Quadcopter

This unique heavy-lift UAV out of Edinburgh promises to obliterate the power and range of electric drones using a Rotax engine and bent-axis hydraulic motors similar to those used on huge tree harvesters. It's now lifting 95 kg in testing.

While we have heard about heavy-lift drones before, they're typically big things that have to be transported in a vehicle. The Hera, however, can lift 33 lb (15 kg) yet also be carried by one person in a backpack.

Over the years, we've seen a number of drones that are designed to capture other drones. One of the latest, aptly named the Drone Interceptor, utilizes detachable net-pulling propellers to get the job done.

By using digitally-distributed hydraulic propulsion and combustion engines, Flowcopter says its heavy-lift drones will stay aloft for up to six hours, covering up to 900 km of range on a tank. The first prototype is starting flight tests.

Multicopter drones have many uses, but they're still held back by short flight times and limited lifting capacities. The Firefly quadcopter is designed to address those shortcomings, with the ability to fly for about two hours and carry up to 100 lb.

Quadcopters may be versatile drones, but those four spread-out arms do keep them from performing certain tasks. An experimental new drone addresses that shortcoming, with arms that passively fold down as needed.

Given that small-ish drones are already being used to deliver small packages, wouldn't it stand to reason that giant drones could deliver large loads? That's just what BAE Systems is looking into, with its proposed T-650 Heavy Lift Electric UAS.

While drone racing is becoming increasingly popular as a televised sport, the live video from the drones' onboard cameras still leaves something to be desired. T-Mobile and The Drone Racing League are addressing that problem, with a new 5G drone.

Acecore, the Dutch company behind last year's heavy lifting Noa, has launched a new industrial drone called the Zoe Zetona that positions it camera payload up front, instead of hanging it below like other drone designs.

For some applications, the wireless communications range of traditional drones just isn't robust enough. That's where Parrot's just-announced ANAFI Ai quadcopter comes in, as it uses 4G cellular data when Wi-Fi doesn't suffice.

Fireworks may be fun to watch, but they're single-use-only, and they do produce a lot of smoke. The Rammaxx Electric LED Rocket is intended to be a cleaner, reusable alternative – and it can also perform aerial light shows.

It was just a year ago that DJI announced its compact-but-capable Mavic Air 2 quadcopter. Now, the company has shortened the name and doubled the image sensor size, with the 5.4K/30fps-capable Air 2S.