First ever drone pizza delivery takes place in New Zealand (Drone News)

guest · Sep 30, 2019

Keeping drones safe from hackers
Dr. Ajay Katangur is making it more difficult to hack drones
September 30, 2019
https://news.missouristate.edu/2019/09/30/keep-drones-safe/

With the increase of drone use in the last five years, it’s easier for people to compromise unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Hackers find ways to attack drones used in different fields, including military, agriculture and coastline mapping.

Dr. Ajay Katangur is making drones more resistant to hackers. In his research, he looked for security flaws that were easy to exploit. Katangur, department head of computer science at Missouri State University, found several vulnerabilities and is working on solutions to keep UAS safer.

“By fixing these vulnerabilities, it becomes difficult for hackers to attack these drones in flight,” Katangur said.
Katangur presented his research at the 2019 International Conference on Security and Management (SAM ‘19). He met with others working with drones.
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guest · Oct 1, 2019

UPS Gets FAA Nod for Widespread Drone Deliveries
October 1, 2019
https://www.wsj.com/articles/ups-gets-faa-nod-for-widespread-drone-deliveries-11569939601

United Parcel Service Inc. said it received the first-of-its-kind federal approval to start setting up a fleet of unmanned aircraft to deliver health supplies and eventually consumer packages potentially throughout the U.S.

In the latest regulatory boost for expanded commercial drone services, the company also intends to gradually phase in routine night flights and heavier cargo limits—areas now generally off-limits to most operators.
Calling it a major step to enhance services for health-care customers and ultimately an array of other industries, the company said the FAA’s approval “has no limits on the size or scope of operations.” UPS said it already has started limited flying under the new certification.

“It just gives us a lot of capabilities,” David Abney, the company’s chairman and chief executive, said in an interview.
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guest · Oct 7, 2019

Drones deliver life-saving emergency defibrillators in Canada
In trials, drones arrived a full seven minutes before paramedics
October 7, 2019
https://www.zdnet.com/article/drones-deliver-life-saving-emergency-defibrillators-in-canada/

Drones are playing an increasing role in emergency response, from disaster relief and search & rescue to delivering life-saving medication in remote areas. Recently concluded trials in Ontario have found that equipping drones with defibrillators could save lives by cutting the time it takes paramedics to arrive on scene.

"Given the large area and varied terrain that the county encompasses, it is often difficult to get paramedics to patients in a timely fashion, so we have taken a layered approach to their response. We have been successfully using drones to support our emergency responders for several years, but until now, the operators have had line-of-sight of the situation. We will now have further reach than ever," explained County of Renfrew Paramedic Chief Michael Nolan.
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guest · Oct 11, 2019

Helicopters Are at Highest Risk From Drones, U.K. Report Says
October 10, 2019
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...s-helicopters-are-at-highest-risk-from-drones

Helicopters are at far greater risk of destruction in a collision with a drone than are conventional aircraft, according to evidence presented in a study by U.K. lawmakers.

The craft are rendered vulnerable by their thinner windscreens, low operating altitudes and comparatively fragile rotor blades, the report published Friday by the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee says.
Risks are further increased because helicopters are often flown in urban areas where the margin for error is small, or in mission-critical situations such as road accidents and police incidents that can themselves act as a magnet for drone activity, the committee says, citing comments from the Balpa pilot union.

Drones pose an especially high risk around ad hoc chopper landing sites from which unmanned craft aren’t excluded, the study says, citing a submission from Babcock International, Britain’s biggest air-ambulance operator.
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guest · Oct 16, 2019

Skydio's station lets self-flying drones work around the clock
The dock could enable security and mapping drones -- if it's legal to use
October 16, 2019
https://www.engadget.com/2019/10/16/skydio-2-dock-autonomous-drone/

Skydio wants to make its self-flying drone useful to companies who want drones in the air at all times. It just revealed a Skydio 2 Dock system that lets the drone charge itself and, ideally, run with virtually no human intervention. The robotic flyer uses inertial and visual navigation to touch down on a charging pad that extends from a box that both feeds power (from a wall outlet or vehicle) and transfers data through Ethernet or WiFi.

Skydio hasn't said how much the Dock will cost, but promised The Verge that it would be "vastly more accessible" than similar solutions costing "many tens or thousands of dollars." It should reach a handful of customers in early 2020.
The real challenge isn't so much technical as legal. Drone rules in the US and other countries require human operators, forcing Skydio to carefully choose where it offers service. It sees "promising signs" in beyond-line-of-sight waivers, but it's ultimately up to regulators to decide whether or not Skydio's drones can fly without humans in view.
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guest · Oct 18, 2019

Alphabet’s Wing begins making first commercial drone deliveries in the US
October 18,2019
https://techcrunch.com/2019/10/18/a...first-commercial-drone-deliveries-in-the-u-s/

Alphabet -owned drone delivery spin-out Wing is starting to service U.S. customers, after becoming the first drone delivery company to get the federal go-ahead to do so earlier this year. Wing is working with FedEx Express and Walgreens on this pilot [...]

Wing is also working with Virginia’s Sugar Magnolia, a retailer local to the state, and that part of the equation is focused on proving out how Wing and drone delivery can service last-mile e-commerce customers at their homes. Sugar Magnolia customers can get small items, including chocolates and paper goods, delivered directly to them via drone through the new pilot.
It’s a big milestone when it comes to U.S.-based drone delivery, and another sign that people should get ready for these services to start to be a more regular fixture.
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guest · Oct 21, 2019

The Los Angeles Fire Department wants more drones
October 20, 2019
https://techcrunch.com/2019/10/20/the-los-angeles-fire-department-wants-more-drones/

As it looks to modernize its operations, the Los Angeles Fire Department is turning to a number of new technologies including expanding its fleet of drones for a slew of new deployments.
The department already has a fleet of 11 drones to compliment its fleet of 258 fire engines, ambulances, and helicopters.

However, Battalion Chief Richard Fields, the head of the department’s Unmanned Aerial Systems program would like to see that number increase significantly.
Los Angeles has become an early leader in the use of drones for its firefighting applications thanks in part to an agreement with the Chinese company, DJI, which the department inked back in April.

“Through our two-way collaboration, DJI will receive valuable insight into the complexities of deploying drones for emergency situations in one of the most complex urban environments in the nation.”
Now, roughly five months later, the program seems to have been successful enough that Battalion Chief Fields is looking to double the fleet.
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guest · Oct 21, 2019

Air alert: 8 dangerous drone incidents
October 21, 2019
https://usa.kaspersky.com/blog/drone-incidents/18785/

Civilian UAVs are used increasingly frequently for photo and video shooting, cargo delivery, search-and-rescue operations, and other purposes. In the interests of safety — of both the drones and their surroundings — some countries have already introduced rules and restrictions on their use. Alas, not all UAV owners know or follow them. And, like any electronic devices, drones can sometimes get out of hand.
What are the potential consequences? Here are some examples.
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ronjor · Oct 21, 2019

Drugstore drones: UPS will fly CVS prescriptions to customers

Lisa Baertlein October 21, 2019
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - United Parcel Service Inc’s new Flight Forward drone unit will soon start home prescription delivery from CVS Health Corp.
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guest · Oct 22, 2019

Researchers Taught Autonomous Camera Drones to Film Like a Hollywood Director
October 21, 2019
https://gizmodo.com/researchers-taught-autonomous-camera-drones-to-film-lik-1839234826

Skydio was one of the first companies to create a flying drone that can autonomously track, follow, and frame the action, but it was more concerned about not crashing than aesthetics. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are taking the idea one step further by teaching camera drones how to not only fly safely but also ensure they’re capturing the most compelling footage possible.

Job number one for an intelligent drone is simply staying airborne and avoiding obstacles like trees or buildings that could knock out its spinning propellers. A collision doesn’t necessarily mean a crash, many drones can safely land with one broken propeller, but it will put a quadcopter out of commission for a while if repairs can’t be immediately performed.
As a result, while autonomous drones can keep a target in frame, they make compromises for safety, resulting in footage that might not be as dramatic, or aesthetically pleasing, as it would be a human pilot at the controls or with a cinematographer guiding the shots.
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hawki · Oct 22, 2019

"What if a delivery drone falls on your head? Thorny legal questions loom as services increase...

...technology is only part of the puzzle. There are still questions about how drone delivery systems will navigate privacy and trespassing issues and concerns about noise...

'Legal precedent is very thin here,'...

It’s also unclear who will be the ultimate arbitrator for these concerns. The FAA is in charge of aircraft safety, but questions of privacy or trespassing could be left up to the states,...

Do you own part of the airspace above your house or can a drone fly freely through?
When it comes to drone delivery services, questions about potential trespassing still remain....

Others have expressed concerns about what kinds of data delivery drones could gather on their flights to and from drop-off points. Amazon has a patent for a data analysis system that would use information the drone collected during its flight to help make recommendations for future purchases. For example, if the drone took an image of your dead lawn while it was delivering your package, perhaps you’d get more online ads for fertilizer...While many local governments forbid the use of drones for surveillance purposes, it’s unclear whether the activities described in Amazon’s data analysis patent would fall under that definition..."
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https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2019-10-22/google-launched-drone-delivery-questions

guest · Oct 28, 2019

First Look: Uber Unveils New Design For Uber Eats Delivery Drone
October 28, 2019
https://www.forbes.com/sites/bizcar...eils-new-design-for-uber-eats-delivery-drone/

The next battle in delivery is being fought in the sky. On Monday, Eric Allison, head of Uber Elevate, revealed a new Uber Eats delivery drone design onstage at Forbes Under 30 Summit in Detroit. The company plans to use this design when it starts testing meal delivery in San Diego next summer.

The new drone design can carry dinner for up two people and features six rotors, the company says. Its battery is designed for eight minutes, including loading and unloading, and it can only do relatively short hauls. The drone has a roundtrip range of 12 miles, or a total flight time of 18 minutes.
Uber’s plan is to fly meals from restaurants to a staging location where an Uber driver would then travel the last mile for the hand-off to the customer.
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guest · Oct 28, 2019

DJI’s tiny Mavic Mini drone leaks again, and it’s adorable
It's light enough to avoid FAA registration requirements
October 28, 2019
https://thenextweb.com/plugged/2019/10/28/djis-tiny-mavic-mini-drone-leaks-again-and-its-adorable/

We’ve known for a while DJI had a new drone on the way thanks to the usual leaks. But then today Newegg’s Canadian site accidentally listed the drone early (still up at the time of writing), seemingly confirming the new flying machine. Its key features? Being very small and very light.

So light, in fact, that it can avoid FAA registration, as pointed out by The Verge. At 249 grams, it comes in just one gram lighter than the FAA’s threshold. Of course, you’ll still need to follow your local ordinances – you still can’t just fly it anywhere.
The listing says the drone has a max flight time of 30 minutes, can transmit HD video from up to four kilometers (2.5 miles) away and features a ‘vision sensor’ and ‘GPS Precise hover.’
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ronjor · Oct 30, 2019

Volocopter unveils a new eVTOL drone for heavy lift cargo flights

Darrell Etherington@etherington October 30, 2019
Urban air mobility company Volocopter has focused its efforts to date on getting its passenger electric drone business off the ground – literally, in fact. But now, the German startup has unveiled a new electric vertical take-off and landing craft (eVTOL), which is designed specifically to move large payloads of goods around, without a pilot on board.
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guest · Oct 30, 2019

NASA wants city skies filled with drones delivering packages and people
October 29, 2019
https://www.cnet.com/news/nasa-wants-city-skies-filled-with-drones-delivering-packages-and-people/

In less than a decade, the air above at least one United States city will be buzzing with unmanned electric aircraft delivering people and packages -- at least if NASA's plan for the future of drones comes true. Jim Bridenstine, NASA's administrator, touted the idea Tuesday but knows it won't be easy.

"We want to see by 2028 at least one city -- maybe more than one -- have the ability to control hundreds of unmanned aerial systems. They could be carrying cargo or could be carrying people, doing thousands of missions every day."
Drone challenges galore
Bridenstine knows there'll be plenty of challenges. Among them are infrastructure issues like finding places for drones to land. Another is noise.
He believes part of the solution will involve moving to battery-powered drones from gas-powered ones -- a common approach for models that can handle heavy payloads today.
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Circuit · Oct 30, 2019

Where is my fly swatter?

hawki · Nov 4, 2019

"Drones Used in Crime Fly Under the Law’s Radar...

Drones pose novel and difficult problems for law enforcement. They are widely available, lightly regulated and can be flown remotely by an operator far away from the crime scene. They have already been put to a host of nefarious uses, from smuggling contraband into prisons to swarming F.B.I. agents who were preparing for a raid. And local and state authorities are restricted by federal law from intercepting drones in flight, potentially even when a crime is in progress, though experts say that has yet to be tested in court..."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/drones-used-in-crime-fly-under-the-laws-radar/ar-AAJMnzH#page=2

guest · Nov 5, 2019

UK drone pilots have 25 days to register with regulator
November 5, 2019
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-50293106

The mandatory requirement to register covers owners of drones or model aircraft weighing more than 250g (8.8oz). Owners of unregistered drones could then face the threat of a fine.

At the same time, the CAA is starting a service it hopes will reunite owners with their lost drones.
CAA spokesman Jonathan Nicholson said: "Our aim is for the Drones Reunited platform to become an essential service for the drone community - the first port of call for anyone who has lost, or found, a drone."
Online test
Pilots who lose a drone will be able to record the loss via the CAA's drones-reunited site. Anyone who finds a downed drone bearing an ID number will be able to look it up on the site and inform its owner it has been located.

Simon, Dale, chief executive of FPV UK, said it had opposed registration since it was announced. About 4,000 members of FPV UK are regular drone flyers.
"Registration will do nothing to improve safety or security because bad actors will not register their drones," he said.
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guest · Nov 5, 2019

UPS and CVS deliver prescription medicine via drone to US residential customers for the first time
November 5, 2019
https://techcrunch.com/2019/11/05/u...u-s-residential-customers-for-the-first-time/

UPS is rolling along with its drone delivery program, working with partner CVS Pharmacy to deliver prescription drugs to customer doorsteps via its newly deployed commercial drones. UPS delivered medications to two paying customers on November 1, using the M2 drone system that the logistics company developed in partnership with Matternet.

For these early deliveries, drones were loaded with prescriptions filled by pharmacists at a CVS location in Cary, North Carolina. Once a UPS employee loaded the cargo onto the drones, they flew autonomously from the store location to nearby customer homes, dropping off the packages from a hover height of around 20 feet above these locations.
This isn’t the first time UPS has deployed drones in a healthcare industry setting: The company has been working with Mattternet and WakeMed Hospital in Raleigh, doing commercial deliveries of medical samples in a B2B setting.
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guest · Nov 8, 2019

UK government funds 18 projects to develop anti-drone technologies
Government has listened to ideas, is now funding the development of proof-of-concepts and prototypes
November 7, 2019
https://www.zdnet.com/article/uk-government-funds-18-projects-to-develop-anti-drone-technologies/

The UK government has approved £2 million ($2.57 million) worth of funding for 18 projects that will develop anti-drone and drone detection technologies.

MOD officials approved funding earlier this year, in April, after a series of amateur drone incursions froze air travel at several airports across the UK.
Infamous is a three-day incident at the Gatwick Airport in London just before Christmas last year, and another day of flight cancellations in January, at Heathrow, London, one of the world's largest airports.
DASA CONTEST
In April, MOD, through DASA, asked the private sector for solutions to detect and neutralize "small UAS (unmanned aerial system) threats."
This week, DASA announced the 18 projects who received funding and the ideas they are currently developing.

Winners will now enter a two-phase process. In Phase 1, participants will have to develop their theoretical proposals into proof-of-concept designs.
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GOV.UK: DASA awards £2m contracts to counter hostile drone threats

guest · Nov 10, 2019

Japan to install drone detectors at airports
November 10, 2019
https://technology.inquirer.net/92263/japan-to-install-drone-detectors-at-airports

The Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry of Japan has decided to install a system that detects unauthorized drones flying above airports.
Such drone flights have been causing trouble for airlines operating flights both at home and abroad. The system is said to be capable of detecting drones flying at altitudes beyond what the naked eye can see. The ministry plans to install the system at several airports as early as the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Flying drones in the vicinity of airports is banned under the aviation law and other regulations.
The ministry has not revealed the details of the system for security reasons.

The ministry has not revealed the details of the system for security reasons. However, a person familiar with the system said it can detect the location of a drone by detecting a signal transmitted by the device and the related information is displayed on a surveillance monitor. The system is capable of detecting a drone flying 100 meters above the ground or higher [...]
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guest · Nov 13, 2019

Lawmakers Want to Ban Unauthorized Drones from Flying Over Stadium Concerts
November 12, 2019
https://www.nextgov.com/emerging-te...d-drones-flying-over-stadium-concerts/161254/

Lawmakers recently introduced bipartisan legislation to strengthen security in the skies above stadiums as more and more drones gain clearance to operate across America’s airspace.

The Stadiums Operating under New Guidance, or SONG Act, produced by Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., authorizes the Federal Aviation Administration to issue temporary flight restrictions over concerts and other events that take place at stadiums across the nation.

“When patrons go to a stadium, they are protected by dozens of law enforcement on the ground,” Blackburn told Nextgov Tuesday. “Given the way technology now enables drones to roam the skies, it is necessary to consider how we can protect that airspace.”
“When a music concert is held in the very same stadium, often with the same size or a bigger crowd, the air space cannot be secured by a TFR,” Blackburn said.
The SONG Act aims to correct that limitation and enable FAA to issue TFRs for entertainment events outside of sports that occur at these same venues. Policy experts worked with the FAA to carefully craft the legislation and Blackburn added that she was inspired to propose the bill after concerns were raised directly by her constituents.
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Press Release: Blackburn, Markey, Alexander Introduce Legislation to Secure Stadiums During Events

guest · Nov 14, 2019

DJI Drones to Warn They're Near by Sending Wi-Fi Signals to Phones
November 13, 2019
https://www.pcmag.com/news/371956/dji-drones-to-warn-theyre-near-by-sending-wi-fi-signals-to

Well, the leading vendor DJI is developing a system to let anyone with a smartphone detect whether the company's drones are flying nearby.
On Wednesday, DJI demonstrated the "drone-to-phone" monitoring system, which involves the aerial bot broadcasting Wi-Fi based signals that existing smartphones can easily detect.

"Using a simple app, anyone within radio range of the drone can receive that signal and learn the location, altitude, speed and direction of the drone, as well as an identification number for the drone and the location of the pilot," the company said in the announcement.
The key advantage with DJI's solution is that it doesn't require the customer to buy any new equipment or obtain a cellular plan for their drone. Instead, it relies on the existing Wi-Fi Aware protocol to send out a radio signal to nearby phones.
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Krusty · Nov 20, 2019

Google-affiliated drone delivery company clashes with Government over safety and noise concerns

The Federal Government's move to dodge responsibility for noise in the emerging drone-delivery sector has been met by opposition from a surprising source — the world's leading drone-delivery company.
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https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11...very-company-clashes-with-government/11722380

guest · Nov 23, 2019

Rotterdam hospital experiments with medicine, blood delivery by drone
November 23, 2019
https://nltimes.nl/2019/11/23/rotterdam-hospital-experiments-medicine-blood-delivery-drone

The Erasmus MC teamed up with PostNL, ANWB and blood bank Sanquin to launch an experiment with delivering medication and blood directly from the lab ot the hospital or from the hospital to the patient's home by drone. The idea is that drone deliveries will be much faster, as they can avoid traffic jams.

"The goal is to see if we can get medicines to people faster", spokesperson David Drexhage of Erasmus MC in Rotterdam said to RTL Nieuws. "An whether that is safe." The experiment started on Thursday and is expected to last three years.
Stefano Stramigioli, professor of robotics at the University of Twente, is enthusiastic about this experiment. "Technically, it is not difficult to realize such transport with drones", he said to the broadcaster. But he stressed that a lot will have to change in the field of legislation in order to allow the drones to fly lawfully and safely.
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