Drones

If a drone is large and powerful enough to carry packages long distances, then that drone is likely too big and noisy to be landing in amongst trees, houses and bystanders. The BMT Sparrow system could help, by autonomously steering lowered loads.

When we last heard about Zipline, the California company was using parachutes to drop packages from its delivery drones to the ground. The firm's just-announced Platform 2 (P2) system, however, lowers loads inside of self-steering "droids."

Food vendors won't have to wait around for Wing's delivery drones to come pick up an order. The company has released video of new "AutoLoader" stations that'll hang onto boxes waiting for a skyhook-style pickup from the next available drone.

DJI is flying out a modest update to its 2021 entry level camera drone. The sub-250-g, compact Mini 2 SE can now fly for ever-so-slightly longer and is capable of transmitting HD video much farther.

While aerial drones can travel long distances quickly, aquatic drones can explore underwater environments. The TJ-FlyingFish offers the best of both worlds, as it's a flying quadcopter that is also able to make its way through the inky depths.

While short-range radio remote control may be fine for consumer drones, long-distance delivery drones often use cellular networks to communicate with their operators. A new mobile network system could make the latter method much more reliable.

Carrying up to 96 small USPS packages in its internal cargo bay, the new Cento needs nothing more than two parking spaces for takeoff, landing and automatic unloading. MightyFly is working with the FAA to expand its long-range flight authorization.

If you want to know which animals are present in a given location, a good way of finding out is to look for their cast-off DNA. A new drone is designed to help scientists do so, by autonomously sticking itself to tree branches.

Racing quadcopters are insanely light, quick and agile, but they're not typically known for their top-speed figures. Mechanical engineer and hobbyist Ryan Lademann builds his own frames to push the limits, and he's now bagged a Guinness World Record.

Researchers at Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xianyang, China, have demonstrated a drone that never needs to land, thanks to a remote charging system that delivers power via an adaptive, target-tracking laser on the ground.

The past year has been a big one for drones, both in terms of new models and new capabilities. Here's a list of our picks for the latter, including clever uses of drones and interesting developments in the technology.

Startup Skydio’s latest approach to self-charging drones involves affordable and compact base stations that can be deployed in a variety of settings, as it looks to put self-sufficient aircraft in the hands of more and more users.

The analysis of volcanic gases allows scientists to determine what processes are taking place deep within volcanoes. And while big, expensive drones have previously been used to sample those gases, a small consumer model can now do the job.

Flapping-wing drones may be more agile and energy-efficient than their fixed-wing counterparts, but most of them still can't loiter in one spot. A new model addresses that limitation by using a claw mechanism to perch in a bird-like fashion.

France's H3 Dynamics has presented a self-contained hydrogen propulsion pod for drones and airplanes, delivering huge range and endurance figures without heavy batteries. It mirrors the approach Airbus and others are taking with commercial airliners.