Drones

When it comes to remote-control "underwater robots," there are consumer drones at one end of the spectrum, and full-on industrial ROVs (remotely operated vehicles) at the other. The Chasing M2 ROV, however, appears to fall somewhere between the two.

That little quadcopter of yours may be fine for shooting cool videos, but when it comes to industrial applications, a beefier drone is often required. That's where the Acecore Noa comes in, as it can lift up to 20 kg (44 lb).

Active volcanic craters are something that people generally don't want to get very close to – even if they're dedicated volcanologists. With that in mind, German scientists recently had success using a drone to do the job.

It will doubtless be a while yet before big stadium-type events start taking place again. Once they do, though, the stands will still likely have to be disinfected after each use. A US company is aiming to make that task easier, using drones.

DJI has today announced the enterprise-grade, weatherproof and durable Matrice 300 RTK drone and Zenmuse H20 series camera modules for inspections, mapping, surveys and search and rescue missions.

Although they're relatively large, manta rays move easily through the water, thanks to their sleek shape. Well, that form has been copied in the aptly-named Manta Ray aerial delivery drone, which recently won an international competition.

If you've ever piloted a drone, you'll know that utilizing a joystick-style controller takes some getting used to. MIT scientists have developed what they claim is a more intuitive control system, that reads the operator's muscle signals.

As aviation regulators around the world work with the likes of Amazon and DHL to clear a legal pathway for drone delivery services to begin, a new study shows that the high energy cost of drones could make them worse for the environment than vans.

Chinese drone manufacturer DJI has today unveiled its new Mavic Air 2 foldable quadcopter, with a greatly improved camera, a bigger battery, an enormous 10-km (6.2-mi) control range and the capability to detect and warn you about other aircraft.

UPS and CVS are pushing ahead with their vision for aerial shipments of medical goods, today announcing a new project that will see drones deployed to carry prescription drugs from a Florida pharmacy to the largest retirement community in the US.

Searching for sources of potentially harmful radiation isn't a job that most people would want – so why not get a drone to do it? Well, a team of Czech engineers is currently developing just such an aircraft.

While it's important to get fresh seafood from fishing boats to restaurants ASAP, using a full-size crewed aircraft to do so isn't always cost-effective. That's why Yamaha and Japan Airlines are now looking at using a drone for part of the journey.