Coming in all shapes and sizes, from tiny quad-copters to gargantuan solar-powered fixed-wing designs, drones are set to transform our lives in myriad ways. Having already made a huge impact in the military, numerous companies and research teams are exploring the commercial and civilian applications of unmanned aircraft – from autonomous sky-faring taxis to swarms of battlefield-ready flying robots.
This Wednesday, a group of seven swimmers located about 70 m (230 ft) from the beach at Spain's port of Sagunto found themselves caught in an undertow. After they signalled one of the lifeguards, an onsite Auxdron Lifeguard Drone was flown out to perform a rescue.
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Drone photography has quickly come to offer us entirely new perspectives on the world we live in, and for photographer Johnny Miller, the reality of that world isn’t all rainbows, waterfalls and gorgeous cityscapes.
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Yuneec has added to its consumer drone line with the Mantis Q. Featuring foldable arms, it rocks a 33-minute battery, a 4K camera and a tiny, portable controller. In addition to facial detection and gesture controls, the Mantis Q also takes voice commands to help you keep your thumbs on the sticks.
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A lot has been made of the dangers of drones mixing with other aircraft, but one team of engineers is exploring how they can guard planes from threats rather than present new ones by developing drones that can shepherd birds away from flight paths like robotic aerial sheepdogs.
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For tall their potential, the utility of non-military drones as a weapon of war and terror is an unfortunate byproduct of their proliferation. This reality has played out in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas over the weekend.
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The Drone Awards is a new photography contest dedicated to the emerging art of aerial photography. This year’s competition just revealed its winning snaps, a spectacular assortment of photographs ranging from gorgeously abstract images to profoundly unique portraits of urban life.
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Drones are pretty adept at a number of things, including the ability to crash into stuff. Obstacle avoidance systems are one way to protect these fragile flying machines, but one team of researchers is pursuing a different path with a drone that collapses to prevent damage in the event of a crash.
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Underwater drones are starting to become more popular, and the Gladius is one of the better-specified ones you'll find. Capable of diving for over four hours, to depths of 330 ft, with a 4K camera and 2,400-lumen spotlights, it makes for some fascinating underwater exploration.
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Intel’s Shooting Star drones continue to hit new heights. The company has set thousands of the tiny aircraft into the air over California, which arranged themselves in spectacular formations to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary.
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DARPA’s Fast Lightweight Autonomy (FLA) program has successfully wound up its Phase 2 flight tests, putting its drones and algorithms to the test in three primary scenarios – all without human assistance or control.
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