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
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.
A bill before Congress could pave the way for the opening of our backyards, neighborhoods, business properties and campuses to commercial drone traffic.
Birds are more dangerous to aircraft than drones.
kvoloshin/flickr
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.
CASA makes it easier for low risk flying of drones.
Flickr/Richard Thorek
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.
Yay, a holiday drone! What could possibly go wrong?
PhOtOnQuAnTiQuE
New FAA guidelines call for consumers to register drones over a certain weight. As more and more drones take to the skies, we’ll see how amateur use influences the development of UAS technologies.
A Phantom drone from Chinese firm DJI. Who’s watching whose watching us?
Lino Schmid
Aimed at allowing drones to operate in the national airspace safely alongside manned aircraft, they’re largely favorable to commercial operators who have been waiting years for workable regs.
If you get lost in the bush, you might be found by a flying robot, such as this one.
UAV Challenge
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…
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
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…
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…
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
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…