Hexacopter

Although many fossils are simply lying exposed on the soil's surface, finding all of them would require a great deal of walking over varying terrain. A new autonomous hexacopter drone could help, as it uses a laser to hunt for fossils at night.

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).

​Multicopter drones are breaking through the final restriction on their movement in the air: they no longer need to hover parallel with the ground. The Voliro prototype's six props can tilt 360 degrees, allowing a staggering 12 degrees of freedom in the air. It's mesmerizing to watch.

Yuneec created a buzz at CES this year by demonstrating an advanced drone with an impressive ability to steer clear of obstacles. Developed by Intel, this sense-and-avoid technology is now coming out to play, with Yuneec making its tree-dodging Typhoon H Pro available for preorder. ​

Yuneec International's Typhoon H hexacopter is designed to free up the camera with retractable landing gear and a folding design that makes the craft backpackable.​

Vancouver Aquarium and US-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have begun using drones to keep tabs on endangered killer whales off the continent's west coast. The technology is giving the researchers a new perspective on the well-being of the animals.

We've seen drones designed to deliver all kinds of things, but music? That's new territory even for this rapidly growing technology. But Spotify and a Belgian mobile operator are marching to the beat of their own drum, using UAVs to deliver personalized music to festival goers in Belgium last month.

The HEXO+ hexacopter drone autonomously flies above its user, shooting video of them as they motorbike, snowboard, or perform other high-speed activities.

Inspired by a bird known as the swiftlet, scientists have created a robotic quadcopter that can extrude polyurethane foam while in flight. By targeting where that foam goes, it can build up simple structures, essentially becoming a flying 3D printer.

Some industrious lads at Mad Lab Industries have combined a hexacopter and a hexapod to create a hybrid that walks and flies.