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Boeing settles the Insitu lawsuit; Intel neuromorphic chips in drones; betting on drone races; connected drone delivery from Verizon, UPS, and Skyward; and new drones from Cadillac, Sony, and Autel Robotics.
UAV News
Boeing to pay $25 Million to settle Insitu Lawsuit
In a federal whistle-blower lawsuit, Insitu was accused of fraudulently overcharging the U.S. government. Surveillance drones were sold to the government and billed as new, but Insitu provided used drones. This was on no-bid military contracts that were signed between 2009 and 2017. The Department of Justice accused Insitu of “knowingly submitting materially false cost and pricing data” for contracts to supply surveillance drones to both the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and the Navy. Insitu said in a statement that “our disclosures to the government at the time satisfied all requirements.” The company does not admit any wrongdoing.
Intel envisions drones with biological brains and eyes
Intel is installing neuromorphic chips into drones. The “Loihi” chip has 2 billion transistors which simulate 130,000 neurons and 130 million synapses. Intel is initially applying neuromorphic technology to drone cameras. The hope is that Loihi will allow cameras to function more like natural eyes, responding almost instantly to visual change.
DraftKings announces it will now allow betting on drone races in some states
Sports betting company DraftKings has teamed up with the Drone Racing League (DRL). Betting on the races will be allowed for residents of Colorado, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Tennessee, and West Virginia. Regulatory approval is pending for other states.
News from CES 2021
The Cadillac personal drone is the Cadillac of personal drones
The Cadillac-branded single-seat eVTOL is a concept study featuring a 90-kilowatt hour electric motor powering four rotors.
Sony offers first glimpse of its Airpeak drone that can carry an Alpha camera on an adjustable gimbal and capture footage and images from the air
The Sony Airpeak quadcopter was designed to carry the Sony Alpha mirrorless camera system. Two landing gear extensions retract upwards during flight. Price and availability were not announced.
Airpeak will support the creativity of video creators to the fullest extent possible, aiming to contribute to the further development of the entertainment industry as well as to improved efficiency and savings in various industries.
Sony statement.
Verizon, UPS, and Skyward announce connected drone delivery at CES 2021
The collaboration between Skyward, A Verizon company, and UPS Flight Forward™ plans to deliver retail products with drones connected to Verizon 4G LTE. 5G testing and integration will also be conducted. Deliveries of retail products via connected drones will start at The Villages in Florida.
Video: Building the New Smart City | CES 2021 | Verizon
Autel Robotics releases the new Dragonfish VTOL and EVO 2 RTK series at CES
Autel Robotics released two new drones at CES. The Dragonfish VTOL has autonomous capability, a maximum flight time of 120 minutes, an 18.6-mile video transmission range, and a deployment time of under four minutes. The EVO 2 RTK series drones use Real-Time Kinematic technology to improve the accuracy of GNSS data, allowing sub-inch accuracy.
Videos of the Week
Drone Captures Stunning Scenes After Snowstorm Hits Central Idaho