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Articles on UAVs

Displaying 21 - 39 of 39 articles

Racing drones in flight. The Drone Racing League

How might drone racing drive innovation?

If, like auto racing, drone racing becomes a long-lasting sport yielding financial rewards for backers of winning teams, might new technologies find their way into commercial and consumer products?
A UAV’s perspective of southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) on Australia’s sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island. J. Hodgson

A guide to using drones to study wildlife: first, do no harm

Drones are useful tools for studying and protecting wildlife. But with their growing popularity comes a growing need to make sure they don’t harm the animals they’re trying to observe.
Birds are more dangerous to aircraft than drones. kvoloshin/flickr

Are drones really dangerous to airplanes?

Drones don’t pose much of a risk to traditional aviation. Our research shows that collisions with manned aircraft are far more likely to involve a bird.
What are you thinking? Robots and humans working together need to understand – and even trust – each other. NASA Johnson/flickr

Can I trust my robot? And should my robot trust me?

People and machines need to be able to interact and communicate effectively. Right now we – and they – can’t. But without that, we risk missing the potential benefits of collaboration.
A conceptual variable-rate fertilization system that would use sensors to determine how much fertilizer to apply in real-time. R Sui and J A Thomasson

Farmers of the future will utilize drones, robots and GPS

Precision agriculture harnesses technology to help farmers grow more food using less water, fertilizer, pesticide, fuel and labor.
If you get lost in the bush, you might be found by a flying robot, such as this one. UAV Challenge

Robots in the skies: how Outback Joe was found and rescued

Lost and thirsty in the Australian bush, Outback Joe waited eight years. And finally, in September this year, he was found – by a flying robot. Outback Joe is not a real person, but for a week each September…
Up here, scanning ur rockz. John Howell

Drones offer 360° vision for oil-hunting geologists

Geologists are using drones to help extract more resources from the North Sea, using the latest visual technologies to identify oil-bearing rocks. Using an eight-rotor, camera-equipped “octocopter” drone…
UAVs as small as 10cm by 2.5cm are already in use for surveillance by the military. What are the privacy implications if these devices become easily accessible? Defence Images/Flickr

Amazon’s eyes in the sky and pig farmers might fly

What happens when an Amazon drone drops through your roof or lands on the neighbour’s toddler while delivering a parcel? Can an unhappy pig farmer shoot down a drone operated by animal rights activists…
Not quite ready for your Christmas orders.

Don’t count on Amazon drone deliveries just yet

Apparently keen to inject a bit of fun into its image after a damaging few weeks of press coverage, online retail giant Amazon has announced that it is experimenting with the use of drones to deliver its…
laureninspace.

Prepare for more drones, and less all-out war

Much of the current debate about drones (or unmanned aerial vehicles, UAVs) is about whether their deployment to countries such as Pakistan and Yemen is legal or ethical. This debate is predominantly focused…
How can UAV or “drone” technology be used for purposes outside combat? NZ Defence Force

Not just for war: how drones can be used for good

It’s becoming rare to see or hear coverage of combat and conflict without the mention of unmanned “drones” and their use in targeted killings. The subject rated a mention in last year’s US presidential…

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