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Drones

Wing and Walmart continue to expand drone service to millions of customers

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By Adam Woodworth, CEO, Wing

We’re kicking off 2024 by making drone delivery a reality for even more people: Wing and Walmart are expanding service to millions of customers, leveraging Wing’s airspace approvals that facilitate service across the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) community.

Wing and Walmart will launch our newest drone delivery locations in the coming months and plan to complete the expansion within the year.

Last August, Wing and Walmart launched service together at two locations in DFW – reaching 60,000 homes via drone delivery. In our first 4 months of service, the response from Walmart customers has been overwhelmingly positive, using the service to order a range of products, including quick meals, groceries, household essentials, and over-the-counter medicines. [Read more…] about Wing and Walmart continue to expand drone service to millions of customers

Google-owned Wing wins FAA authorization for drone deliveries

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With a new year on the horizon, demand for drone delivery has never been higher. Three in four shoppers are interested in saving time this holiday season with Wing’s fast-mile delivery, and major retailers like Walmart are integrating the company’s technology to serve their current and future needs.

In this context, drone delivery startup Wing – which is fully owned by Google parent Alphabet – says it has achieved “another milestone” in its ability to meet that growing demand.

Thanks to a recent update to Wing’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) exemptions, Wing will be able to safely scale more effectively in the US – which means Wing can bring the benefits of drone delivery to more people, more quickly. [Read more…] about Google-owned Wing wins FAA authorization for drone deliveries

Matternet receives authorization from German Aviation Office to launch drone delivery service in Berlin

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Matternet, the developer of an urban drone delivery platform, has received approval from the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA), Germany’s Federal Aviation Office, to operate the Matternet M2 drone delivery platform beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) in the heart of Berlin. 

This marks the beginning of Berlin’s first ever BVLOS drone delivery network.

Labor Berlin, Europe’s largest hospital laboratory, provides diagnostics for 30 hospitals with more than 24,000 beds, including Charité, the largest university hospital in Europe and Vivantes, the largest municipal hospital group in Berlin. [Read more…] about Matternet receives authorization from German Aviation Office to launch drone delivery service in Berlin

Are consumers ready for drone deliveries?

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With Amazon aiming to make 10,000 deliveries with drones in Europe this year and Walmart planning to expand its drone delivery services to an additional 60,000 homes this year in the states, companies are investing more research and development funding into drone delivery.

But are consumers ready to accept this change as the new normal?

Northwestern University’s Mobility and Behavior Lab, led by Amanda Stathopoulos, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, wanted to know if consumers were ready for robots to replace delivery drivers, in the form of automated vehicles, drones and robots. [Read more…] about Are consumers ready for drone deliveries?

Skyports Drone Services partners with RigiTech to launch inter-island drone deliveries in Korea

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Drone airline Skyports Drone Services has launched a new project in Yeosu City, South Korea, for the delivery of pharmaceuticals and foodstuffs by drone. The project will be the first time Skyports Drone Services operates flights with new drone partner RigiTech.

The Yeosu City drone project, supported by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport (MoLIT), Korea Institute of Aviation Safety Technology (KIAST) and Yeosu City government, will provide inter-island drone deliveries within the coastal Yeosu region of Korea.

It is the first of a series of flight trials and proof-of-concept projects conducted by a drone services consortium made up of Skyports Drone Services Korea, Marine Drone Tech and RGB Lab. The first phase of the project launched in June this year and will continue until November. [Read more…] about Skyports Drone Services partners with RigiTech to launch inter-island drone deliveries in Korea

Skyports Drone Services partners with Carbonix to scale up long-range drone operations in Australia

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Skyports Drone Services is partnering with Australian drone manufacturer Carbonix to scale beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations across the country using its long-range vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft.

In the first phase of the partnership, Skyports Drone Services will embed specialist international drone pilots within Carbonix.

The expert pilots will provide Carbonix with unparalleled flight experience, operating regular data acquisition missions for Carbonix’s portfolio of energy infrastructure and mining partners. [Read more…] about Skyports Drone Services partners with Carbonix to scale up long-range drone operations in Australia

DJI’s launches new commercial drone

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DJI, the world’s largest civilian drones and aerial imaging technology company, has launched a new drone, which “sets a new standard for any commercial drone operator”, according to the company.

It adds that the DJI Matrice 350 RTK (M350 RTK) “redefines the ultimate tool for the commercial drone industry”.

The M350 RTK is said to be an upgraded flagship drone platform that is more adaptable, safer and efficient for any aerial operation in public safety, energy, mapping, infrastructure or forestry, to name a few. [Read more…] about DJI’s launches new commercial drone

XTEND acquires drone inspection specialist Performance Rotors

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XTEND, the developer of XOS, a human-guided autonomous operating system, or human-machine interaction system, has acquired Performance Rotors, a Singapore-based drone inspection specialist.

XTEND says the move will boost its ability to offer human-guided, remote interactive operations in a range of inspection scenarios, and grow its global business. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Aviv Shapira, co-founder, and CEO at XTEND, says: “Our acquisition of Performance Rotors marks the latest step in furthering XTEND’s vision of making remote interactive operations accessible to everyone, in a range of scenarios, including inspection, public safety and security. [Read more…] about XTEND acquires drone inspection specialist Performance Rotors

Drones navigate unseen environments with liquid neural networks

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MIT researchers exhibit a new advancement in autonomous drone navigation, using brain-inspired liquid neural networks that excel in out-of-distribution scenarios

In the vast, expansive skies where birds once ruled supreme, a new crop of aviators is taking flight. These pioneers of the air are not living creatures, but rather a product of deliberate innovation: drones.

But these aren’t your typical flying bots, humming around like mechanical bees. Rather, they’re avian-inspired marvels that soar through the sky, guided by liquid neural networks to navigate ever-changing and unseen environments with precision and ease.

Inspired by the adaptable nature of organic brains, researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory introduced a method for robust flight navigation agents to master vision-based fly-to-target tasks in intricate, unfamiliar environments. [Read more…] about Drones navigate unseen environments with liquid neural networks

Wingtra lands $22 million funding round for its commercial drones

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The business use case and appetite for drone technology is growing rapidly, a marketplace that was worth $29.8 billion in 2022 and is growing 38.6 percent annually.

Serving this demand, Wingtra, which claims to be the world’s largest producer of commercial vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drones, has closed a $22 million series B funding round as they accelerate their operations globally.

The funding round included DiamondStream Partners, EquityPitcher Ventures, Verve Ventures, the European Innovation Council Fund (EIC Fund), ACE & Company, John L. Steffens (founder of Spring Mountain Capital) and some of the most successful Swiss Entrepreneurs. [Read more…] about Wingtra lands $22 million funding round for its commercial drones

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