Tag Archives: package delivery

425 Drone Delivery Network

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Alphabet’s Wing subsidiary wants a drone delivery network, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces consider using drones to intercept aircraft, DJI is reportedly dropping AeroScope, U.S. Senators want an assessment of DJI security risks, cardboard drones from Australia are going to Ukraine, the USAF has plans for 1,000 loyal wingmen drones, Zipline’s next-generation aircraft, and Russian Su-27 fighter jets intercept a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper.

UAV News

Google company unveils drone delivery-network ambition

Alphabet’s Wing subsidiary is delivering up to 1,000 packages a day in Australia, but to scale up to millions of deliveries daily, Wing says it needs to develop a network service. The Wing Delivery Network would enable the management of large numbers of drones. This would consist of three hardware elements:

The delivery drones.
Pads where drones take off, land, and recharge their batteries.
Autoloaders that allow companies to leave packages for collection.

Delivery drones would travel from pad to pad (or node to node) rather than use fixed routes that return to a “home base” after each delivery.

Video: The Wing Drone Delivery Network

Japan weighs using drones to chase away foreign aircraft

Chinese military flights in the East China Sea have increased and scrambling jets is expensive for Japan. So the Japanese Self-Defense Forces (JDSF) are thinking about using drones instead, either the Turkish Bayraktar TB2 or the MQ-9 Reaper. It’s estimated that scrambling manned jets costs 40 times more than sending drones. The JSDF will first train its forces to use drones to identify foreign warships. If that proves successful, drones would be used to identify fast-approaching aircraft. Then if the threat is significant, the JSDF would send manned aircraft.

DJI quietly discontinues its drone-detecting AeroScope system

According to The Verge, the DJI AeroScope product page displays a pop-up that reads: “The Aeroscope is no longer in production. For the latest in DJI technology, please view our product recommendations below.” AeroScope is a drone detection platform that identifies UAV communication links and gathers information in real time like flight status, paths, and other information.

Senators Request Cyber Safety Analysis of Chinese-Owned DJI Drones

A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators is asking the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to conduct an investigation and evaluate potential risks associated with DJI drones. In its letter, the Senators say, “Identification of this relationship between DJI and the PLA [People’s Liberation Army] suggests a range of risks to U.S. operators of the technology, including that sensitive information or data could wind up in PLA hands.”

Paper Planes? Ukraine Gets Flat-Packed Cardboard Drones From Australia

SYPAQ announced it is shipping its Corvo drones to Ukraine. The drones come in flatpack form and the bodies are made of waxed cardboard. The autonomous Corvo PPDS has been shown to be simple to construct using only a glue gun, knife, pen, tape, and perhaps rubber bands. Only one tool is needed to attach the propeller. Corvo Autonomous Systems provides a family of autonomous systems for both military and commercial applications.

Corvo drone prototype in launch position. — Corvo drone prototype.

US Air Force eyes fleet of 1,000 drone wingmen as planning accelerates

The USAF has big plans for loyal wingmen drones – perhaps 1,000 of them. The Air Force plans to ask Congress for funding for the collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) program in the fiscal 2024 budget, as well as the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program. The Air Force estimates two CCAs for each of 200 NGAD platforms, and two CCAs for each of 300 F-35s.

Zipline unveils P2 delivery drones that dock and recharge autonomously

Zipline is showing their next-generation aircraft, called the Platform 2 or P2 Zip with an eight-pound payload and a ten-mile radius. It can land a package on a space as small as a table or doorstep. The original P1 Zip has a greater range but requires more space for takeoff, landing, and package delivery. The P2 has both lift and cruise propellers for quiet operation and better maneuverability. It can dock at a charging station and power up autonomously. Zipline says they’ve flown more than 38 million miles with its autonomous delivery drones.

Video shows moment Russian fighter jet hits US drone over Black Sea

Two Russian Su-27 Flanker fighter jets intercepted a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper, dumped fuel on the drone, and struck and damaged the MQ-9s propeller.

400 U-Space

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Creating a U-Space ecosystem for UAV and eVTOL, a hypersonic UAV project in Australia, how to Rickroll a crowd with 300 drones, the Switchblade drone in Ukraine, the outlook for agricultural drones, drone delivery service in Texas, and drones and export laws

UAV News

Droniq CEO Jan-Eric Putze on Creating a UAV and eVTOL Ecosystem

Droniq is a German company that provides hardware and software solutions for UAS Traffic Management (UTM). They started in 2016 as a research project of Deutsche Telecom and DFS, which is Germany’s air navigation service provider. CEO Putze says, “We have a highly regulated air environment and a highly unregulated drone world. We’re trying to come together.” He notes that the drone economy innovates using trial and error but manned aviation doesn’t work that way. Also, the drone industry and manned aviation can learn from each other.

The U-Space system is in test in Germany but other EU states are behind and probably won’t meet the January 2023 U-Space deadline.

Australian hypersonic UAV project awarded $2.95 million federal funding

The project partners are developing the DART CMP Airframe, a hydrogen-powered vehicle using the Hypersonix SPARTAN scramjet engine. Fully reusable, with ceramic matrix composites (CMC) components, the DART CMP should travel at speeds up to Mach 12. The project will begin in July 2022. Partners include Hypersonix Launch Systems (Sydney), the University of Southern Queensland (Toowoomba), LSM Advanced Composites (Harlaxton), and Roma r Engineering (Sefton).

300 Drones Formed a QR Code That Rick Rolled Dallas on April Fools’ Day

Sky Elements Drone Shows formed a giant QR code with 300 drones over Dallas on April 1, 2022. Those who followed the link wound up at Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” music video.

Switchblade: A look at the drone the US is sending to Ukraine

The AeroVironment Switchblade (sometimes called the Kamikaze), was introduced in 2011 and developed for US Special Forces in Afghanistan. The Switchblade 300 is designed to attack personnel and light vehicles, can be carried in a backpack, and is just over ½ meter long. The larger Switchblade 600 has a Javelin anti-armour warhead, requires a 10-minute setup, weighs 23 kg, and can fly out 40 km in 20 minutes, then loiter another 20 min.

Global Agriculture Drones Market Forecasts to 2026: Exemptions Provided by US FAA for the Use of Agriculture Drones and Increasing Investments

ResearchAndMarkets.com is offering the Agriculture Drones Market – Forecasts from 2021 to 2026 report. The agriculture drones market was projected to grow at a CAGR of 32.49%, reaching US$7 billion by 2026. Drone use in agriculture is growing and is seen as a reliable and cost-effective tool. Just published is a new report: Agriculture Drones Market – Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 – 2027) with a lower 7.1% CAGR, largely due to the industry effects of COVID-19.

More drone delivery services take flight in North Texas

The drone food delivery service Flytrex has started Granbury, Texas. Using the Flytrex app, customers can order from several restaurants and have their food delivered by drone to their yard. Flytrex also operates in three North Carolina locations. (Holly Springs, Raeford, and Fayetteville).

Video: Flytrex Sky Delivery Takes Off In Texas

As Drones Grow More Sophisticated, Export Rules Still Stuck in 1980s, Experts Say

The 1987 Missile Technology Control Regime defines unmanned systems in the same category as missiles. To comply, the State Department has frequently killed proposed foreign military sales of drones. But if the drones can’t be purchased from the U.S., others are more than happy to supply them, including China. A recent paper from The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies discusses the issue: Building Alliances and Competing with China: The Imperative for UAV Export Reforms.

Commercial UAV Expo 2022

September 6 – 8, 2022 Las Vegas

The Commercial UAV Expo is a leading trade show and conference that focuses on the integration and operation of commercial UAS with more exhibitors than any other commercial drone event.

Industries covered include Construction; Drone Delivery; Energy & Utilities; Forestry & Agriculture; Infrastructure & Transportation; Mining & Aggregates; Public Safety & Emergency Services; Security; and Surveying & Mapping. The Commercial UAV Expo was launched in 2015 and it gathers the international drone ecosystem under one roof.

You’ll find educational opportunities, unparalleled networking, and more exhibits than any other commercial drone event. It’s really a must-attend event if you hope to keep up with the newest technology and developments. The Expo is presented by Commercial UAV News and organized by Diversified Communications. Use the hashtag #expouav.

390 Gliding Cargo Delivery Drone

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Guided cargo delivery drone from Silent Arrow, the best cities for flying a drone, bringing power to those without, sailing the Gulf Stream, an airline plans for drone delivery, protecting the Pope from rogue drones, and DJI end of support.

UAV News

These gliding drones could deliver supplies from Air Force planes to the battlefield

Drone maker Silent Arrow® has won a contract from the Air Force for 15 “Precision Guided Cargo Delivery Drones.” In this Small Business Innovation Research (“SBIR”) Phase II contract, the GD-2000 (Glider, Disposable, 2000 pounds) platform will be scaled down and called the Silent Arrow Precision Guided Bundle (SA-PGB). Initially developed as an autonomous cargo delivery glider, it will be designed for side door and multi-unit (swarm) ramp deployment. The SA-PGB will be compatible with a fleet of delivery aircraft.

The best cities for flying a drone (and one you should definitely avoid)

This article provides information about cities with drone-friendly areas and photographic views. Most locations are in unrestricted Class G airspace. The best: Philadelphia, PA, Pittsburgh, PA, Chicago, IL, Bar Harbor, ME, Houston, TX.

Power drones: Toyota supplier tries novel fix to disaster outages

Japanese automotive supplier Aisan has a concept for a disaster relief drone that could deliver power to areas that are cut off from the grid. The gasolene-powered engine would charge a battery that could power lights and recharge phones.

Three ocean drones launched from Newport; will spend six months gathering data from Gulf Stream

The uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) have been sent on a mission to sail through the Gulf Stream. The Saildrone vehicles will spend six months collecting data to assist weather forecasting and carbon accounting. This effort is led by the University of Rhode Island (URI) and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). It’s funded by a grant from the Google.org Impact Challenge on Climate. The Saildrones are designed to survive harsh weather conditions that crewed ships could not.

SpiceJet plans drone delivery service for medical and essential supplies in remote areas

Indian domestic airline SpiceJet plans to introduce a drone delivery service to serve remote areas for medical and other essential supplies. The customized drones will allow for different payload weights and the initial focus is mid-mile deliveries. Last-mile deliveries are planned for later. The airline’s cargo unit SpiceXpress will provide the service in partnership with Throttle Aerospace for the drones and Aeologic for drone software management.

Rogue drone removed from Pope Francis mass in Slovakia

A mass led by Pope Francis with 60,000 attendees, 90 bishops, and 500 priests was protected by D-Fend Solutions. The company’s EnforceAir Ground-Level Tactical kit anti-drone technology detected a rogue drone and took control of it. See the Press release.

DJI will stop providing support for these products from March 2022

The end of service (EOS) timeline for some products includes: older drones, controllers, gimbals, transmitters, motors, and other accessories. Drones include Wind 1 and 2, Spreading Wings S900 and S1000+, and Flame Wheel ARF KIT F550 / F450 / F330.

UAV Video of the Week

Video: Michigan Christmas Tree Drone Footage

Mentioned

2021 events from Taking Autism To The Skys (TATTS), using drones to develop social and employment skills for autistic individuals.

384 Airport UAS Threats

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A guidebook for airport UAS threats, watching your neighbors, AUVSI XCELLENCE awards, legal issues for the construction industry, drone projects that impact healthcare, the KARGO and Hammerhead cargo drones, a drone mystery, and the Boeing Loyal Wingman production site.

Airport UAS threats guidebook. — *Airport Response to Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Threats*

UAV News

Guidebook on Airport Response to UAS Threats, Developed by Woolpert, Published by National Safe Skies Alliance

The National Safe Skies Alliance published a 44-page guidebook titled, “Airport Response to Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Threats” [PDF]. Funded by the FAA, the guidebook is designed to help airport operators plan for threats, assess them, respond to them, and recover from threats from UAS operating in unauthorized airspace. Woolpert was contracted to develop the document which includes examples and case studies.

Ohio City Considering Anti-Drone Voyeurism Law

A Hamilton, Ohio resident said a man was using a drone to look in windows, fly over children playing in their yards, and chase a woman down a street. He took video footage, but the police couldn’t do anything because no law was being broken. So he approached the City Council and they proposed a new local ordinance that would prohibit the use of drones to commit voyeurism.

African Drone and Data Academy wins international humanitarian award

Press release: Winners announced in 2021 AUVSI XCELLENCE Humanitarian and Public Safety Award

The Association for Unmanned Vehicles Systems International (AUVSI) announced the winners of the XCELLENCE Humanitarian and Public Safety Awards.

In the Humanitarian Project/Program category:

UNICEF African Drone & Data Academy (ADDA).
ALTI UAS flying in Misool, Indonesia.
MissionGO for the Longest UAS Human Organ Delivery Flight.

In the Public Safety Project/Program category:

Department of Homeland Security FEMA (Region IV)
Easy Aerial, for their Smart Air Force Aerial Monitoring System.
The International Emergency Drone Organization for the Best Drone Practices Report for Fire & Rescue services

Drones in the Construction Industry

Drones have many applications in the construction industry, but drone usage raises a number of legal concerns: privacy, safety, proper insurance coverage, and the duty to maintain video and still photo records. Also, there are civil and criminal penalties associated with using drones.

3 ways drones are impacting healthcare

Transporting blood samples. Wingcopter has been transporting blood 26 kilometers in Germany.
Delivering COVID-19 vaccines. Skye Air is trialing vaccine delivery within a 12 km range in India with temperature-controlled containers.
Disease control. In the Philippines and Malaysia, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine is using drones equipped with thermal cameras to follow macaques and monitor the transmission of malaria from animals to humans.

Kaman announces new KARGO UAV

Kaman Corporation has launched the KARGO medium-lift expeditionary logistics UAV. The KARGO UAV self-deploys beyond 500 nautical miles, carries up to 800 pounds of payload, has built-in autonomy with sense and avoid, and can deliver payloads with pinpoint accuracy. It’s designed for easy transport and deployment. Each KARGO UAV fits in a standard cargo container and can transition from full-stow to flight-ready in minutes with only two personnel.

Video: KARGO UAV | Transforming Expeditionary Logistics

New Cargo Drone “Hammerhead eV20” was presented at UAV Expo Americas 2021

The Airlogix Hammerhead eV20 is an autonomous eVTOL delivery drone. Empty weight: 132 pounds / 60 kg, maximum take-off weight: 176 pounds / 80 kg, payload: 44 pounds/ 20 kg, range: 62 miles. It flies in either quadcopter mode or fixed-wing mode. Airlogix says this “eVTOL aircraft [is] for middle-mile commercial and humanitarian delivery of urgent or regular supplies.”

Video: Hammerhead eV20. An autonomous eVTOL aircraft for middle-mile commercial and humanitarian delivery.

Tucson police-evading super-drone ‘quadcopter-like’ with ‘propellers reflecting light’

Last February, a drone outmaneuvered and outran police aircraft over Tucson. Through a Freedom of Information Act request, Drive’s War Zone reporter Brett Tingley uncovered new information. Eye-witness accounts suggest that it was “quadcopter like” and had “propellers reflecting the city light.” It was estimated to be 3 to 5ft wide.

UAV Video of the Week

Drone shows lava swallowing La Palma swimming pool

Drone footage showed lava from Spain’s La Palma volcano swallowing a swimming pool and houses on its way to the coast on Monday.

Feedback

Listener Stephen pointed out that a production site in Australia has been selected for the Loyal Wingman.

Boeing selects Australian production site for ATS loyal wingman

The Airpower Teaming System (ATS) will be produced at the Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport, in Queensland. The first flight of the ATS was last February. It was developed by Boeing Australia in partnership with the Royal Australian Air Force.

377 Google’s OpenSky App

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Google released the new OpenSky app, collecting water samples, cellular command and control, Zipline raised additional investment, Skyborg made a second autonomous flight, integrating drones with warehouses, and an interview with Robotic Skies.

UAV News

Google’s Wing launches free app to help drone pilots obey US regulations

The OpenSky app lets both commercial and recreational pilots in the US see where they can fly. The app is in beta but it’s based on Google maps and shows flight restrictions for the selected location. OpenSky also allows you to plan a new flight and submit a Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) request.

Drone-based water sampling goes deep

Reign Maker has developed a drone-based water sampling and data collection system called Nixie. The company spent two years developing a system that produces higher sampling rates and accuracy without the need for as much equipment and field personnel. The sampling attachment lowers EPA-certified bottles two feet under the water’s surface. Timestamps and GPS coordinates are associated with collected samples. The system currently supports DJI M600 and M300 RTK enterprise drone platforms.

FAA Moves to Further America’s Cellular-Connected Drone Operations

The FAA and Verizon’s Skyward signed a 3-year MOU to experiment with cellular-connected drones. Titled “Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)—Cellular Technologies to Support UAS Activities,” the agreement seeks to advance BVLOS, UTM, and one-to-many operations utilizing the cellular network.

California Drone Operator Zipline Raises $250 Million

Zipline plans to create more hubs and warehouses in Africa and invest in US market expansion. Zipline co-founder and CEO Keller Rinaudo noted that traditional supply chains broke down during the pandemic. He said “Covid has significantly accelerated all of our timelines. As more and more health systems were betting on us, we were realizing that the opportunity is bigger and we need to be making big investments.” The funding round values Zipline at $2.75 billion. Investors include Scottish investment firm Baillie Gifford, Fidelity Investments, and Singapore’s state-owned fund Temasek.

Skyborg makes its second flight, this time autonomously piloting General Atomics’ Avenger drone

Two months ago, the Air Force first flew the Skyborg autonomy core system (ACS) aboard the Kratos UTAP-22 Mako. Now Skyborg has autonomously flown a General Atomics MQ-20 Avenger drone. This means Skyborg ACS has flown on platforms from two different manufacturers. The flight took place during the Orange Flag exercise at Edwards Air Force Base, California, over a period of about two hours and 30 minutes.

Without changes, warehouses could ground drone deliveries

To allow for drone delivery service at scale, warehouses will need a place for drones to land, re-charge, and get loaded with the next package. That could mean land space, roof space, or even interior warehouse space. Warehouse operations will need to shift from pallet loading to single-item loading.

Interview

Reporter-at-large Launchpad Marzari talks with Katria Passi from Robotic Skies, a company that performs aviation-grade drone maintenance through a global network of over 225 service centers across 50 countries.

369 A Rescue Drone That Talks

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A rescue drone with 2-way voice radio capability, using trained bees and drones to find landmines, telehealth drones that visit your home, quadcopters that work together to deliver large packages, and delivering lifejackets for water rescues.

UAV News

Two Way Radio for Drones Means Rescuers Can Hear a Cry for Help

A rescue drone can be used to find you, but what if you could talk back to the rescue drone? Dotterel Technologies has a 2-way radio solution that could aid in search and rescue. This would allow a conversation with the person being searched for, or even the ability to listen for a cry for help to locate someone. A highly directional microphone array and real-time processor make this possible.

Video: Dotterel Aerial Audio – World’s First UAV with Two-Way Communication

How bees and drones team up to find landmines

Old landmines are a serious problem in some areas of the world. According to Landmine Monitor, 6,897 people were killed or injured by mines and explosive remnants of war in 2018. There are an estimated 80,000 landmines in Bosnia and Herzegovina and about 30,000 in Croatia.

The mines are difficult to find, however, bees can be trained to detect the scent of the explosives with their antennae. Now a team from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia have found a way to use drones to capture video of the bees that can be analyzed to indicate where landmines may be hidden in the ground.

New UC telehealth drone makes house calls

Telehealth has grown tremendously during the pandemic. But not everybody has the Internet. Now four Inventors from three colleges at the University of Cincinnati have collaborated to develop a semi-autonomous prototype drone that can be sent to people’s homes. The small quadcopters use navigational algorithms developed by UC engineers to maneuver inside a home.

Control System Helps Several Drones Team Up to Deliver Heavy Packages

A Georgia Tech Indoor Flight Lab is using multiple drones to lift a heavy package. A control algorithm directs a team of small drones. They measure thrust and altitude to estimate the weight of the package and could even be sent to your location to pick up a large package. The demonstration used four drones, but the control algorithm isn’t limited to that number. This solution might be better than a fleet of drones of different sizes and lift capacity. In many ways, controlling a group of connected drones is more difficult than controlling a swarm of robots that fly independently.

Video: Small drones work together to lift and deliver packages

Sheriff drones can now deliver lifejackets during water rescues

The San Mateo County Sheriff’s office announced they can deliver lifejackets to swimmers in need. A small quadcopter carries the lifejacket on a short tether and a button on the controller lets the officer drop the life jacket. The drone remains in the air some distance above the swimmer. This is part of their Water Safety Campaign. Video on Instagram.

UAV Video of the Week

Drone captures images of a reindeer ‘cyclone’

The video shows reindeer circling in a protective group with the fawns in the center. For more see Reindeer Cyclones Are Real, and You Definitely Don’t Want to Get Caught in One.

Video: This drone footage shows a reindeer cyclone in all its glory

359 Smart Drone Mailbox

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A smart drone mailbox could be a solution to delivery concerns, an FAA waiver for automated drones, Quantum networks with unmanned aircraft, precision infrastructure inspection, using a drone to contact rescuers, keeping a 3-rotor quadcopter from crashing, and air taxi trials coming to Paris.

UAV News

Smart Drone Mailbox Secures the Future of “Last Inch” Deliveries

A smart drone mailbox would address delivery issues such as porch pirates, excited pets, and inclement weather. They offer security, are accessible only to the recipient, and packages are shielded from the weather. Valqari and DRONEDEK are developers of smart drone mailboxes. Valqari CEO Ryan Walsh says, “The drone companies have been focused largely on all the innovative features of their drones, but if that innovation doesn’t create a safe, secure, and convenient experience for consumers, it will never be adopted.”

FAA Approves Automated Commercial Drones

FAA approves American Robotics to fly its automated drone-in-a-box

American Robotics Inc. becomes the first company to get FAA approval for fully automated commercial flights. The Scout drones are housed in weather-proof base stations with autonomous charging and data transmission from aerial surveys. They fly along planned routes, limited to altitudes below 400 feet (122 meters) in rural areas, and have a maximum takeoff weight of 20 pounds (9 kilograms). The FAA Waiver is valid until January 31, 2023.

Using Drones to Create Local Quantum Networks

Researchers published a paper saying they have used drones to create a quantum network. Researchers put lasers on drones and the resulting photons were split into entangled pairs. One photon went to a ground station while the other went to another drone, was relayed to an additional drone, then sent to another ground station.

American Drone Company, Skyfish, Launches Advanced Autonomous Drone Technology Stack Designed for Precision Commercial Applications

Skyfish is an American drone company based in Montana with a Sony partnership. Their focus is on infrastructure inspection and measurement with survey-grade accuracy. The Skyfish M4 and the Skyfish M6 support a variety of payloads, including Lidar, methane detection, thermal, electro-optical, and custom payloads. The M4 is designed for photogrammetry and high-fidelity 3D reality models. The M6 drone is designed for heavier payloads and “environment-aware robotic interactions.” As DJI faces political hurdles, companies like Skyfish are trying to establish a toehold.

A Drone Saves The Day In An Unusual Way

Some stranded adventurers in Australia needed to get help. They had a mobile phone, no service, and a drone. So they typed a help message on the phone, attached it to the drone, and sent the drone up to where it had enough signal to send the message and summon help.

How to keep drones flying when a motor fails

Most quadcopters crash if one motor fails: the drone starts to spin and without very accurate position information, the controller cannot determine location. A GPS reference position can help, but GPS might not be available. Researchers at the University of Zurich and the Delft University of Technology say that a drone can be stabilized using onboard cameras.

Paris to launch ‘air taxi’ trials in June 2021

The series of trials are planned for a test area at an airfield about 16 miles north of Paris. Participating are the Choose Paris Region business group, airport operator Groupe ADP and Parisien rail operator RATP Group. The Paris Urban Air Mobility industry branch will investigate issues around parking, takeoff, and landing operations. All trials are being conducted in partnership with the French civil aviation authority and with the support of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Eurocontrol.

Events

Commercial UAV Expo Americas, September 7-9, Las Vegas

This event defines and showcases the global commercial UAV industry, with a special focus on solutions in the Americas region and a glimpse into the world of urban air mobility. It showed consistent growth for 5 straight years, with 3,100+ live attendees in 2019 – up 32% – and a record 200 exhibiting companies. It moves to a much larger space right on the Las Vegas Strip for 2021 and adds a collocated Urban Air Mobility Summit produced by RAI Amsterdam. Strictly commercial Expo by choice, it draws the power buyers and global influencers and sets the pace for the industry, with innovative formats, cutting-edge content, and unmatched excitement on the expo floor. It is a must-attend event and will convene delegates and exhibitors from 6 continents.

Commercial UAV Expo Europe, December 7-9 Amsterdam

After powering forward with nearly 80% growth in its third year (1,150+ attendees from 65 nations) in 2019, the LIVE show returns to Amsterdam and co-locates with Amsterdam Drone Week for 2021. This leading pan-European conference and expo [is] focused on commercial drones will convene top UAV experts and buyers from all key vertical markets, from across the globe. The 1,500+ attendees and 100+ exhibitors will be part of Amsterdam Drone Week’s total audience of 4,000+ including delegates to the EASA high-level European summit.

357 Walmart Drone Delivery Hub

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A Walmart drone delivery hub is coming to Arkansas, researchers create bio-composite drone parts, a UAV for cloud seeding, Alphabet’s Wing isn’t happy with the remote ID rule, the “Uber of Drones” receives funding, and a 19-year-old with a drone led rescuers to four lost fishermen.

UAV News

Walmart Drone Delivery Hub: Never Heard of Pea Ridge, AR? You Have Now

Pending approval of the Planning Commissioners, Pea Ridge, Arkansas will be the site of a Walmart drone delivery hub that will see drone delivery trials by Zipline International in partnership with Walmart.

Zipline will operate from a Walmart store and can service a 50-mile radius, which is about the size of the state of Connecticut. And, not only does their launch and release system allow for quick on-demand delivery in under an hour, but it also eliminates carbon emissions, which lines up perfectly with our sustainability goals. The operation will likely begin early next year [2021], and, if successful, we’ll look to expand.
Walmart SVP of Consumer Product, Tom Ward

Zipline says that they will open the facility for tours and STEM opportunities for local students.

Malaysian team turns pineapple waste into disposable drone parts

Researchers at Malaysia’s Putra University have created drone parts (such as frames) using fiber from discarded pineapple leaves to make a bio-composite material. These have a greater strength-to-weight ratio than other composites and will biodegrade when discarded. The bio-composite components would create income for farmers.

China deploys large UAV for ecological protection in Gansu

China uses Wing Loong II variant for weather modification work

Western China is arid and some would like to see a little more precipitation. Now China’s official news agency Xinhua reports that the Ganlin-1 UAV is equipped to allow cloud seeding for weather modification. The Ganlin-1 (Chinese for “sweet rain”) is a variant of the AVIC Wing Loong II UAV.

Privacy nightmare? FAA’s drone tracking rules have big consequences

At the end of December, 2020, the FAA announced final rules for Unmanned Aircraft (UA), including rules for remote identification. But Alphabet’s Wing team has an issue.

At a basic level, the new rule would enable the real-time tracking of consumer’s drone delivery orders by the general public.
Wing public affairs spokesperson

And we see this:

Unfortunately, the final rule, unlike existing international standards, does not allow the use of equally effective network remote ID, and requires all UAS, no matter the use case, to use “broadcast” RID. This approach creates barriers to compliance and will have unintended negative privacy impacts for businesses and consumers.
Unlike traditional aircraft flying between known airports, commercial drones fly closer to communities and between businesses and homes. While an observer tracking an airplane can’t infer much about the individuals or cargo on board, an observer tracking a drone can infer sensitive information about specific users, including where they visit, spend time, and live and where customers receive packages from and when. American communities would not accept this type of surveillance of their deliveries or taxi trips on the road. They should not accept it in the sky.
Wing blog post

Wing asks for network-based RID for some use cases, especially delivery.

Op-Ed: Brian Wynne and Kevin Burke on Remote Identification for Unmanned Systems

AUVSI President and CEO Brian Wynne, and Kevin Burke, President and CEO of Airports Council International, North America (ACI-NA) published a joint op-ed praising the FAA for the new rule.

‘Uber for drones’ scores fresh funds from Nightingale

Sydney-based Aerologix wants to connect drone pilots with people who need drone imaging. The company received a $1.5 million investment from Nightingale Partners and they say they’ve “been approached by Qantas, Jetstar, and even airlines in the Middle East. These pilots have all these skills and all they have to do is complete a half-day course to become a drone pilot.”

Armed with drone, 19-year-old rescues 4 drowning fishermen off Kerala coast

A fishing boat was missing off the coast of India and a 19-year-old engineering student approached rescue workers, but he was rebuffed. A local legislator intervened and the student was allowed to bring his drone on a rescue boat. After 20 minutes he found one man clinging to a log from the capsized boat. In the end, four fishermen were rescued.

UAV Video of the Week

Watch a wild lava ‘dome fountain’ gush at Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano

Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano started erupting in 2020. The United States Geological Survey has released a video of the lava dome fountain that formed.

340 Wide-Area Motion Imagery

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Wide-Area Motion Imagery (WAMI) for a Navy drone, deliberately hitting an airplane with a drone, drone delivery service in Alabama, quadcopter disrupts MLB game, UAS pilot program for Virginia, the first drone to make a commercial delivery goes to the Smithsonian, and a drone finds a missing whale.

UAV News

With this new sensor, Blackjack drones can monitor an entire city at once

The Boeing Insitu R1-21A Blackjack is a Navy and Marine Corps small tactical unmanned air system (STUAS) that can provide ISR coverage day or night. The Blackjack now has a new wide-area motion imagery (WAMI) sensor from Logos Technologies that can simultaneously monitor 5 square miles.

What happens when a drone hits a plane?

A series of collisions were staged between an Antonov AN-2 biplane and some DJI Phantoms. These were recorded in slow-motion video which documents the resulting damage to the Antonov and the destruction of the Phantoms.

Video: First drone vs Plane crash in slow motion

The future of doorstep delivery being tested in Mobile; Drones could soon deliver orders in minutes

Deuce Drone is testing drone delivery in Mobile, Alabama. They’ve partnered with the Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant and Rouses food market, hoping to get food to deliveries in 10-15 minutes from order. Deuce Drone says they “will design and build your company’s drone delivery system, leveraging your existing infrastructure. Last-mile delivery is key. Drones are the solution.”

Drone interrupts Twins-Pirates game; irritates Jose Berrios on mound

A drone appeared over center field during a major league baseball game in Minneapolis. The Twins were ahead of the Pirates by three runs when the quadcopter was spotted. Umpires cleared the field while some of the pitchers tried to hit the drone. After about 5 minutes, the drone disappeared and the game resumed.

Virginia to Launch Unmanned Aerial Systems Flight Information Exchange

The Virginia Department of Aviation (DOAV) and the Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) have launched the Virginia Flight Information Exchange pilot program. VA-FIX is a platform for state and local governments to share UAS advisory information with stakeholders, including UAS Service Suppliers (USS), UAS operators, and the public. It is being called the first state-sponsored authoritative Supplemental Data Service Provider (SDSP) to exist in the FAA’s UAS Traffic Management (UTM). For more information on the Virginia Flight Information Exchange, visit the Virginia Department of Aviation website.

This Drone Made the First Home Delivery in the United States

The first commercial drone delivery to a home in the United States was made on October 19, 2019. Wing’s drone A1229 delivered a purple vest ordered by an 81-year-old retiree in Virginia. Now A1229 has a new home, at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. Roger Connor, curator of vertical flight for the National Air and Space Museum said, “Ten years ago I had no rational reason to expect drone technology to have advanced to where it is now, and Wing is really the next phase of that. Not only is Wing’s aircraft actually making residential deliveries, but they’re figuring out how the technology fits in with the local economy and society.”

Drone Rescue of Beluga Whale in the Arctic Sea

Last July, an endangered white whale was spotted swimming up a river in Norway from the sea. Whales are easily trapped in a river like this with sandbanks and changing river depth. A wildlife rescue operation was initiated, but the whale was lost from sight. The Norwegian People’s AID Midt-Troms Search & Rescue Unit was contacted to help locate the whale, which they did in 10 minutes using Atlas Dynamics drone technology.

332 Last-Mile Drone Delivery Tested

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A major test of last-mile drone delivery, direct-seeding rice with a drone, a drone-centric kiosk you can build yourself, and a webinar to learn the BVLOS regulatory landscape.

UAV News

Last Mile Drone Delivery: Testing the Limits of Commercial Operations

DroneUp partnered with Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) and UPS on a project to quickly evaluate the concept of last-mile drone delivery. They wanted to see how unmanned aerial systems could assist with critical delivery during times of crisis.

On the vacant campus of St. Paul’s College, in Lawrenceville, Virginia, a group of pilots flew over 200 flights under a scripted plan, operating under part 107 rules, with industry-standard drones. The flights simulated the delivery of 1.275-pound payloads of medical and other critical supplies in city-like conditions. Data was collected with respect to operational capacities, airspace deconfliction, operator safety, processes, policies, and training.

Tom Walker, DroneUp’s CEO, said, “DroneUp’s drone delivery exercise was aimed at learning what is possible to do safely and effectively today while gathering data to overcome seemingly impossible obstacles in the near future.”

For more, see the 56-page report, DroneUp Resources Operation Last-Mile: Critical Drone Delivery Report.

XAG Introduces Rice Seeding Drone

XAG is a Chinese company focused on agricultural technology. In April 2020, they organized a rice direct-seeding demonstration where two workers spread 5kg of rice seeds through a muddy rice paddy. Following that, a XAG drone repeated the same task. The difference in planing time was significant.

Raspberry Pi-based Kiosk Display Shares Weather, FAA Advisories for Drones

A project from Sky Horse Tech uses a Raspberry Pi to power a custom drone-centric kiosk. The kiosk pulls in local weather data and FAA advisories through AirMap and MapBox. The data cycles every 30 seconds and is refreshed every 5 minutes. The kiosk uses a 32” display, a $35 Raspberry Pi 3 Model B or newer, some free software, and weather and FAA advisory APIs.

Navigating the Regulatory Landscape Towards BVLOS Operations

This free AUVSI webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, June 10, 2020, 03:00 PM TO 04:00 PM (EDT). You’ll learn about the regulations affecting Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone flight and the factors involved in successfully navigating the regulatory environment to achieve a waiver.

Iris Automation director of airspace integration Trever Linn will explain what operators should expect before applying for a waiver, and the key components such as risk mitigation measures and CONOPS documentation necessary for approvals. Attendees will learn about current regulatory challenges, readily available solutions, and the path forward for BVLOS drone operations.