Category: drone

NASA delays its Titan drone mission by another year

[ad_1] It’s an ambitious project. This will represent NASA’s first multi-rotor science vehicle on another celestial body, and the first of any kind to carry its full science payload between multiple areas. The drone will spend nine years flying relatively regular missions to collect samples and study both the habitability of Titan as well as […]

Walmart’s latest drone trial delivers at-home COVID-19 tests

[ad_1] Walmart is starting to deliver at-home COVID-19 tests by drone. A trial got underway in North Las Vegas today and the deliveries will expand to Cheektowaga, New York early next month. It’s delivering the kits to qualifying patients who live within a mile of certain Walmart Supercenters in both locales. Patients will self-administer a […]

Walmart partners with Zipline for glider drone delivery tests

[ad_1] At this point, Zipline has plenty of experience — Walmart says they have the world’s largest drone delivery network. Zipline has been operating since late 2016, starting in Rwanda with a focus on delivery medical supplies. More recently, Zipline has been operating in Ghana since 2019 and has been key in delivering supplies like […]

Amazon’s Prime Air can officially begin drone delivery trials in the US

[ad_1] “This certification is an important step forward for Prime Air and indicates the FAA’s confidence in Amazon’s operating and safety procedures for an autonomous drone delivery service that will one day deliver packages to our customers around the world,” David Carbon, an Amazon vice president, said in a statement. Amazon is not the first […]

The FAA will test drone detecting technologies in airports this year

[ad_1] This upcoming round of tests is far from the first time the FAA is evaluating drone detection and mitigation systems for airports. The agency has been trialing them for years, even before the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 compelled the agency to ensure that drone detecting technologies do not interfere with safe airport operations. […]

DJI’s Mavic Air 2 offers 34 minutes of flight time and 48-megapixel photos

[ad_1] Much of DJI’s camera functionality comes from the numerous auto-shot and “smart” modes. Again, there are some new goodies here. DJI was eager to talk up the new “scene recognition” feature which sounds like the trick we’ve seen on flagship phones where the camera knows (or, rather, guesses) where you’re shooting and automatically optimizes […]

NASA’s Mars helicopter is ready for the red planet

[ad_1] NASA is in the final stages of preparing the Perseverance rover for its trip to the red planet, which could begin anytime between July 17th and August 5th if everything goes as planned. Over the past week, the team assembled the machine, tested what needed to be tested and filled its tanks with fuel. […]

Drones can navigate like bats using four mics and a speaker

[ad_1] The drone currently has to be stationary to get a feel for its environment, but the scientists hope to use the technology mid-flight. The team will also look at situations where the drone might be restricted. If this system is available worldwide, it could lead to far-reaching improvements. Drones wouldn’t be quite so reliant […]

Drone network provides early warnings for natural disasters

[ad_1] These drone sentries should be relatively inexpensive, costing less than some professional drones. It’s more resilient than some warning systems, too. Where river monitoring stations frequently collapse in floods and other natural catastrophes, the drones can fly above the chaos as long as they have a charge. Unlike many research projects, there’s already a […]

Bird-inspired wings could help small drones fly four times longer

[ad_1] Where the leading edges of aircraft wings are typically smooth and focused on keeping airflow glued to the wing as much as possible, the scientists’ design has s a sharp leading edge (much like that of small birds and insects) with a completely flat wing, separating the airflow. That lessens the peak aerodynamic efficiency, […]