dronelife

NOAA has awarded Black Swift Technologies (BST) a contract to develop GPS-denied navigation, enabling Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations for drones in GNSS-denied environments. NOAA has almost 95,000 miles of domestic coastline to survey – and while drones are by far the best way to complete the mission, flying within visual line of sight […] The post GPS-Denied Navigation: Black Swift Moves Drone Flight Forward with NOAA Contract appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

GM has unveiled a Cadillac brand flying car. The sleek and beautiful eVTOL passenger vehicle could be the car company’s concept of transportation’s next generation. Passenger drones, drone taxis, Automated Aerial Vehicles (AAV): as a few companies like Ehang, Volocopter and others move into test flight programs, large car manufacturers are thinking forward to the […] The post Cadillac Flying Car: GM Unveils eVTOL Concept appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Recent research from the Mercatus Center argues that drone highways situated over existing public roads could be the fastest way to full integration of commercial drones. The Mercatus Center research, written by senior fellow Brent Skorup and Harvard University JD student Connor Haaland rank the 50 U.S. states in terms of readiness for the drone industry. […] The post Mercatus Center: Drone Highways are the Road to Commercial Drone Integration appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

How a professor of computer science, a high-tech CEO and an RC hobbyist developed some of the most accurate drones for engineering on the market – in Montana. Skyfish.ai was started in 2014 – but until today, when the company announced the formal launch of their platform, they’ve been operating under the radar. That’s stealth […] The post Drones Made in the U.S.: Meet Skyfish.ai, the Montana Manufacturer Producing World Class Drones for Engineering appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Commercial drone provider American Robotics this week flew into rarified skies, becoming the first company approved by the FAA to operate automated drones without human operators on-site. The authorization allows American Robotics to deploy its Scout drone system with acoustic Detect-and-Avoid (DAA) technology that enables drones to maintain a safe distance from other aircraft. Company […] The post America Robotics Snags First-ever FAA Approval to Fly Automated BVLOS Drones appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

The U.S. government has taken a further step to limit the use of Chinese-manufactured drones for government agencies. GSA limits inclusion of some drones from procurement list for government agencies By DRONELIFE Staff Writer Jim Magill In the latest skirmish in the ongoing war between the federal government and the producers of Chinese-made drones, the […] The post Drones for Government Agencies: GSA Limits Procurement List to Blue sUAS appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

During CES 2021, French drone manufacturer Icarus Swarms announced a new UAS product line targeting security and emergency first-response industries. A company spokesperson says the new line is “based on a pioneering technology using intelligent pathfinding algorithms and microdrones coordinated in a swarm.” Icarus officials hope the new technology will “transform” military and police strategies […] The post French Drone Maker Unleashes Autonomous Swarm Concept at CES 2021 appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

As the U.S. drone industry continues to develop, new developments in commerce regulations may make it easier for U.S.-based drone manufacturers to access the global marketplace. Flexibility is the Key to Airpower: More Developments in Drone Export Controls By DRONELIFE Guest Contributor Dawn M.K. Zoldi* On January 12, 2021, the Bureau of Industry and Security […] The post U.S. Drone Industry: Changes in Export Control Could Help U.S. Manufacturers appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

For safety and drone traffic management, a robust communication system for drone delivery is a critical component that must be in place before delivery can be implemented at scale. Skyward, Verizon, UPS team up on communications system for drone delivery By DRONELIFE Staff Writer Jim Magill The dream of delivering packages by drone to doorways […] The post Communications for Drone Delivery: Skyward, Verizon, and UPS Partner appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Sony is lifting its cameras to new heights with a drone project. At CES 2021, the Japanese electronics giant this week announced the release of a new drone called Airpeak. The company says it’s capable of “dynamic filming and precise, stable flight, and aims to contribute to the world of entertainment while also pursuing new possibilities […] The post Sony Launches Airpeak Drone Project at CES appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

As the U.S. prepares for a new president, industry stakeholders wait to see what will change with the new administration. Here, industry leader Lisa Elllman discusses how drone technology could be used to address some of the problems the U.S. – and the world – now face. The following is a guest post by Lisa […] The post Will the New Administration Leverage the Power of the Drone Industry and Emerging Technologies? appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Former DJI Executive Romeo Durscher has joined open source platform Auterion as Vice President of Public Safety. Romeo Durscher brings his years of passion for using drones to save lives and improve communities to the Auterion team. It’s a new start that brings value and satisfaction for both Durscher and Auterion: and signifies a shifting […] The post Former DJI Exec Romeo Durscher Joins Open-Source Drone Software Platform Powerhouse Auterion appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Ahead of CES 2021, drone company Autel announced the release of the new Dragonfish flight platform for the second quarter of this year. A fixed-wing drone, Dragonfish offers a 120-minute flight time as well as takeoff/landing capabilities in space-restricted areas and an deployment assembly time of under three minutes. With a range of up to […] The post Autel Announces Dragonfish Drone Ahead of CES appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

California-based drone startup Skydio is flying high after receiving the 2021 Best of Innovation Award for Drones and Unmanned Systems at CES for the company’s Skydio X2. Given ahead of CES’s first-ever, all-digital expo on Jan. 11-14, the award is an annual competition honoring outstanding design and engineering in consumer technology products across 28 product categories. […] The post Skydio Soars with 2021 CES Innovation Award for Drones appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

The market in military drones and sensors “will be one of the most dynamic growth sectors of the world aerospace industry this decade,” says the Teal Group‘s recent analysis. “Teal Group’s 2020/2021 market study estimates that UAV production will increase from current worldwide UAV production of $5.6 billion annually in 2020 to $14 billion in […] The post Military Drones and Sensors are an Exploding Market appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

An Apple patent for drone telecommunications technology was published last month. Despite the fact that for several years our April Fool’s hoax kept hitting the top stories list, there is still no such thing as an Apple iDrone: but Apple could be looking for an opportunity to enter the drone industry. By DRONELIFE Staff Writer […] The post Apple Patent for Drone Communications Technology – Is Apple Getting into the Industry? appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

The U.S. – China tech war has had major implications for the commercial drone industry. Now, AirForce veteran and aerospace attorney Dawn Zoldi of P3 Tech Consulting explains the impact of the latest development, an Executive Order signed on January 5, 2021. Written by Dawn M.K. Zoldi, Guest Contributor* Additional shots have been fired in […] The post BREAKING: More Shots Fired in U.S. – China Tech War, Implications for Commercial Drone Industry appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

A patent for Remote ID systems has been granted to Kenji Sugahara: Drone Advisory Committee member, CEO/President of the Drone Service Providers Alliance, and CEO of Oregon-based Ariascend drone research and development company. By DRONELIFE Staff Writer Jim Magill With the Federal Aviation Administration’s recent release of the final rule on Remote Identification of Unmanned […] The post Patent for Remote ID Systems Goes to Oregon-Based Drone R&D Company appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

U.S. Transportation Secretary and drone advocate Elaine Chao has resigned her post in the wake of Wednesday’s storming of the Capitol by pro-Trump rioters. Chao, who has hailed the “safe integration of drones” as a “national imperative,” announced her resignation via Twitter on Thursday. “Yesterday, our country experienced a traumatic and entirely avoidable event as […] The post Drone Advocate: Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao Resigns Following Capitol Attack appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Drone swarms have tremendous potential for commercial and military applications. In the commercial sector, multiple drones flying in a planned formation could dramatically cut the time required to gather aerial data about a large area. For military or public safety applications, swarms offer unparalleled opportunities for search and rescue or disaster response situations. Drone shows […] The post Drone Swarms, Staying in Foundation in Cluttered Environments [VIDEO] appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

CA -based Fruity Chutes, a manufacturer of parachute recovery systems for drones and other aerospace systems, has launched a critical piece of the recovery solution: the Raven On-Landing Parachute Release (ROPR). The ROPR (patent pending) allows a parachute to be released automatically from a payload upon landing – limiting the damage caused if a payload […] The post Fruity Chutes: New Drone Parachute Release Protects Payloads appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

EU drone regulations 2019/947 and 2019/945 became effective on December 30, 2020. The risk-based approach does not differentiate between recreational and commercial operations, but considers the weight and specifications of the drone and the operation planned. Operators will need to become familiar with the categories (Skybound Rescuer Project has developed a free “Drone License Finder” […] The post EU Drone Regulations: a Risk-Based Approach appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao announced new additions and changes to the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Drone Advisory Committee membership. New members include representatives from U.S. manufacturer Skydio and Amazon Prime, as well as individual drone operator Vic Moss and President CEO of the Drone Services Providers Alliance, Kenji Sugahara. The term of members including […] The post Drone Advisory Committee Membership Changes: Skydio, Amazon Prime, Drone Service Providers appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

The final rule was published last week, and the elimination of the network requirement for Remote ID has been both lauded and criticized. Drone industry thought leader and Kittyhawk CEO Jonathan Hegranes has written a thoughtful response to the new rule. Kittyhawk has also published a ​whitepaper​ on Remote ID, providing a “deep dive” into the […] The post Kittyhawk on Eliminating the Network Requirement for Remote ID appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Following the publication of the final rule on remote identification for drones last week, the industry has voiced opinions both for and against the concept of Remote ID as well as the actual rule. DRONELIFE is honored to publish this joint op-ed from two of the industry’s leading voices: AUVSI President and CEO Brian Wynne, […] The post Op-Ed: Brian Wynne and Kevin Burke on Remote Identification for Unmanned Systems appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article