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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

Drones and the Future of Travel: What’s Next for Airline easyJet?

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easyJet has always been at the forefront of innovation in the airline industry, not only for their consumer offerings but also in terms of aircraft maintenance and operations.

All the way back in 2015, when drones were far less readily available, easyJet pioneered the use of the Remote Intelligent Survey Equipment for Radiation or RISER drone quadcopter to complete inspections on Airbus A320 units.

It was used with a T-Series tracking system that assessed the location of the aircraft relative to its own position in 3D, allowing it to maintain a safe distance while inspecting the plane for signs of lightning strikes and other issues. [Read more…] about Drones and the Future of Travel: What’s Next for Airline easyJet?

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

QYSEA releases new ‘compact and highly capable’ underwater drone

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QYSEA Technology has released its latest “compact and highly capable” underwater drone, FIFISH V-EVO.

The new drone is claimed to be “the first underwater drone to feature a 4K 60 FPS camera with 360-degree omnidirectional movement”, allowing filmmakers and explorers to capture increased detail and smooth slow-motion videos in ultra-high definition, as deep as 100 meters below the surface.

The rapidly growing market for compact underwater drones is being “revolutionized” by QYSEA, according to the company, which manufactures small remotely-operated underwater machines. [Read more…] about QYSEA releases new ‘compact and highly capable’ underwater drone

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

New York Power Authority cleared to fly drones beyond line of sight

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The New York Power Authority (NYPA) has received its first federal approval to fly unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) or drones beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) of the pilot in command.

In a significant step forward, this Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) waiver enables NYPA to conduct fully remote drone operations such as asset and vegetative management inspections at its Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Power Project in Schoharie County.

NYPA’s growing drone program supports its industry-leading asset management strategies and is part of an Authority-wide digitization initiative to modernize grid infrastructure to advance the efficient delivery of clean power statewide. [Read more…] about New York Power Authority cleared to fly drones beyond line of sight

Residents in the United Arab Emirates may soon receive parcels delivered by drones and robots

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Aramex, a global provider of logistics and transportation solutions, says it has completed the testing of its drone and roadside robot deliveries in Dubai, one of the seven emirates in the UAE.

This is part of the company’s “Future Delivery Program” aimed at enhancing last-mile logistics using smart shipping solutions to enable quicker, more sustainable, and cost-effective deliveries.

The initial tests were conducted at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in partnership with BARQ EV, a leading commercial drone delivery service provider in the UAE, and Kiwibot, a Colombia-based company specializing in delivery robotics. [Read more…] about Residents in the United Arab Emirates may soon receive parcels delivered by drones and robots

Abu Dhabi’s SkyGo invests in commercial drones provider Airobotics for goods transportation

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Airobotics and Sky Go Transport of Goods, a UAE-based company with commercial license to provide unmanned aerial transport of goods and services across the city of Abu Dhabi, have agreed a joint venture to provide aerial drone services to the city of Abu Dhabi.

Airobotics is a wholly-owned subsidiary Ondas Holdings, a provider of private industrial wireless networks and commercial drone and automated data solutions.

As a part of the partnership, Airobotics, subject to the finalization of required formalities, has received an initial multi-system purchase order for $3.5 million from SkyGo. The purchase order is conditioned by the completion of proof of concept. [Read more…] about Abu Dhabi’s SkyGo invests in commercial drones provider Airobotics for goods transportation