Technology

Utah-based Fortem Technologies, which launched in 2016 and now counts Boeing’s HorizonX among its investors, last week demonstrated its counter drone technology for legislators at the Utah State Capitol building in Salt Lake City. The company’s countermeasure combines its SkyDome platform – which provides situational awareness – with the DroneHunter, …

Airbus – one of several players in the race to make Urban Air Mobility (UAM) a reality – has delved into how open the public is to the idea of getting from A to B using unmanned aircraft. The report can be read in full, here. The study’s headlines are …

UK insurtech startup Flock has launched a monthly subscription product, Fly Unlimited, to provide commercial drone operators with flexible month-to-month insurance. Complementing Flock’s existing on-demand coverage, Fly Unlimited provides a middle ground for commercial pilots flying multiple missions each month. Instead of an annual commitment with significant upfront costs, the new subscription provides …

National mapping agency for Great Britain and leading geospatial data organization Ordnance Survey (OS) has announced plans to launch a solar-powered drone that will fly at high altitude to complement existing satellite mapping systems. The aim of the High Altitude Psuedo Satellite (HAPS) project, called Astigan, is to provide faster, higher quality images …

There are several problems with shooting drones out of the sky. Often that level of force is going to make the problem worse, not better. For starters, a damaged or busted drone could crash land anywhere or on anyone. The uncertainty and danger grow exponentially if it’s strapped with explosives …

If you were one of the millions of people around the world to catch the Super Bowl yesterday, you will have seen Intel’s drones play a part in lighting up the Halftime Show. It’s not the first time the company has added a futuristic feel to a major sporting event. …

Drone manufacturer Yuneec has announced that its commercial hexacopter, the H520, will now be optionally available with an RTK (Real Time Kinematic) system. The addition of the RTK system from Swiss company Fixposition, means that even under difficult GPS conditions – in dense urban areas or canyons, for example – …

One lesser known commercial usage of drones: to identify, and in some cases to mitigate or remove, invasive species. Invasive species –  in this case rats – have been a problem for the eco-system of parts of the Galapagos islands for many years.  Drones have proven to be an invaluable …

Earlier this month, Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao addressed the Transportation Research Board and revealed details of several new drone industry initiatives. Among them was a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that could open up the skies for flights at night and over people. There was also an announcement about a UTM …

As the dust settles over the drone incident at London’s Gatwick airport before Christmas, officials seem no closer to understanding what happened, who was responsible or even if anyone actually was responsible. Iain Gray, director of aerospace at Cranfield University, took time out this week to speak at a briefing at …