufactured drone tech. As U.S. proposals like the American Drone Security Act and the publication of the U.S. Department of […] The post Has the U.S. China-Trade War Changed DJI’s Drone Market Share? The Latest from Drone Industry Insights appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

The appetite for investment in the air taxi or urban air mobility sector continues to grow, as new Volocopter funding indicates. Volocopter, one of the first working air taxis – and the only company to receive Design Organization Approval (DOA) by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) – has announced a €200 million (about […] The post Volocopter Funding: €200 Million in Series D appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Colorado-based Black Swift Technologies is helping the U.S. Air Force improve drone maintenance planning, thanks to a recent grant. The company will develop a machine-learning software solution for predicting and improving maintenance schedules in an effort to reduce drone systems failures. “System failures can be costly—in time, money and equipment,” Black Swift CEO Jack Elston said. “Our […] The post Black Swift Deploys AI to Help Air Force Maintain Drone Fleet appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Yesterday, drone delivery heroes Zipline began drone delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to selected health facilities within its service area in Ghana. “This makes Ghana the first country in the world to deploy drones on a national scale to deliver COVID-19 vaccines,” says the press release. It’s a first on a number of fronts. “On 23 February, […] The post Drone Delivery of COVID Vaccines: Zipline Begins appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Vantis, North Dakota’s statewide unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) network, is expanding: and with it, North Dakota’s drone ecosystem. North Dakota has invested heavily in the drone ecosystem, putting significant money and resources behind drone businesses. Vantis is designed to be the nation’s first statewide UAS beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) network: the Grand Sky business and aviation park is […] The post Vantis Expands: Building Out the Drone Industry in North Dakota appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

It takes more than just a Part 107 to be a good drone service provider: customers require expertise in production, too. If you’re confused about camera formats for drones and some of the newest options on the market, we’ve got you covered with this deep dive. UAS expert and industry figure Douglas Spotted Eagle of […] The post LUTS, Log, 10Bit: Geeking Out on Camera Formats for Drones appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Chinese drone giant DJI is flying into a new drone category with the announced release today of the DJI FPV. According to a corporate release, the new model combines: “The first-person view and high-speed performance of racing drones The cinematic camera sweep of traditional drones The safety and transmission technology of DJI’s leading consumer drones An optional, […] The post DJI Launches New FPV Model with One-handed Piloting Option appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Businesses recognize the need for diversity in the drone industry. In this article, Dawn Zoldi of the Drones at Dawn Podcast and P3Tech Consulting interviews Jason San Souci on the importance of neurodiversity in the workplace. Neurodiversity is a Super Power Elevating Drone Businesses! By: Guest Contributor, Dawn Zoldi Diversity makes businesses more profitable. Research […] The post Diversity in the Drone Industry: Neurodiversity is a Super Power appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article