Drones

Over the past couple of years, the UK's Royal Mail service has been exploring the potential of drones to service remote corners of the nation, and is now pressing ahead with its plans for automated aerial delivery.

Following a number of online leaks, DJI has now officially launched the latest generation of its compact camera drone. The Mini 3 Pro sports a refreshed look, 4K/60fps video, more flight time and built-in obstacle avoidance.

This unique heavy-lift UAV out of Edinburgh promises to obliterate the power and range of electric drones using a Rotax engine and bent-axis hydraulic motors similar to those used on huge tree harvesters. It's now lifting 95 kg in testing.

While we have heard about heavy-lift drones before, they're typically big things that have to be transported in a vehicle. The Hera, however, can lift 33 lb (15 kg) yet also be carried by one person in a backpack.

With two successful flight tests in the bag, and just under US$2 million in seed funding, Florida company Undefined Technologies has unveiled the next generation of its "silent" commercial drone, which uses ionic propulsion instead of propellers.

After putting a few generations of lifelogging cameras on users faces with Snapchat Spectacles, Snap has now installed its imaging tech in a pocket-sized camera drone called Pixy that can record video or capture photos as it flies around a subject.

Over the years, we've seen a number of drones that are designed to capture other drones. One of the latest, aptly named the Drone Interceptor, utilizes detachable net-pulling propellers to get the job done.

Back in January, Elroy Air showed off a pre-production version of an autonomous cargo drone capable of carrying 500-lb loads over 300 miles, and we've now learned FedEx plans to soon put these capabilities to the test.

DJI's range of enterprise drones has a new flagship in the shape of the Matrice 30, which can fly in driving rain, high winds and even snow. It's ready for remote operation beyond line of sight, and can be had with an autonomous docking station.

The hoverfly has an extraordinary ability to see and track moving objects in very low light, and Australian researchers have replicated its signal-to-noise-boosting vision systems to process sound data, detecting and tracking drones up to 4 km away.

In order to keep running at peak efficiency, solar panels regularly have to be cleaned of accumulated dust and other debris. Such panels can be difficult to reach, though, which is why the Helios system uses not one but two drones to do the job.

Back in 2017, Wing began dropping off burritos to hungry folks in rural Australia, and has since broadened its offerings to include coffee, fried chicken and Vietnamese cuisine. Its latest move in this space might be its biggest one yet.