Delivery drones

One of the reasons that we're still not seeing delivery drones in common use is their limited battery range. According to a new study, though, that range could be extended if they hitched rides on top of buses.

Scientists have developed a new navigation algorithm that enables unmanned quadcopters to pull off some impressive acrobatics, a training pathway they hope can help boost drone efficiency in areas such as search and rescue operations.

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.

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.

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.

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.

After being granted FAA certification for package delivery by drone last year, UPS Flight Forward has now joined forces with German drone maker Wingcopter to get a new breed of vertical takeoff and landing delivery drones into US skies.

Although multicopter drones now are being used to transport medical samples and supplies, their 30-minute (or so) battery life limits their range. This week, however, a hydrogen-powered delivery drone managed a one-hour, 43-minute ocean crossing.

Flirtey has just unveiled its new Eagle delivery drone.

The just-announced Silent Arrow GD-2000 cargo drone is made to stealthily deliver supplies in war-torn regions.

DLR is developing a new type of gyrocopter that ditches the pilot in favor of more cargo space. The focus of the Automated Low Altitude Air Delivery (ALAADy) system, the ALAADy Demonstrator unmanned gyrocopter is designed to autonomously deliver heavier cargoes at low altitudes.

​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.