We hear a lot about aerial and underwater drones, but ones that travel on the water's surface … not so much. They can be quite useful, though, as we discovered when we recently checked out the Heron USV (unmanned surface vessel) at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation.
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Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) drones typically have four horizontal propellers for moving up and down, along with a vertical rear "pusher" prop for moving forward in more efficient fixed-wing flight. A new aircraft, however, uses the same four props for everything.
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Adding to the growing mix of drone safety solutions is a new measure from industry giant DJI, who has committed to incorporating helicopter and airplane detectors into new models from next year onward.
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We've seen a few impressive drones now that can adapt themselves to different modes of transport. Equally so is a new quadcopter developed at Israel's Ben-Gurion University, which flies like a regular quadcopter but turns its propellor arms into wheels to keep moving once it hits the ground.
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Google's parent company Alphabet is moving ahead with plans to service Helsinki with flying robotic couriers, today announcing the launch of a forthcoming delivery drone service for the Finnish capital.
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Irresponsibly-piloted drones can cause a lot of problems, such as when they're flown into restricted airspaces. And while anti-drone measures do exist, many cause the aircraft to fall to the ground, potentially harming bystanders. A new system, however, takes remote control of rogue drones.
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Just as new uses for drones continue to surface (both good and bad), so too do ways to stop them in their tracks. Intended for authorities looking to control sensitive airspace, the DroneBullet takes a rather heavy-handed approach, knocking suspicious aircraft clean out of the sky.
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Using regular aircraft to transport organs usually works OK, but problems can arise when flights are delayed, or when planes can't land in remote areas. That's where drones could make a difference – and in an April 19th exercise, one was used to deliver a kidney for a human recipient.
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Wing has become the first company to get the official go-ahead from the FAA to begin a commercial drone delivery service in the US. The Alphabet subsidiary received Air Carrier Certification from the FAA, which allows the company to begin delivering goods from businesses to households.
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Whereas quadcopter drones simply have four rigid propeller-bearing arms, flying insects are able to adjust the angle of their wings according to the situation. Inspired by that fact, scientists have created a drone that can fold its arms while in flight, allowing for better performance.
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