dronelife

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

Drone service providers need drone data management – and they need to keep finding new customers. The Optelos DSP Inspector™ Program is designed to meet those needs, in a partnership that helps both parties to grow. As the drone industry grows, Drone Service Providers (DSPs) offer crucial services for the inspection of critical assets in […] The post Optelos DSP Inspector Program Proves Partnerships are the Way to Get Customers and Thrive in the Drone Industry appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

The award-winning State Farm Arena, home of the Atlanta Hawks, is the first in the NBA to use drones for disinfection, as the arena prepares to host the annual NBA All-Star Festivities and start the second half of the 2020-21 season. State Farm Arena has brought on Lucid Drone Technologies to use their D1 Disinfecting Drone […] The post Drones for Disinfection: State Farm Arena, Home of Atlanta Hawks, Brings Lucid Drone Tech to the Game appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Joby Aviation hasn’t operated in stealth mode, but nor have they tended to make large announcements about product development. Now, for the first time, Joby has released video footage of the Joby Aviation air taxi in flight. (See the flight video and the CEO merger announcement below.) The quiet, all electric vehicle can carry 5 […] The post Joby Aviation Air Taxi: First Footage of Vehicle in Flight [VIDEO] appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Funding for U.S. drone manufacturers has just broken through another record, as Skydio investment soars by a $170 million Series D round. The Series D round was led by Andreessen Horowitz’s Growth Fund. The announcement is the latest chapter in the stunning Skydio story. Introduced in 2019, Skydio’s autonomous platform was breakthrough technology for the […] The post Skydio Investment Soars by Another $170 Million appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Australian counter-drone firm DroneShield has inked a deal with the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate to research drone detection mitigation technology. Deploying its DroneSentry and DroneSentry-C2 systems, the project will leverage RF, radar, infrared and acoustic sensors to help detect, classify, identify and track rogue drones. DroneSentry is a modular system that uses artificial […] The post DroneShield Snags research Deal with Homeland Security appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Visual Intelligence provides patented dual sensor technology combined with software and analytics to deliver millimeter-class drone data. Now, through a new partnership, inspection specialists ARE will deliver rail and utility engineering services based on the newly enabled solution. There is no doubt that drone technology has become an important tool for infrastructure inspections. For engineering use […] The post Dual Sensor Technology: Visual Intelligence and ARE Partner to Deliver Millimeter-Class Drone Data appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Will the urban air mobility market be worth $9 Billion by 2030? A new research report predicts that it will – has a few more surprise predictions about the segment. The report “Urban Air Mobility Market by Component (Infrastructure, Platform), Platform Operation (Piloted, Autonomous), Range (Intercity, Intracity), Platform Architecture, Unmanned Platform Systems, End User and […] The post Urban Air Mobility Market: $9 Billion by 2030? appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Heisha Tech‘s new D135 dock provides automated drone charging for DJI Matrice series and other larger enterprise drone solutions. Heisha is focused on enabling automated drone operations by providing automated charging solutions for commercial, off-the-shelf drones. The Heisha DNEST is designed for the DJI Mavic series: the new D135 drone charging dock is specifically engineered […] The post Drone Charging for DJI Matrice 300/210: Heisha Tech Releases D135 appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Drone mapping in construction can provide construction firms with the data they need to make profitable decisions. Chasco Constructors started in Round Rock, TX as a 4-man shop: but today, Chasco is an award winning, full service commercial construction company with over 300 employees. They’re using cutting edge technology, including drones and mapping, to monitor […] The post Drone Mapping in Construction: SimActive’s Correlator 3D in the Field in Texas appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

DJI layoffs in the Palo Alto office “reflect the company’s evolving needs,” says a company statement. “We have made the difficult decision to reduce staffing in our Palo Alto office to reflect the company’s evolving needs. We thank the affected employees for their contributions and remain committed to our customers and partners in the U.S. […] The post DJI Layoffs in Palo Alto, Office Will Remain Open appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article