Tag Archives: perching

389 A Perching Drone

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A perching drone saves battery power, drones that connect communities, considerations for photography drones, Covid vaccination deliveries, secret combat drones, breaking up street racing, Airmap acquires DroneUp, and NOTAMs and drones.

UAV News

Watch this falcon-esque drone perch and carry objects like a bird

Engineers at Stanford University created robotic talons that can be attached to a drone so it can perch and carry objects like a bird. The SNAG (Stereotyped Nature-Inspired Aerial Grasper) has two independently moving legs inspired by the peregrine falcon. The 3D-printed “bones” articulate with motors and fishing lines that act like muscles and tendons.

The legs and claws of the perching drone grasp quickly, in no more than 20 milliseconds. When the SNAG accelerometer detects an impact with the perch, it activates a balancing algorithm and tilts the drone forward, just like a bird does.

Video: Stanford engineers create perching bird-like robot

Drones on Cape Cod: Skyports and MassDOT Partner to Connect Remote Communities

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s Aeronautics Division has partnered with Skyports to investigate connecting remote Cape Cod communities. The Department wants to provide emergency medical delivery after storms or other natural disasters and everyday services such as healthcare and logistics. Cape Cod is composed of difficult-to-reach islands and peninsulas.

6 Important Things To Consider Before Buying A Drone For Photography

  1. Style of the Drone
  2. Flying Range and Battery Life
  3. Flight Control System and Transmitter
  4. Is Raw or DNG Format Support Necessary?
  5. Camera Quality and Support
  6. Safety Features and Intelligent Functions

India tests drone delivery of COVID-19 vaccine in remote Jammu

Vaccine deliveries in remote regions can be problematic. But in India where the travel time can be two hours by road, a multirotor drone can make the same trip in 20 minutes. India’s CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories has developed the octocopter that can carry a 10-kilogram payload over a range of 20 kilometers.

Two New Secret Drone Programs Could Emerge In The Air Force’s Next Budget Proposal

Development money for two classified unmanned air combat vehicles is planned for the 2023 fiscal budget. The combat drones would be designed to operate alongside the Next-Generation Air Dominance Program (NGAD) and the B-21 bomber, both classified programs. Teal Group’s Richard Aboulafia speculates this could be Skyborg – the loyal wingman program. See also, 2 new secret combat drones are in the works, Air Force secretary says.

Drones used to make street racing bust in South Fulton

Street racing has been a problem in South Fulton, Georgia. Now the City of South Fulton Police Department is using drones to watch for street racing, document the activity, and capture images of license plates and the individuals involved. So far 33 people have been charged and four vehicles confiscated.

DroneUp Acquires Airmap: Another Move Towards Drone Ops on a Very, Very Big Scale

DroneUp is a drone services provider with a trained pilot network, proprietary software, and a relationship with Walmart that includes a financial investment and a drone delivery operation. AirMap has an Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) service which supports as many as 100,000 flights per day. Together, the companies can scale up operations and position for future BVLOS flights.

Name change signifies a bigger mission for NOTAMs

The meaning of the acronym NOTAM has changed from “Notice to Airmen” to the gender-neutral “Notice to Air Missions.” The new acronym now easily applies to the un-crewed flights of free balloons and drones.

UAV Video of the Week

Video: Beautiful drone footage of tree-lined NY roads and geometric fields | SWNS

This beautiful aerial footage takes you above a winding country road and geometric fields under the setting autumn sun. From the UK journalism team at SWNS.

354 Home Design for Drone Deliveries

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Designing homes to accept deliveries by drones, a Smellidrone, Virginia partners with a UAS company, launching smallsats, refreshments delivered to golfers, a passive perching mechanism for micro drones, contract awards for loyal wingman prototypes, a long-range medical test flight in South Korea.

UAV News

Drones are poised to reshape home design

If delivery drones become prolific, that might have implications for the way homes are designed to accept deliveries by drone. That includes the location where deliveries are made and how they are are made.

Tech startup Valqari is developing drone-delivery mailboxes where the top of the mailbox acts as a landing pad, the drone activates a retractable door, and space opens to accommodate packages. These mailboxes could be mounted on rooftops and windowsills of homes, or be part of a neighborhood bank of mailboxes.

The Paramount Miami Worldcenter condo building in Florida was designed to include a “skyport” platform on the roof. The platform could accommodate VTOL vehicles for residents or a package delivery area.

Walmart submitted a patent application for a delivery chute mounted onto an apartment building. Drone deliveries would be dropped through the chute and onto a conveyor belt, then packages would be carried to the building’s mailroom for distribution.

‘Smellicopter’ drone sniffs its way around its surroundings

Researchers from the University of Washington are using live moth antennas on an autonomous drone. Use cases include detecting chemicals in the air, gas leaks and explosives, locating disaster survivors, and narcotics detection. Most human-made sensors are not sensitive enough or fast enough. Professor Thomas Daniel, a biologist at the University of Washington says, “Cells in a moth antenna amplify chemical signals. The moths do it really efficiently – one scent molecule can trigger lots of cellular responses, and that’s the trick. This process is super-efficient, specific, and fast.”

Drone company to invest millions, build new headquarters in Virginia

Silent Falcon UAS Technologies intends to invest $6 million for its new East Coast headquarters for research, development, and manufacturing at the Front Royal-Warren County Airport. The company manufactures UAS components and sensors for the security, military, and commercial markets. The partnership with Virginia will create 250 jobs for the area. The Unmanned Systems Lab at Randolph-Macon Academy will act as part of a pre-professional pathway initiative for students.

Aevum unveils smallsat-launching drone aircraft

Huntsville, Alabama startup Aevum unveiled its Ravn X drone. The aircraft will become the first stage of its smallsat launch system. The company wants to provide a fast-response service using autonomous aircraft that can take off from any mile-long runway.

One of the many perks at Michael Jordan’s Grove XXIII golf club? Drones deliver drinks and snacks

At The Grove XXIII in Hobe Sound, Florida, Michael Jordan’s golf club, drones are delivering beer and food to players on the course. Video shows a multirotor lowering a bag to a thirsty golfer on the course. 

Mechanical gripper allows drones to hang from objects

Engineers at Colorado State University have developed a gripper for micro air vehicles (MAVs). The gripper is intended to mount on the top of third-party MAVs so they can rest and save batteries when they don’t need to be flying. The gripper has a vertical plunger-like pad in the middle that is mechanically linked to two diagonally raised folding arms. The MAV flies up against the underside of a horizontal object and the force of impact pushes the pad down, engaging the two arms to clasp the object.

Video: Passive Perching for Flying Robots with Bistable Grippers

These Three Companies Will Build Drones To Carry The Air Force’s “Skyborg” AI Computer Brain

Boeing, General Atomics, and Kratos were all awarded 24-month contracts. The three will build prototypes that will be “missionized prototypes with the ability to fly in experimentation events while teaming with manned aircraft.” The Air Force says it expects all three companies to deliver an initial batch of prototypes no later than May 2021. Speculated aircraft are the Kratos XQ-58 Valkyrie drone or variants, the General Atomics Avenger drone or a version of the Predator C, and the Boeing loyal wingman-type design from its Australian division.

PABLO AIR succeeds in simultaneous delivery using two drones in a 50-mile circular flight

In a recent test flight, Korean UAV company PABLO AIR shipped medical supplies to two islands with two drones. The roundtrip journey was 50 miles and the mission took one hour and twenty minutes. This was the longest drone flight made in Korea and took place in inclement weather with VTOL) drones.

UAV147 Drones That Perch on Walls

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The FAA tests a drone detection system at JFK and releases registration data, drone-on-drone refueling demonstrated, a drone that can perch on walls, a new UAS risk management course, and a review of a guide to drones.

Stanford Biomimetics and Dexterous Manipulation Laboratory

Rotorcraft perching, recovery, and takeoff

News

FAA Tests FBI Drone Detection System at JFK

The FAA conducted tests of the effectiveness of an FBI UAS detection system at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York. Five different rotorcraft and fixed wing UAS participated in about 40 separate tests. Also involved in the tests were the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Justice, Queens District Attorney’s Office, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The Griffiss International Airport test site in Rome, NY, provided expertise in planning the individual tests as well as the flight commander for the tests and two of the UAS used.

FAA Releases Drone Registration Location Data

In response to a number of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, the FAA released a spreadsheet showing the number of UAS registrations by country, state/province/region, city, and postal code. Almost 40,000 entries for “Hobbyist” registrations, and nearly 5,000 “Non-Hobbyist” registrations. Names and addresses of registrants are not part of this database, and will only be made available by registration number.

Heatmap of hobbyist UAS registrations, courtesy AirMap

Heatmap of hobbyist UAS registrations

Heatmap of non-hobbyist UAS registrations, courtesy AirMap

Heatmap of non-hobbyist UAS registrations

We’d like to thank Airmap.com for providing the heat maps. Find the AirMap for Drones app in the iTunes store and use it to access low-altitude airspace advisories, create flights, file digital notices, manage aircraft, and more.

Now drones can go on and on: Unmanned aircraft refuel autonomously in MID-AIR, meaning they can carry out longer missions

Chinese researchers have developed a method of autonomous aerial refueling where the “tanker” uses cameras to determine the position of the “receiver.” The tanker then flies to the receiving drone and refuels it through a boom.

Microspines Make It Easy for Drones to Perch on Walls and Ceilings

Quadrotors have limited flight duration, so the ability to “perch” or land for extended periods of time would be beneficial, particularly for applications where the operator wants to collect data over time. Stanford’s Biomimetics and Dexterous Manipulation Laboratory has been working on perching technology that would allow a small drone to land on a wall using an opposing gripping system.

Video of the Week

The Flying Scotsman crossing the Forth Bridge 15.5.16 Filmed by drone!

Peter Keith captured the Flying Scotsman crossing the Forth Bridge after a 10-year restoration project. Shot using a DJI Inspire 1 X5r Drone.

Mentioned

Online Global Unmanned Aircraft Systems Risk Management

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University announces a new 8-week on-line course which discusses risk management as it relates to UAS, and also covers international efforts at addressing that risk. Taught by Dr. Sarah Nillson, our guest on Episode 111.

The Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum Innovations in Flight Family Day and Outdoor Aviation Display

Join David and Max June 18, 2016, at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia for a day of full immersion in both manned and unmanned aviation.

Book Review

The Complete Guide to Drones: whatever your budget

David reviews this 144 page paperback by Adam Juniper and finds it to be a valuable resource. Author Juniper is a long-time R/C and drone flier, has produced many YouTube videos, and he has worked as a professional video producer.