Drones

Sometimes a flashlight just isn't enough. The Flying Sun 1000 drone system was designed with that fact in mind, as it uses 288 airborne LEDs to light up the night like the alien mothership from Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Consumer drones are all just variations on the quadcopter design … right? Well no, not any longer. The Falcon Mini is a two-propeller "bicopter" which is claimed to be nimbler, quieter, and more energy-efficient than its four-prop counterparts.

With the threat of a US ban looming over Chinese drone maker DJI, keen flyers throughout the land will likely be on the lookout for alternatives. Homegrown Ascent Aerosystems may have an answer with its somewhat oddball Helius.

Engineers at MIT have devised a way to help drones find their way through unlit indoor spaces autonomously, without costly cameras. That'll come in handy for mapping and monitoring warehouses and tunnels, as well as search and rescue operations.

Researchers at Brigham Young University have demonstrated an inexpensive air traffic control system for drones that can effectively track multiple targets in real-time. Such systems could prevent collisions with aircraft, for not very much money.

DJI's simple-but-capable Neo drone is kind of a big deal, but is it not quite capable enough for you? If so, you might want to check out the new DJI Flip. It sports a folding design, multiple autonomous flight modes, and a 31-minute battery life.

Back in 2019, Chasing Innovation introduced the world's least expensive underwater drone, the Dory. The Chinese company is now offering a new version that comes complete with a joystick remote, metal detector and treasure-collecting net.

Imagine an 8K-shooting camera drone that fits in a pocket, costs under $700, and can be used with or without a remote. That's the HoverAIR X1 ProMax, and while the drone itself is great, one of its optional peripherals is still a work in progress.

October 1 is China's National Day – and the high-tech metropolis of Shenzhen celebrated with an eye-popping spectacle: a record-smashing swarm display of 10,197 drones in concert, showing just how far this next-gen entertainment technology has come.

ZeroZero Robotics' HOVERAir X1 Pro and X1 ProMax are set to become the standard in prosumer camera drones. Both models pack a truly impressive list of features into a small package that starts at less than $500.

Following successful trials last year at a UK wind farm, Denmark's Ørsted has now put heavy lift drones to work at a 94-turbine offshore wind farm in the North Sea – completing resupply missions up to 15 times faster while also reducing costs.

Researchers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) have unveiled a new type of amphibious vehicle that can hover like a drone, take winged flight like a plane, then dive at high speed underwater like nothing else – called the Nezha-SeaDart.

In a completely different kind of germ warfare, researchers have tested out a way to drop mosquitoes infected with disease-fighting bacteria over populations prone to outbreaks of dengue fever. It's an ingenious way to scale up a proven solution.

Tiny aerial drones have many potential uses, but their ability to navigate is severely limited by their minuscule amount of onboard processing power. Scientists have now set about addressing that limitation, taking a cue from foraging insects such as ants.

Taking cues from geckos, EPFL researchers have developed an unmanned aerial vehicle with an upturned nose that crashes into vertical poles, and then wraps its wings around to perch. The PercHug could find use in inspection and surveillance tasks.