dronelife

Autonomous drone developer Percepto is soaring into a major American expansion after the Israel company last week announced the Q2 opening of its “U.S. Center of Excellence” headquarters in Texas and the launch of the startup’s Autonomous Inspection and Monitoring (AIM) platform to the North American market. To help lead the effort, Percepto recruited Robert Mayfield […] The post Autonomous Drone Startup Percepto Soars in North American Market with new HQ appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

European drone research firm DRONEII has published a new infographic tracing drone regulation progress from 2016 and into the future. DRONEII co-founder and CFO Hendrik Bödecker has penned an article explaining the findings: more detailed information can be found in DRONEII’s Drone Regulation Report 2020. The time line starts in 2016, Bödecker explains, because in […] The post Drone Regulation Progress: DRONEII’s EU and US Regulation Timeline, from 2016 to the Future appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

A recent report by the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) and global consulting firm Deloitte predicts that the US advanced air mobility market could reach $115B by 2035 and create 280,000 jobs – if it’s handled right. “Advanced Air Mobility: Can the U.S. Afford to Lose the Race?” says that the new industry is “predicted to […] The post Advanced Air Mobility: Air Taxis, Cargo Shuttles, and More Predicted to Create More than 280,000 Jobs appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

The world’s largest retailer is actively pursuing drone delivery, exploring residential delivery applications all over the country. This week, beverage giant Coca-Cola is teaming up with drone services provider DroneUp and Walmart to launch the new Coca-Cola with Coffee – delivering samples to residents of Coffee County, GA. Coca-Cola with Coffee is just what it […] The post Coca-Cola with Coffee is a New Product – So is Drone Delivery. DroneUp, Walmart, and Coke Team Up for Launch appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

The CAELUS Project (Care & Equity – Healthcare Logistics UAS Scotland) was designed to help improve healthcare access: but the project could also advance drone delivery and airspace management. The CAELUS project, which began on December 1, 2020 and is scheduled to run until Spring 2022, is consortium led by ​AGS Airports that will develop and […] The post CAELUS Project Will Help the NHS Deliver Better Healthcare: and Advance Drone Delivery and Airspace Management appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

The $22 million Series A investment in German drone delivery company Wingcopter is the latest large funding announcement in the drone industry. While investors may be getting more picky, the appetite for proven solutions in drone technology is still strong, as the Wingcopter investment indicates.. Wingcopter has rapidly become a major international name in delivery […] The post Wingcopter Investment: $22 M for Drone Delivery Technology Pioneer appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

DroneUp’s new hire is a retail powerhouse, a veteran of major names that include Apple, Under Armour, and Verizon. DRONELIFE talked to DroneUp’s new Chief Strategy Officer about why his experience at Apple – he negotiated the first iPod, and managed the global retail iPhone business – is a perfect fit for the drone industry today. […] The post Why a Former Apple Executive’s Experience is Perfect for the Drone Industry Right Now: DroneUp’s New Hire appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Urban air mobility (UAM) could provide a major benefit for the disabled community. A new white paper from Aerobility and CIVATAglobal says the industry must be inclusive from the outset to realize that goal as passenger drones are introduced. While the concept of integrating air taxis, drone taxis, passenger drones, or flying cars into community […] The post Passenger Drones Should Benefit the Disabled Community: But Will They? The Need for Inclusivity appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

FLIR’s Vue® TZ20 Hi-Res Dual Thermal Zoom has all the features to make it the ultimate thermal payload for public safety and more. Situational awareness is a key benefit of public safety drone programs. For law enforcement, an early understanding of a scene can improve the safety of all involved. That’s where unmanned systems can […] The post The Ultimate Thermal Payload for Public Safety: FLIR’s TZ20 Hi-Res Dual Thermal Zoom appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

One of the UK’s largest airport agencies is leading the development of Scotland’s first drone delivery network to transport medicine, blood and organs. AGS Airports, which owns and manages Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton airports, is leading a consortium of 14 groups including the University of Strathclyde and air traffic control provider NATS. Dubbed CAELUS (Care […] The post UK Airport Consortium Develops Drone Delivery Network in Scotland appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

One of the world’s largest aviation advocacy groups is flying high on the tailwinds of recent FAA regulatory changes to drone rules. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is lauding the agency’s recent publication of Part 89 as well as the overhaul of Part 107 on Jan. 15. Writing in a recent news release, AOPA […] The post Major Aviation Advocacy Group Lauds FAA Drone Rule Changes appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

The North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) and the Northern Plains UAS Test Site (NPUASTS) announce 8 BEYOND partners. These companies – including some major players in the commercial drone space – will work in North Dakota to execute on the goals of the (FAA) BEYOND program, the next phase of the UAS Integration Pilot […] The post North Dakota DoT and Northern Plains Test Site Announce BEYOND Partners appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

The latest executive order on drones may require federal agencies to replace – or at least review – their current fleet of Chinese- or other foreign-manufactured drones. BREAKING – Show Me the Money! Adversary Country Drones To Be Replaced? By Contributing Editor Dawn M.K. Zoldi* Up until now, most of the U.S. government’s extra special […] The post The Latest Executive Order on Drones: the Ban on Chinese and “Foreign Entity” UAS Expanded appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

SparkCognition is a leading industrial artificial intelligence company; SkyGrid, a Boeing, SparkCognition company, is an airspace management system. Together, the two have successfully deployed an AI-powered onboard system providing cybersecurity for drones. As drones become an increasingly important tool in major industry and infrastructure, concerns over security have also become more important. Like any computer […] The post Cybersecurity for Drones: SkyGrid and SparkCognition Deploy First AI-Powered System appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Nine drone and aerospace organisations in the UK have joined forces to respond to the UK Research and Innovation’s Future Flight Challenge (FFC.) The Airspace of the Future (AoF) Consortium includes Thales, Cranfield University, Cranfield Airport Operations, Inmarsat, Altitude Angel, Ocado Group, Blue Bear, Satellite Applications Catapult, and Connected Places Catapult. The group will work […] The post The Airspace of the Future Consortium: 9 UK Drone Organizations Join Forces to Integrate Drones into Transport Systems appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

The COVID-19 Humanitarian UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) Response Partnership (CHURP) has announced the successful finish of their current test phase, which included drone delivery of COVID testing kits. CHURP is a partnership formed over nine months ago by Emergent 121 Consulting and Akin Gump, LLP. It’s a timely project to design and test extended drone […] The post COVID Humanitarian UAS Operation (CHURP) Completes Delivery Testing appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

NOAA has awarded Black Swift Technologies (BST) a contract to develop GPS-denied navigation, enabling Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations for drones in GNSS-denied environments. NOAA has almost 95,000 miles of domestic coastline to survey – and while drones are by far the best way to complete the mission, flying within visual line of sight […] The post GPS-Denied Navigation: Black Swift Moves Drone Flight Forward with NOAA Contract appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

GM has unveiled a Cadillac brand flying car. The sleek and beautiful eVTOL passenger vehicle could be the car company’s concept of transportation’s next generation. Passenger drones, drone taxis, Automated Aerial Vehicles (AAV): as a few companies like Ehang, Volocopter and others move into test flight programs, large car manufacturers are thinking forward to the […] The post Cadillac Flying Car: GM Unveils eVTOL Concept appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Recent research from the Mercatus Center argues that drone highways situated over existing public roads could be the fastest way to full integration of commercial drones. The Mercatus Center research, written by senior fellow Brent Skorup and Harvard University JD student Connor Haaland rank the 50 U.S. states in terms of readiness for the drone industry. […] The post Mercatus Center: Drone Highways are the Road to Commercial Drone Integration appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

How a professor of computer science, a high-tech CEO and an RC hobbyist developed some of the most accurate drones for engineering on the market – in Montana. Skyfish.ai was started in 2014 – but until today, when the company announced the formal launch of their platform, they’ve been operating under the radar. That’s stealth […] The post Drones Made in the U.S.: Meet Skyfish.ai, the Montana Manufacturer Producing World Class Drones for Engineering appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Commercial drone provider American Robotics this week flew into rarified skies, becoming the first company approved by the FAA to operate automated drones without human operators on-site. The authorization allows American Robotics to deploy its Scout drone system with acoustic Detect-and-Avoid (DAA) technology that enables drones to maintain a safe distance from other aircraft. Company […] The post America Robotics Snags First-ever FAA Approval to Fly Automated BVLOS Drones appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

The U.S. government has taken a further step to limit the use of Chinese-manufactured drones for government agencies. GSA limits inclusion of some drones from procurement list for government agencies By DRONELIFE Staff Writer Jim Magill In the latest skirmish in the ongoing war between the federal government and the producers of Chinese-made drones, the […] The post Drones for Government Agencies: GSA Limits Procurement List to Blue sUAS appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

During CES 2021, French drone manufacturer Icarus Swarms announced a new UAS product line targeting security and emergency first-response industries. A company spokesperson says the new line is “based on a pioneering technology using intelligent pathfinding algorithms and microdrones coordinated in a swarm.” Icarus officials hope the new technology will “transform” military and police strategies […] The post French Drone Maker Unleashes Autonomous Swarm Concept at CES 2021 appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

As the U.S. drone industry continues to develop, new developments in commerce regulations may make it easier for U.S.-based drone manufacturers to access the global marketplace. Flexibility is the Key to Airpower: More Developments in Drone Export Controls By DRONELIFE Guest Contributor Dawn M.K. Zoldi* On January 12, 2021, the Bureau of Industry and Security […] The post U.S. Drone Industry: Changes in Export Control Could Help U.S. Manufacturers appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

For safety and drone traffic management, a robust communication system for drone delivery is a critical component that must be in place before delivery can be implemented at scale. Skyward, Verizon, UPS team up on communications system for drone delivery By DRONELIFE Staff Writer Jim Magill The dream of delivering packages by drone to doorways […] The post Communications for Drone Delivery: Skyward, Verizon, and UPS Partner appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article