Quadcopter

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.

Although it's getting more common to see swarms of illuminated drones being used for aerial light shows, simultaneously charging and launching all of those drones can still be tricky. That's where the Flying Drone Blanket is intended to come in.

If one of the motors conks out on a quadcopter drone, the aircraft usually just crashes. Thanks to new research, however, such disabled drones could soon not only remain airborne, but even complete their trip.

Although quadcopter drones may offer relatively good battery life, their hexa- and octocopter counterparts can lift heavier loads. The xFold drone can go either way, however, with extra propeller arms that can be attached or detached as needed.

With perhaps a few exceptions, battery-electric multicopter drones typically can't fly for longer than about 30 minutes. Such is not the case, however, with their hybrid counterparts – one of which recently broke its own endurance record.

Multicopter drones are becoming increasingly useful, but their exposed whirling propellers can get damaged in collisions, and inflict injuries on bystanders. A new prototype drone addresses that problem, by copying the pufferfish.

If you've ever tried flying a cheap quadcopter indoors, you'll know how easily they can crash into walls. Now imagine trying the same with a much more expensive industrial drone. That's why the new Aertos 130IR is built to be tough.