10 Tips to Improve Your Drone Footage

There is a difference between flying your drone for fun and using it to shoot great APV (Aerial Photography and Video). Shooting good footage takes a lot of practice. Here are some tips you can use to improve your overall experience: Make a list, check it twice Always check your equipment before any flight with

Introducing the PowerUp FPV, the World’s First Remote-Controlled Paper Airplane with Video

NEW YORK — PowerUp Toys announced the release of the Powerup FPV, the world’s first Smartphone-Controlled paper airplane with a video camera and first-person view. PowerUp FPV lets you experience flight as if you were sitting in the cockpit of your very own paper airplane. Using your smartphone with a head-mounted display (Google cardboard viewer

Sports Media & Real Estate Put Drone Payloads on Popularity Charts

Drones have flown in and the future of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) appears promising. The drone revolution has redefined the way technology is employed in various industries and sectors. The range of drone payloads and their applications span across various verticals and create endless creative opportunities for usage. The advanced technology behind payload devices has

Droning Emerald Lake

Emerald Lake. Even the name itself should preset expectations. This by far was one of the most exciting adventures I’ve been on, given the serenity & picturesque ambiance of the whole environment. The waters were crystal clear up to a metre deep, and then shone brightly emerald (as the name would suggest duh) moving closer

How to improve your flying: 5 tips to sweet acro flying

Flying FPV is such a liberating and rewarding experience, and watching prop pilots that fly crazy fast, silky smooth, or doing dizzying flips is what draws most of us to the hobby to start with. If you’ve ever flown a quadcopter, though, you’ll know that the pros make these tricks seem much easier than they are.

Casey Neistat Snowboarding Behind a Massive Human-Flying Drone

Internet celebrity Casy Neistat can tell you just about anything there is to know about drones. Now he can tell you one more thing than just about anyone else – how it feels to be flown by a drone. A giant custom-made hexadecacopter that took about a year to build and weighing in at 165 pounds, was

Drones that follow you

Self flying drones allow athletes to video tape themselves doing things like surfing, bike riding, skyiing, jet skiing, motor biking and many more things. There are several competitors in the market with more and more joining as follow me drones become more popular and mainstream. I personally went out and found as much information as

XDynamics debuts with World’s First Smart Drone with Dual-Screen Controller

Hong Kong, Dec 23, 2016 – XDynamics today introduces Evolve, the world’s first consumer drone completed with a dual-screen remote controller, a patent awarded design, empowering users of all kinds with industry-grade features and functionality at their fingertips. XDynamics will showcase its high-end consumer drones at CES 2017 in Las Vegas, January 5 through 8.

ASCEND Conference to Provide Practical Techniques for Using Drones in Business

Waukesha, WI – (December 22, 2016) – The ASCEND Conference & Expo aims to equip businesses with practical knowledge and techniques for integrating drone technology to improve specific processes.  Sponsors and speakers are lining up to participate in ASCEND, which will be held at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, OR, July 19-21, 2017. Details

Why commercial drones have not achieved their full potential

Despite what you may have seen in your local park, drones are no longer the exclusive purview of aviation enthusiasts and tech geeks. The global commercial drone market was valued at $552 million in 2014 and is growing at a rate of 16 to 25 percent annually depending on who you talk to. Drones (aka

UAVs and Transport Canada – What will the future bring?

As I type this post today, I wish I had a crystal ball regarding the future of Recreational and Commercial UAV flight in Canada. Although I have heard a TON of comments regarding stricter laws and uncertainty, here is my two cents… I am hoping the laws do not change much, but will mirror image

What to Do With This Season’s Hottest Holiday Gift – A Guide to Your New Drone

MINNEAPOLIS, Dec. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — You just got your first drone. Maybe it’s a gimballed camera drone like the new DJI Mavic or the DJI Phantom 4 Professional, or maybe it’s a racing drone.  You learned to fly it and take your first drone video.  Now what? If you want to share your video

Drone marketplace Up Sonder wraps up successful 2016 with big win at International Drone Expo

LOS ANGELES — Up Sonder, the world’s first on-demand drone marketplace, wrapped up an exciting 2016 with a huge win at the recent International Drone Expo (IDE). The company was one of three chosen to receive $100,000 in funding from Singh Ventures as part of IDE Drone Pitchfest Competition 2016 . The first on-demand drone

President-elect Donald Trump and the Future of Drone Delivery in the U.S.

One of Donald Trump’s promises during his campaign was to privatize air traffic management. Consequently, this would result in several implications on drone usage within U.S. airspace. Governments are still exploring and developing the best way to deal with drone regulations, with big efforts being made to create a national drone air traffic control system

What Can We Come to Expect from Drone Photography?

Since drones were first introduced for civilian use, their applications have continued to expand. One application professional photographers and filmmakers immediately jumped on was the ability for drones to carry high-quality cameras to snap previously impossible shots and footage. Today, we’ve seen an expansion of the drone market that hopes to include both professional and

Sky’s the Limit: 8 Big Ideas for the Future of Drones

We’ve all heard about camera-equipped drones being used to take photos of weddings, capture aerial footage for real estate ads, and even sneak peeks of Game of Thrones film sets in an effort to drum up some spoilers. But aerial video and photography aren’t the only things that drones are capable of. Today’s drones are

Above Bellingham – 4K Drone Film

The city of subdued excitement. Just like Bellingham, this video starts with a slow fuse, but if you stick with both of them, you get epic as your payoff. Tucked into the far northwest corner of the United States, Bellingham reps its location well. Within arm’s reach of town you’ll meet big peaks, empty beaches,

A New Wave of Drone Jobs in Australia

One thing is certain, drones are having a big impact in modern society and consequently in all sorts of industry. Drone technology is used in various sectors: filming, mapping, aerial control, aerial security and many more – our society needs drones. While many contend that robots such as the UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) would take away jobs,

Drone Market Strategies – Partnerships and acquisitions of the dominant players

The drone market today can be described as a melting pot of different technologies, where combinations of hard- and software components and service features are provided to the end user. In order to create sustainable success in this extremely fast moving market it is essential to maintain strategic partnerships or invest in a solid UAV

Defiant Labs Lauches Next Gen Drone: DX-3

TORONTO, ON – December 6, 2016: Canada’s drone leaders, The Sky Guys Ltd, announced today their new technology division, Defiant Labs with the unveiling of their drone, the DX-3. Set to disrupt all previous industry standards, the DX-3 has vertical take-off and landing and fixed wing flight capability. The groundbreaking DX-3 will be officially released

20 Ways Drones will Shape your Future

Drones are all the buzz at the present being quite ubiquitous in many locations. A drone basically refers to a flying robot that is technically referred to as a UAV, unmanned aerial vehicle. It is usually controlled remotely or you could choose to program it to follow certain flight plans. They have simplified the way

Mini South Africa

For the inception of this video, instead of thinking big, we thought small. Our goal was to collaborate with the best drone pilots around South Africa and produce something interesting and unique. Often we take life so seriously and it’s nice, for a change, to think of the countries we live in as a play

Top Commercial Drone Events Of 2017

Check this 100+ list of the top commercial drone events of 2017 compiled by SkyTango. Which events will you visit this year to keep updated on the drone industry, develop your professional network and increase your sales? The commercial and civil UAV market is booming: new products, new applications, new companies are entering into and changing this industry

Unmanned Systems and Solutions Launches Professional Drone Repair Facility

CHICAGO, IL (PRWEB) DECEMBER 09, 2016 Over 2.5 million drones are expected to enter US skies this year, many of them requiring repairs after operational use. Unmanned Systems and Solutions (USAS) today opened their 120,000 square foot professional drone repair facility capable of quickly repairing drones from most major manufacturers. In partnership with a 36-year-old

Dutch Drone Awards 2016 winners announced

A beautiful drone video of Sri Lanka has been announced as the winner of the Dutch Drone Awards 2016. The video got the most votes from the Dutch audience in the category Aerial Photography. In the new category Racing, a colorful high-speed video shot above the typical Dutch tulip fields was crowned best video of

Yuneec Releases Breeze First-Person View Controller for Immersive Flying Experience

ONTARIO, Calif. (December 6, 2016) — Yuneec International, the world leader in electric aviation, today announced the availability of its all-new Breeze First-Person View Controller, creating a new means to pilot the ultimate flying camera. The Breeze FPV Controller  is now available at a suggested retail price of  $69.99. The Breeze FPV Controller provides pilots

3D, drones, and multispectral images: an exploratory project

It doesn’t matter what narrative you hear on climate change, we can agree that keeping the earth’s forests healthy is essential to the future. Large air purifiers, like the giant sequoia trees in California, are key for the environment and studied to measure how much CO2 they capture. As part of a joint project, Pix4D and

US Forest Service Tests UAS Technology

This past September, the Alpine Ranger District of the US Forest Service hosted the first Agency contracted Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) flight to evaluate forest health conditions. The primary purpose of the flight was to evaluate the effectiveness of using drones for Hi-Res agriculture analytics. The hyperspectral image products are being used to detect invasive species, bio-mass

How Drones Can Help in Humanitarian Emergencies

Few technologies have undergone as radical a change as drones. Where five years ago, drones were mainly seen as an instrument of war, today they are far more likely to be flown by a wedding photographer than an airman. Earlier this year, the Consumer Technology Association estimated that globally 9.4 million civilian drones will be

The Making of Walt Disney World’s First Drones Show

Watch how the Imagineers and Walt Disney World Creative Entertainment worked with the experts at Intel to bring this experience to Disney Springs this holiday season. Learn more about the holidays at Disney Springs – http://di.sn/60098JzGW

The Ultimate Drone Selfie in Cape Town

Drones have become one of the most coveted film tools ever to exist. As content creators, they allow us to expand our creative boundaries in ways previously thought impossible. We’re constantly finding new and interesting ways to use them. The inspiration for this video stemmed from wanting to combine the abilities of a drone with

Tools of the Trade: How drones are changing the movie industry

The film industry has always been one that embraces and runs with new technology, so it’s no surprise that the explosion of the drone industry is making waves in the way movies are made. Before the FAA approved the use of UAVs (drones) for filmmaking, aerial shots could only be achieved with the use of

A Pocket for Everything and Everything in its Pocket

Let’s be honest: drone people are gear people. With each drone we drool over and eventually buy comes a host of little odds and ends that need to be carried around every time we go out and fly. There are lots of backpacks and cases that are great for transporting the serious gear, protecting the

Which RC Drone to Buy as a Recreational Photographer or Videographer?

As a professional pilot, your options are pretty clear: Do I want to go with DJI, Yuneec, or one of the other top brands? But what if you’re a recreational photographer or videographer? You don’t need all of those bells and whistles, yet you still want to get quality shots. In this article, I’m going

Tips you should follow before buying a drone

Drones have become one of the fastest growing mass market products with market share up from 3 to 20 percent in the past decade. Public awareness is growing of drones’ awesome uses in various sectors and different industries across the world and are making plans to buy a new drone to see for themselves how drones can change their life.

Do you really need the latest gear?

I was watching a giveaway video today by GAPiT FPV in which he reviewed a GearBest 210 kit and put it up for a giveaway. During the video, he made a comment which really caught my attention. He said that the components used in the build were not cutting edge, but 6 months ago, these

Largest Drone Event in Canada – International UAV Show coming to Toronto!

Just one week to go until Canada’s inaugural International UAV Show, coming to Toronto’s Enercare Centre December 6th and 7 th 2016. As the largest conference of its type in Canada, this event is sure to set the stage for what is to come in the future of UAV/UAS systems and is the perfect conference

SimActive Enables Processing in the Cloud

Montreal, Canada, November 29th, 2016 – SimActive Inc., a world-leading developer of photogrammetry software, is pleased to announce that processing in the cloud is now officially supported by Correlator3D™.  Users can subscribe to an online computing service, such as Amazon EC2, and run Correlator3D™ on a virtual machine.   The main advantage is the capability

Pix4Dmapper Now with Fully-Automated DTM Extraction

Precisely distinguishing bare earth from digital surface models (DSMs) has always been sought-after. However, it remains difficult to precisely separate objects from terrain, due to the large variety of vegetation and man-made structures above ground. Pix4D is proud to announce our implementation of some of the most successful academic research for DTM extraction into Pix4Dmapper,

2nd DRONE EXPO to be held June 9-11, 2017 in Athens, Greece.

DRONE EXPO is an important commercial event of South Eastern Europe and South Eastern Mediterranean, on UAVs commercial applications. DRONE EXPO will bring together a wide range of professionals involved in drone businesses, such as producers & manufacturers of applications in mapping, agriculture, gas emission measurement, land & urban planning, civil engineering work, and the film

A truly unique take on Cape Town by drone

Hloniphizwe Coleman, a photographer and student based in Cape Town South Africa, created this video as part of a local competition.  

Little Arms Studios and Avisight Announce Strategic Partnership

Little Arms Studios, the software development team behind the newest and most advanced sUAS simulator on the market, Zephyr, has formed a partnership with AviSight, the nation’s leading manned and unmanned aerospace service provider. Zephyr will now be showcased during AviSight’s Drone Academy, rated by a 25+ year FAA veteran as one of the best

6 Reasons to Start a Drone Services Business in 2017

The drone industry has come a long way in the last few years. We’ve seen more advanced drone models coming out every few months. We’ve seen companies sprouting up across the globe, from new manufacturers, to software, to investment firms. And we’ve seen an influx of entrepreneurial drone pilots breaking free from their previous employment

5 Niche Drone Companies to Keep an Eye on in 2017

There are some really cool companies in the drone world. We’ve got the big manufacturers, like DJI and Yuneec, and we’ve got the plethora of software, hardware, and service-based companies helping to serve different needs in the industry. In this article, I’m going to break down five niche (or specialty) drone companies to keep and

Chaney Aerospace Announces the Alio Ground Control Station

Dallas, Texas, Nov. 18, 2016 – Chaney Aerospace, LLC announced the release of the Alio Ground Control Station featuring an integrated performance computer and 21.5” inch touch screen monitor inside of a molded resin Pelican case. The Alio gives commercial drone operators the ability to process sensor data in the field without having to go

Drone Operators: How to get customers?

As drones became more popular over recent years, many pilots have started their own drone businesses. This was the case for me 5 years ago when I started my own business offering aerial video and photo services. Apart from the obvious struggles of starting a business, which every entrepeneur goes through, one of the things

One huge reason the Phantom 3 Pro is better than Phantom 4 Pro

  Phantom 3 and Phantom 4. If you fly drones, then chances are, you know what I’m talking about. To be clear, the Phantom 4 is technologically superior to Phantom 3s in just about every way possible. One of the main advances the Phantom 4 has is object avoidance. This means that the Phantom 4

The Top Mini Drones for New Pilots

When it comes to beginner drone models, there are a lot of options for new pilots to choose from. There are larger models, which are great as a final stepping stone before the more advanced rigs. And then there are the mini drones, the smaller, less expensive models that are great for practicing your initial

DJI Announces Phantom 4 Pro and Inspire 2

Two new exciting releases have just been announced by DJI: Phantom 4 Pro This version of the Phantom 4 comes with a host of upgrades and new features, including a camera with 1-inch 20-megapixel sensor, five directions of obstacle sensing, a remote controller with a built-in screen, and a new method of waypoint control called Draw.

5 Reasons to Buy a Drone in 2016-2017

If you have been on the fence about buying a drone, now is the best time to take the leap. The industry is in a very unique place. We’re still in the era of early adoption, yet far along enough that it has gotten many of the growing pains out of the way. In this article,

RIMS offers offshore UAV inspections

Netherlands-based Robotica in Maintenance Strategies (RIMS) has launched inspections services for the maritime and offshore industry using the Elios UAV, the company announced on 9 November 2016. RIMS is a provider of autonomous, sustainable surveying and maintenance solutions using UAVs and robotics. The services will target maintenance activities in enclosed spaces in the maritime and offshore

Unbeliavable Faroes

Unspoiled, Unexplored, Unbelievable. This is the motto of the Faroe Islands. And its absolutely true. A magical archipelago in the middle of the wild atlantic ocean. Rugged mountains, sharp cliffs and solitude where ever you go. Come with me on an aerial journy through Europes best kept secret. Film: Haussmann Visuals (haussmann-visuals.de), Daniel Haußmann

3 Tips for Amazing Drone Video Selfies on Holidays

A few simple things to keep in mind while trying to get that perfect drone selfie on holiday will make a huge difference in the quality of your shot. Try it and let us know what you think! 1. CONTROL Ensure the drone camera captures you square in the middle of the frame. Once this

Radio Hill Technologies launches Block 3 DRONEBUSTER

Portland, OR, November 14, 2016:  Portland, Oregon-based Radio Hill Technologies (RHT) is launching the Block 3 Dronebuster hand-held counter-drone detection and jamming system.  This is the third generation of the Dronebuster line of hand-held jammers.   This model, released on 1 November, includes improved range and reliability over previous models.  It has the ability to

ASCEND: Drone Business Conference to Present Practical Advice and Immediate Applications for UAS Businesses

Waukesha, WI – (November 10, 2016) – The ASCEND Conference & Expo will be held at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, OR, July 19-21, 2017. The commercial UAS industry is at a critical stage of development, with the potential to solve real-world problems across a wide variety of business segments. ASCEND will give professionals

NEW REPORT | Value Chain Analysis for UAV-based Surveying in the Construction Industry

Small UAVs, as compared to manned aircraft, convince through their ability to fly very slowly and at lower altitudes. This way, more detailed and valuable information can be obtained. UAVs close the gap (between ground- and aircraft/satellite-based methods) through their ability to fly at low altitudes (up to 100m), which cannot be covered by the

The Top 5 All-Around Camera Drones

There are many camera drones flying around the market these days. You can find cameras on uber-small mini drones all the way up to hyper-expensive professional rigs. With this amount of camera drones out there, it can be tough to know which to buy, especially if you are a professional pilot and your work depends (in part)

FAA Part 107 Basics

Matt King walks you through the basics of the new FAA Part 107. This covers commercial drone operations. Sources come from FAA session talk and FAA website on Part 107.

Altavian introduces the INTER-NOVA, a Simlat based Training & Simulation system for Nova UAS

November 8th, 2016 – Simlat delivered an advanced UAS Simulation and Training System for the Altavian Nova UAS platform. Simlat’s Integrated Training Simulator (INTER) was customized and integrated to the Nova’s control station – FLARE. The new INTER-Nova training system is fully integrated and capable of producing sophisticated virtual training scenarios with high-fidelity visuals, realistic

Reflectance Maps, the Building Block of Precision Agriculture

Last weekend I found myself pounding nails into the wall with a rock I found in my yard. With hammer missing and pictures needing to be hung, I had to make due. Fine, the nails were a bit bent, the wall marked, but it got the job done. I’d never dream, however, of using a

How firefighters in the UK are pioneering the use of drones

The English Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) is constantly working to improve how they respond to incidents and how to make sure that their personnel can be as safe as possible while responding. The GMFRS decided to invest in around the clock drone capacity in 2015 after a trial during which the drone

Top Field Tips – Interview with Photographer George Suresh

Here at Droneblog we’re always on the lookout for exceptional work in the field of aerial photography and videography. When I came across the work of George Suresh, I knew right away this was not just your average guy with a drone taking pictures and shooting some video. An Australia native, Suresh is a skilled and proven photographer

Sky Drone FPV 2 brings Unlimited Range, Low-Latency Digital Video Transfer to Drones

Sky Drone has just released the next generation, the FPV 2 camera solution. FPV 2 from Sky Drone uses 4G/LTE mobile networks to connect the camera to a groundstation app, which receives and displays a video stream. Such transmission is low-latency with less than 150ms of end-to-end latency and can provide HD quality even over

Birds.ai Launches in the DroneDeploy App Market

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – 11/07/16 (PRESS RELEASE) – Last week Dutch startup Birds.ai announced that its app will be available on the DroneDeploy App Market, the first drone industry app store.  The Birds.ai app identifies, measures, tracks, and reports the status of objects in aerial imagery taken by drones. Because the Birds.ai app learns to track

This Drone Can Wash a Car. Sorta.

Although we don’t recommend trying this at home, we thought we would give it a whirl. It worked. Sorta. Subscribe to Mashable: http://on.mash.to/subscribe

NVdrones Releases NVsync, the First Automatic Flight Logging and Reporting App for DroneDeploy Users

PASADENA, CA – 11/04/2016 (PRESS RELEASE JET) — NVdrones, a start-up that provides cloud-based software solutions for drone fleet management, today released a pioneering flight data automation app for App Market, the first drone industry app store created by DroneDeploy. “Data automation is the missing piece in streamlining flight operations management,” said Kevin Mukai, co-founder

Sunlytech to Launch New-Generation Camera Drone that Recognizes and Follows You

Based in Shanghai, China and started in 2012, Sunly Technology (SunlyTech) has committed itself to the research, development and production of innovative hi-tech products. SunlyTech launched the new Alpha CAM drone, featuring palm-size design, auto follow, facial recognition selfie, auto return, 4K video and 20-minute battery life; now available for pre-order on Indiegogo. The Alpha

QuestUAV Joins Top Flight Beijing Topcon in Partnership for China

QuestUAV Ltd and Beijing Topcon Business and Trade Co., Ltd (BTBT) are very pleased to announce their partnership for exclusive UAS supply, along with training and maintenance support for all QuestUAV airframes across the Chinese market. Beijing Topcon (BTBT), one of the region’s foremost surgical and medical equipment providers, has also spent the last few

Compliance is Sexy

Ok, so I’m here in Dublin tonight really tired. Maybe that title won’t seem funny in the morning! But tonight, it does. I’ve spent the last 18 months building a new software platform called Skytango, with the support of BBC News and Audio Network. Tomorrow I stand on stage at the Drones Data X Conference to announce its

Tech startup Makeblock releases Airblock, a Modular Drone that Transforms Into a Hovercraft

SAN FRANCISCO — November 2, 2016 — Shenzhen-based robotics startup Makeblock released the new Airblock, a modular six-axis drone that transforms into various flying configurations, including hexacopter and hovercraft. Airblock combines the best of building blocks with flight physics and engineering to make each flying experience unique. Airblock consists of magnetic, modular parts that are

$5,000 Yuneec Giveaway Contest

Contest Details  It’s simple: Enter your most compelling, visually stunning video, captured with a Yuneec Typhoon H or Typhoon H Pro with Intel® RealSense™ Technology, and you could win $5,000 worth of Yuneec product. Your video must utilize task mode, team mode and/or 360 camera operation in order to win. Enter your video by submitting

Sense and Avoid Technology Now Available on Eagle XF

Nottingham, NH, November 1, 2016 – UAV-America, Inc., announced today the implementation of its advanced Sense and Avoid System (obstacle avoidance) for their Eagle XF quad platform. Partnering with AerialGuard, based in Tel Aviv and New York, the two companies have designed and deployed a robust navigation system using Nvidia Jetson TX1 embedded platform combined

A New Generation of Solar Backpacks from Voltaic

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK (November 1, 2016) – Voltaic, the creators of the original solar backpack, has gone back to its roots to completely reimagine its iconic pack. Today, the portable power company has set out to raise $24,000 on the crowdfunding website Kickstarter to help ramp up production of the new line. Maximum Power The

Brinc and Incubio Launch Reimagine Drone, Barcelona’s First Dedicated Drone Services Incubator

(NOVEMBER 1, 2016 — BARCELONA) — Ultra hands-on emerging technology hardware accelerator Brinc today announced the launch of Reimagine Drone, the first drone services incubator program based in Barcelona. In partnership with Incubio, a leading big data startup accelerator, the program will serve as a global platform for leveraging the use of commercial drones to

The Rise of the Drone Industry

In recent years we have seen the commercial drone industry rapidly increase. As the technology improves, the battery life & distance of flying has improved. And probably most importantly, the price of drones has dropped dramatically, meaning that everyone can get their hands on one. In fact, it’s thought that the global market for drones

Pix4Dag Helps Selab Tackle One of Japan’s Biggest 21st Century Challenges

Rice is one of the most essential grains for the country of Japan, as well as its neighbors. However, a serious problem looms in the near future as Japan’s farming population age, with very few in line to take their place. The Japanese government, in response, is both encouraging labor-saving measures and actively looking for new ways

Spin Master Releases First Ever National TV Commercial Featuring Professional Drone Racing with Air Hogs and DR1

Los Angeles, CA (October 26, 2016) – Spin Master Corp. (TSX:TOY), a leading children’s entertainment company, and DR1 Racing, the premiere global drone racing series, are proud to announce the first ever national television advertising campaign featuring professional drone racing—now consumers everywhere can “Race Like a Pro.”  The national commercial features DR1 pilot and drone

​​Eos Introduces New Photogrammetry Software Optimized for Drone Photography

Vancouver, BC – Oct. 26, 2016 – Eos Systems Inc. has introduced new photogrammetry software optimized specifically for photographs taken with drones or unmanned aerial systems (UAS). The new PhotoModeler UAS 2016 software creates 3D models, measurements, and maps from photographs taken with ordinary cameras built-in or mounted on drones. It includes numerous features for optimized

How Drones Can Help Improve Refugee Camps

Most of the time, when you have to build a refugee camp, you have to do so in a hurry. In a typical scenario a lot of people arrive very suddenly and the government decides on where humanitarian organizations can build a camp. Very often the designated land is not ideal – else it would

Drones let you see the view from your seat before you buy tickets

Ever wonder what it’s like to step into the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts? Or curious about what your seat view might be when debating which tickets to buy? Thanks to this nifty drone flyby of the venue, you can get a great sense of what it might be like to step into

2016 National Drone Show Zooming into the Nation’s Capital this December

The National Drone show this year features: Drone Flying Cage, educational sessions, panels and hands-on training conference, exhibits and Advanced UAV Workshop, all in heart of nation’s capital. Also to feature the premiere of the D.C. DRONE FILM FESTIVAL. Second annual National Drone Show builds on the success of 2015 launch Gold Sponsor: Stampede The

Meet the Young CTO Taking AI By Storm

Anouk Visser isn’t a typical grad student at the University of Amsterdam. At age 24, Anouk is already managing her second successful startup as the Chief Technology Officer for Birds.ai. She’s also a fellow of the prestigious Kairos Society, on the board of DutchUAS, and nominated for the VIVA 400 Award for entrepreneurial and inspiring

Drones Data X Conference and VIP Weekend to be held Nov. 3-6

This year’s Drones Data X Conference will be held in Dublin, at the AIB Bankcentre. Featuring an exciting line-up of speakers, chances to do some drone flying, and lots of networking opportunities, this is an event not to miss. The day-long conference event will be immediately followed by a VIP weekend held on beautiful Achill Island,

The benefits and limits of drones in search and rescue

During search and rescue operations, time is critical. Injured survivors of a disaster might be trapped, and finding them quickly can literally be a question of life and death. For search and rescue teams that often means having to make difficult decisions, such as where to look first and what risks to accept for themselves

Rhino Africa takes African travel to new heights in creative video campaign

Rhino Africa, Africa’s leading safari company, has spent the past three years exploring Africa to capture breathtaking drone footage of the continent’s most beautiful places. Visiting iconic places such as Victoria Falls, Sossusvlei, the Okavango Delta, the Garden Route and Cape Town, the video team at Rhino Africa has managed to take viewers on an

Silent Falcon and MicroPilot succeed at NASA’s UTM 2016

Oct 20th, 2016–Reno, Nevada USA – Silent FalconTM conducted a series of successful Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) demonstration flights as part of NASA’s Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) system. NASA’s UTM program is developing a civilian traffic control system for autonomous low altitude Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) operations. This will create a

The Top Drone for New, Beginner, and Intermediate Pilots

The amount of drone models out there is astounding. Some are very similar to each other, and some vary widely. You can get drones that come with cameras, eight blades, drones that are the size of a quarter, and in just about any variation you can imagine. And new models are coming out every month. It’s

GoPro, Dell EMC Sign as Presenting Sponsors of the First Ever World Drone Championships October 17-22 in Hawaii

Los Angeles, CA (October 19, 2016) – Drone Sports Association (DSA), the leading global drone racing and drone sports entertainment company, announced today that the first ever Drone World Championships “Drone Worlds” will be presented by GoPro (NASDAQ: GPRO) and {code} by Dell EMC. LowePro, Horizon Hobby, AirVuz and EY have also signed on as

Amazing uses of drones

Drones are becoming one of the most sought after flying machines after jets and UFOs (!), loved by humans due to fact they are very useful and fun to fly, with a power packed remote control or smartphone in your hand to see the world through drones eyes. Drones have been used for a long time, but recently

Do the Media/Manufacturers have a responsibility or not?

As a Professional Aerial Photographer, lately I have been noticing a growing number of questionable drone photographs being used in the local press, and let’s be honest, have probably been taken illegally and in contravention of the CAA guidelines for drone use. I am talking about photographs such as a bird’s eye views of the

NVdrones Announces DroneDeploy Compatibility and One-of-a-Kind Instant Flight Reports

PASADENA, CA – 10/18/2016 (PRESS RELEASE JET) — NVdrones, a start-up that provides cloud-based software solutions for drone fleet management, today announced compatibility with DroneDeploy flight logs as well as the ability to create beautiful and comprehensive flight reports at the push of a button. NVDash, the company’s flagship product that hundreds of drone companies

DRL Simulator – Review

I’ve been flying drones and RC in general for over 10 years now, and one thing that always holds true is that there’s no replacement for stick time. The more you fly the better you fly, full stop. So it’s been long known that simulators are a great way to stay current on the sticks.

5 Ways Drones Are Shaping The Future

There’s no doubt that drones are making a huge impact on society. Each year, drones are proving to be more and more useful to us. For example, earlier in 2016, drones were programmed to build a rope bridge (here’s the video). While fun to watch, realize that this also has practical applications- it can save

How Drones are Helping in Haiti

Haiti is both one of the poorest and one of the most disaster prone countries in the world. In addition to the devastating 2010 earthquake and the subsequent cholera outbreak, the country is regularly hit by hurricanes which frequently trigger landslides and floods that wash away whole neighborhoods. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is

Drone Racing Set for Take off on Eurosport TV Starting in November

Los Angeles, CA (October 17, 2016) – In an effort to offer fans new and innovative sports entertainment, Eurosport today announced its partnership with DR1 Racing, the leading international drone racing series, to exclusively distribute content for broadcast in 70 countries across Europe and Asia-Pacific. The first episode of the DR1 Invitational from Los Angeles

Verizon uses drones for cell site inspections in the Carolinas in wake of Hurricane Matthew, another tool for reliability

Raleigh, NC – Verizon is using drones to help with cell site inspections from the air in North Carolina and South Carolina to survey areas impacted by severe flooding from Hurricane Matthew. The quadcopter used for the inspections is an unmanned aerial system (UAS) operated by Measure UAS Inc., to inspect cell sites in difficult

Overview of best drones for GoPro Cameras in 2016

Drones have quickly become a popular new hobby for enthusiasts around the nation. What once was a fascination for RC planes and copters may have now transcended into a passion for what is swiftly becoming a larger part of daily life, fun or no. Drones aren’t just for show, they have multiple applications, types, and

How Drones Helped with Early Recovery in the Philippines

In November 2013, the Philippines experienced one of the strongest and deadliest tropical cyclones ever recorded. Typhoon Haiyan resulted in well over 6,000 deaths and devastated the city of Tacloban along with the islands of Leyte and Panaon, among other regions. The Category 5 super typhoon also displaced more than 6 million people and left

New Drone Pilots: Try These 5 Quadcopters to Improve Your Skills

When you’re first learning to pilot a drone, the drone itself is just as important as the way you train. Certain rigs are much easier to learn with than others. And they have features that allow you to practice different skills without needing to buy a new one. In this article, I’m going to break down

Birds.ai to Demo Its Advanced Computer Vision Software at CES 2017

13 October 2017 – Dutch startup Birds.ai is flying to Las Vegas this January to showcase a live demonstration of its computer vision software at CES 2017. Birds.ai’s cloud-based program can automatically measure, track, and report the status of assets in industries like agriculture and infrastructure. It is also one of the very few AI

Flitelab: From Part-Time Hobby to Provider of Commercial Grade Aerial Imaging Services

When Terence C. Gannon thought about launching a new podcast covering ‘dream jobs’, his first instinct was to look to the booming drone industry with its blend of fascinating technology, disruptive applications and amazing results. His very first interview for what became The WorkNotWork Show was Mark Langille, founder of Flitelab of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. With many

4 Essential Tools For Drone Photography Businesses

Running a drone photography businesses can be a rewarding and challenging profession. At HiFly Photography, we’ve learned that these tools are invaluable for growing and maintaining a drone photography company.   Skyward Project Management – Record Keeping Skyward is an all around operations management tool, that allows you to manage much of your day-to-day duties

Tracking Landmines with Drones in Bosnia Herzegovina

In May 2014, the worst flooding in the Balkans in 120 years caused massive damage and triggered landslides. In Bosnia Herzegovina these landslides and floods brought an additional danger with them: mines and other explosive remnants of war were dislodged and swept into inhabited areas – in some cases mines were moved by as much

7 Tips for Flying a Small Drone Outdoors

Last time, I gave you seven tips for flying a small drone indoors. This article is all about flying a small drone outdoors. Outdoor flight is much different than indoor. There are forces of nature at play, and you have a much larger space to fly your drone. Let’s break it down: 1) Fly in Moderate Conditions

SimActive Launches Subscription UAV Software

Montreal, Canada, October 11 th , 2016 – SimActive Inc., a world-leading developer of photogrammetry software, is pleased to announce a new subscription-based offering for Correlator3D™ UAV. The rental option allows users with a dynamic workload to access a high-end product at minimal cost. “Correlator3D™ UAV was developed for leading mapping firms, military and government organizations, with a constant

Stars in the Sky: Celebs with Drones

Social media have let us in on the lives of celebrities more than ever before. Celebs with millions of followers now have a chance to share their private lives, hobbies and interests more than ever before. With the commercial drone sector in the US projected to reach $5.1 billion in direct economic impact by 2025

7 Tips for Flying a Small Drone Indoors

Small drones are some of the funnest to fly. You can do acrobatic maneuvers, fly at fast speeds, and fly them indoors. But flying indoors comes with it’s own set of quirks. In this article, I’m going to give you seven tips for flying a small drone indoors. These tips will help you stay safe and maximize

A Design Tool for Everyone: USU Aerospace Engineer Creates Free 3-D Aircraft Design Software

News Release – LOGAN, UTAH, Oct. 6, 2016 – As interest in small autonomous aerial vehicles and their applications continues to expand, a Utah State University aerospace engineer is offering the public a free software tool that could revolutionize the drone industry. Doug Hunsaker, an assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at USU, is

DAT/EM Systems International INTERGEO Booth to Feature 3D Building Capture and UAV Technologies

Anchorage, Alaska, USA. October 6, 2016 – DAT/EM Systems International® will exhibit at this year’s INTERGEO® Conference in Hamburg, Germany with RhinoTerrain™ SARL, Pulse Aerospace and local partner DAT/EM Systems Europe. DAT/EM Systems and RhinoTerrain will offer software demos, and Pulse Aerospace will display their latest Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), the Vapor 55. DAT/EM Systems

The 5 Coolest Quadcopters of 2016 (So Far)

In recent years, the drone industry has exploded with some awesome new models capable of doing some amazing things. Luckily, this innovation has not slowed down in 2016. In fact, we have been introduced to some of the most technologically advanced drone models ever produced. In this article, I’m going to break down five of

Drone Company Ranking Q3 2016

Old and new leader of the drone company ranking is DJI (▷1). The Chinese platform manufacturer remains expanding both company portfolio and market presence. Toy manufacturer Parrot (▷2) defends rank two with solid distance to the newcomer Xiaomi on rank three. So far military manufacturers were not considered in the commercial drone company ranking. Since

Aerialtronics Commercial Drones Give IBM Watson Internet of Things a Bird’s Eye View

ARMONK, NY –4 October 2016: IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Aerialtronics, a Netherlands-based designer and producer of unmanned aircraft systems, today announced the first commercial drones featuring cognitive computing capabilities from the IBM Watson Internet of Things (IoT) Platform on IBM Cloud. Aerialtronics vehicles can provide high-quality inspection services for global organizations across multiple industries, from monitoring city traffic patterns to

Implications of the new FAA rules

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently announced its first official rules for commercial use of small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), or drones, as the rest of the world calls them. These guidelines were created to ensure safety between drones and other aircraft. The new rules, known as Part 107, also simplify the requirements businesses have to follow

How Cheap Drones Helped Create Maps After the Nepal Quake

Following a series of severe earthquakes in 2015, many communities in Nepal struggled to rebuild their homes and  lives. Aerial imagery can be helpful when planning post-disaster recovery activities, however people on the ground found that the quality of available satellite imagery was too low to be useful, especially given how densely built up Kathmandu

UAV sector shows pioneering spirit

INTERAERIAL SOLUTIONS presented by INTERGEO 2016 – the largest trade fair and communications platform for the manufacturers, service providers and users of drones in Europe – is drawing experts from industry, market research, law and science to a round table discussion to highlight the hottest topics in unmanned aerial systems (UAS). For starters, it’s most

Can a Drone Get the Mail?

In this new series we are testing the limits of our drones in the household. Is this the future?

App Roundup: The Top 3 Mobile Apps For Editing Your Drone Footage

In anticipation of the new wave of consumer drones that are about to hit the market (DJI’s Mavic and GoPro’s Karma), we wanted to review some of the best mobile apps that you can use to quickly edit and share your drone footage. Now you can spend less time thinking about your post-flow and spend

Artificial Intelligent drones unveiled by Aerialtronics, Neurala and NVIDIA

Amsterdam, September 29, 2016 – One of the world’s first automated inspections by an intelligent drone with deep learning capabilities was demonstrated at the GPU Technology Conference Europe today by Aerialtronics, a Dutch manufacturer of technologically advanced drones, Neurala, a pioneer in deep learning software, and NVIDIA®, the world leader in GPU-accelerated computing. This new

How Drones Helped Fight Tuberculosis in Papua New Guinea

Few areas in the world as hard to penetrate as the dense jungles of Papua New Guinea. Roads are difficult to navigate under the best of circumstances and become outright impassable during the rainy season. For people in need of medical assistance, these logistical challenges mean that they often get help later than necessary, which

Skysense Precision Landing now available

You’ve been asking for it… and now it’s here! Today We launch the Skysense Precision Landing. Your drone can now land fully autonomously on the Skysense Charging Pad, enabling you to run repetitive and on-demand drone inspections and surveys. Skysense Precision Landing relies on computer vision and gives extremely good results with a maximum error of less than 4 inches (10

Drones Help Stadium Networks Take Flight for Football Season

Tailgating, touchdowns, and… drones? We’re expanding our drone program to help put our networks to the test on the gridiron. We introduced the use of drones for cell tower inspections a few months ago. And just this last month we added a new wrinkle. We’re now testing drone use at stadiums to help improve our

The Different Drone Sizes and Their Uses

Drones come in all shapes and sizes. There are commercial drones, which are typically bigger and have more features, and there are hobbyist drones, which are typically smaller and meant for recreation. The size you get depends on what you want to use the drone for. But it doesn’t necessarily matter what type of pilot

DJI Mavic vs GoPro Karma

An in-depth comparison of the new DJI Mavic and the GoPro Karma.

The rise of the Drone Nomads

The last few days have seen some BIG announcements in the Drone world. One by the DJI and one by GoPro. Both the Mavic and the Karma focus on one thing and one thing only, making it easier than ever to take pictures and videos with a drone. I won’t go into the debate of which

GoPro Releases its very own Drone

For years, many drone pilots have affixed GoPro cameras to their drones. Soon, they’ll be able to fly a drone made entirely by the popular action camera company. GoPro on Monday unveiled its Karma drone, a project that had been previously announced several months ago. Not much was known before Monday about the design, specs

Should You Buy or Build Your First Drone?

So you want a drone. Perhaps you want to take to the air to catch some stunning photography? Or maybe you want to get into the drone racing scene? Or you might just want something to fly around! Whatever reason you are looking to buy your first drone for, you will doubtless have one question

The Ultimate Guide to Drone Photography

Drones are becoming increasingly popular. When referring to drones, you usually associate the name with remote control multi rotor devices, which are technically not drones. The name drone will forever be irrevocably linked with these small multi-rotor devices, so we’ll call them drones. Drones in recent years have become much more affordable, which gives you

Using Drones to Fight Flood Risks in Tanzania

With an estimated population of about 5 million and an annual growth of 8 per cent, Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, is Africa’s fastest growing city. Over 70 per cent of the people live in informal, unplanned settlements with inadequate infrastructure. In addition, heavy rainfalls twice a year result in significant flood risks. To reduce

Aerovinci Releases Hybrid, Self-docking Drone

Today Aerovinci released the prototype of its hybrid self-docking drone at DLD Tel Aviv Innovation Festival. Aerovinci’s drone will operate from a docking station (“DroneDock”) where it will be able to recharge, and store, process, and remit data. The drone is able to fly distances up to 22km depending on sensors, for a full flight time of

Aerial 360 Video with Drones and Ricoh THETA

I’ve been interested in the prospect of real-time, 360 FPV drone flying since I first saw someone flying a drone with a headset on San Bruno Mountain. That was years ago and, as far as I know, still nobody offers the experience I’m looking for. Queen B Robotics, out of Berkeley, lets you switch between several spherical cameras

Working Remotely: What to Know About Drones for Your Business

There’s never been a better time to become a pilot. A remote pilot, that is. According to the FAA, drones could create 100,000 U.S. jobs in the next 10 years and generate up to $9 billion in net social benefit. The FAA estimates more than 2.8 million drones will be purchased in 2016 alone, amounting to over

New hybrid drone debuts in Australia

Next week the TU Delft MAVlab will participate in Australia’s UAV Medical Express Challenge, where it will debut its new hybrid drone – the delftAcopter. The delftAcopter is a hybrid electric UAV with exceptional efficiency both in hovering and forward flight. It first takes off as a helicopter, before tilting 90 degrees and continuing flight

Who doesn’t want good Karma?

We’ve been waiting for this for a long time, and it’s now a little closer. GoPro’s new drone, Karma, will be available starting October 23. The creators of the now-ubiquitous action camera are sure to know what makes a good action drone, so we’re looking forward to see how it handles. Perhaps most intriguing to

360fly Partners with RaceRender To Offer First-of-its-Kind Telemetry Overlay For 360-Degree Video

ALISO VIEJO, CALIF. (September 20, 2016) – 360fly, Inc., maker of the category-leading, single-lens camera that captures stitchless 360-degree video, today announced a partnership and integration with RaceRender, an innovative overlaying software platform specializing in custom video data displays. The partnership enables the delivery of a first-of-its-kind 360-degree telemetry overlay video experience for 360fly® camera

What aid workers think about drones and how they want to use them

Over the next months, Droneblog will feature a series of case studies that show how drones are already being used in disaster response operations worldwide. The case studies were produced under the leadership of the Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD) and with funding from EU Humanitarian Aid. To kick-off the series, here are the

The best FREE Photography course ever

I got into photography from an early age and a bit more seriously when I started my first drone business a few years ago. I’ve got most of my knowledge from online resources and through experimentation, and I’m getting ok at it but there is still much much more to learn, as there always is.

SimActive Brings Picture-in-Picture 3D Viewing with Version 6.5

Montreal, Canada, September 20th, 2016 – SimActive Inc., a world-leading developer of photogrammetry software, is pleased to announce Correlator3D™ version 6.5 with a new picture-in- picture (PiP) feature. The PiP brings a 3D rendered view of projects through an inset window, visible at all times to streamline processing and editing (for a preview, please click here). The interactive viewing

8 Drones for Professional Aerial Videography Pilots

As drone technology gets more advanced, the price-to-features ratio of each model gets better and better. In other words, $800 will get you a lot more than it would have two years ago. This is excellent for anyone looking to get into professional drone videography or photography. It lowers the barrier to entry, to the

First Responder Drone Technologies

I am not a drone guy. I have never flown a drone. However, I am a technologist and system integration specialist with thirty years of military contracting experience including components for the F/A-18 and high speed coaxial RF switches, and a technology research and development professor. I was recently asked to visit a university and

More than 3,500 Commercial Drone Professionals from 54 countries Showcase UAV Market Growth at InterDrone 2016

MELVILLE, N.Y., September 19, 2016 — BZ Media LLC announced today that InterDrone™ The International Drone Conference & Exposition held at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas Sept 7-9 drew 3,518 attendees from 54 different countries on 6 continents. The event featured 155 exhibitors and sponsors in more than 230 booths. FAA Administrator Michael P.

Dronesmith now offers new DIY kit for drone developers

Take your Dronesmith skills to the next level for less than $500 with this fully hackable DIY drone kit. QL25 is meant to be used as a base kit in conjunction with our Dronesmith APIs for the development of IoT-enabled drone applications. Quickly prototype applications such as real-time thermal streaming using affordable hardware or develop an

Part 107 Rule a Significant Benefit to UAV Industry

According to the FAA’s Part 107, the authorized UAV operator, with his/her certification and checkups (every 24 months), stands as the legal entity as well as the official pilot that takes away the need for an additional observer in any UAV operation. The FAA intervention will save tens of thousands of dollars for many service providers in the

PRODRONE Releases the World’s First Dual Robot Arm Large-Format Drone

Prodrone Co., Ltd. is pleased to announce it has developed the PD6B-AW-ARM, a large-format drone equipped with two internally-developed robotic arms, enabling it to directly accomplish a variety of tasks. PRODRONE, headquartered in Nagoya, Japan, has developed a wide range of commercial and industrial drones through development agreements with numerous industrial drone companies. Up to

Drone Racing League (DRL) Announces U.S., International Broadcast Distribution with ESPN, Sky and ProSiebenSat.1

New York City (September 14, 2016) – The Drone Racing League (DRL), global leader of elite First Person View (FPV) drone racing, today announced key multi-year, international event and media distribution agreements with three world-renowned sports broadcast and media companies including ESPN (North, South and Central America and the Caribbean), Sky (UK and Ireland) and

Kittyhawk Launches Drone Fleet Management Android App

SAN FRANCISCO — September 14, 2016 — Kittyhawk, the drone fleet management company, is proud to announce the availability of its industry-leading platform on Android. Commercial drone operators can now use Android devices to easily adhere to the recently-introduced FAA Part 107 regulations, and benefit from the same pre-flight intelligence, post-flight insights and in-flight peace

Drone Businesses are Businesses first

So you’ve gone through all the learning and crashing, edited videos, built a website and might even have your drone license, all you need now is clients right? This is very often the path taken by new entrants to the drone services market and it is, unfortunately, flawed. If we rewind the clock back to

Who is Andre from Airstoc?

Hi Everyone! 🙂 I was really happy when the Droneblog asked me to write a regular column for them, but I thought on the first one I would tell you a bit about myself so you know where I’m coming from. I’m originally Portuguese but been living in the UK for longer than I can

A Flight Over Spain

Shot 100% in the skies of north eastern Spain, this video highlights the jaw dropping natural beauty of the Spanish countryside, alongside some of the rustic towns and villages common to this area.

FPV Racing: The Ultimate Guide

Drone racing is a sport on the up. But for those looking to get started, it can be incredibly daunting. There are so many drones out there – do you build your own? Buy one? Where can you meet people to race? What are the best kind of FPV Goggles? We get that it can be complicated.

New Anti-Drone Solution Coming Soon

While we here at Droneblog are unequivocally pro-drone, there are some legitimate concerns with the use of drones that warrant a little caution. For these concerns, there is an anti-drone solution that will soon hit the market: Skynet Anti-Drone System. Some examples of situations that warrant anti-drone measures include: cross-border drug smuggling, airport security, privacy,

The Democratization of Airspace

It’s a vision for reducing the carbon footprint of modern transport, from consumer goods to emergency medicine. Project Wing is building the next generation of automated aircraft and a new commerce system that opens up universal access to the sky. It is of course, drones that make this vision a near future reality.

The 5 Most Significant Developments in the Drone Industry This Year

  The commercial drone industry is growing so quickly that developments can be hard to keep track of. At the end of 2012, the very first Phantom drone was released. In response, drone producers started cranking out more ready-to-fly, consumer-friendly drones and fewer DIY drones. It’s now been 4 years, and the market has certainly

How to fix JELLO tutorial

Ever wondered how to deal with the jello effect in your drone filming? This short tutorial has some useful tips on getting clearer shots!

ABOVE BOULDER – 4K Drone Film

Fly over a Rocky Mountain college town known for its expansive views, hyper-active residents, socks in Chacos, and bikes more expensive than the cars they’re carried on. I had a week near the end of my summer to showcase my hometown from a fresh perspective using my Phantom drone. Early mornings and sweaty hikes provided

FPV Drone Racing vs. FPV Freestyle

Drone Racing and FPV Freestyle are some of the fastest growing sports on the planet.  However, most people have no idea how either sport works because of the massive growth of the industry in just a few short years.  Top pilots from one year ago are now considered legends while some of the current leaders don’t even have a

WE CRASHED OUR DRONE! – VLOG #6

In this final installment of their six part vlog series, How to Race Drones, Mashable Creative Producer Sam Sheffer races at The Liberty Cup Drone Race in Jersey City, NJ. Subscribe to Mashable http://on.mash.to/subscribe

U.T.SEC – Unmanned Technologies & Security: Ready for take-off!

The U.T.SEC, Unmanned Technologies & Security – Expo & Conference, which is to be held at the Nuremberg Exhibition Centre on 2 – 3 March 2017, is the first trade fair devoted to every aspect of drones. The event will focus on the technical possibilities for increasing security through the deployment of unmanned systems in

Win an OSMO Mobile with your best Drone Shot

Airstoc.com is hosting a Best Drone Shot competition. Enter your awesome drone shots, and you could be the proud new owner of an OSMO Mobile! Here’s the scoop: Everyone has a favourite shot they’ve taken but the story behind it is rarely known. This competition is all about sharing that story. Entries must be videos

Need to Make a Drone Industry Announcement?

Drone Industry Insights, the leading drone market research company from Hamburg, Germany, made another great feature publicly available. From now on users of the drone/UAV community are able to make public announcements on the Drone Industry Insights homepage. “In order to support and accelerate the evolution of the drone industry it is essential to bring

Win up to $10,000 in prizes in FRiFF

The deadline to submit films to Flying Robot International Film Festival (FRiFF) is fast approaching. Click HERE to submit your reels, and use code FRiFF16TBD1 to get 30% off submission fees!   Need some inspiration? Click Here to watch to the winner of the ‘Cinematic Postcard’ category by Sebastian Woeber.   FRiFF is the first traveling international drone film

senseFly Launches Fixed-Wing Ag Drone

Swiss professional drone manufacturer, senseFly, has expanded its portfolio with the launch of the new eBee SQ fixed-wing agricultural drone. This cutting-edge unmanned aircraft system (UAS) is built for the Parrot Sequoia multispectral camera and can cover up to 10 times more ground than small quadcopter drones. The eBee SQ is an advanced agricultural system that takes professionals such as

DJI Launches OSMO MOBILE – Turn Your Smartphone into a Smart Motion Camera

BERLIN – September 1, 2016. DJI launched the OSMO MOBILE, which turns your smartphone into a smart motion camera, making every moment you shoot look smooth, professional and ready to share. Use it with the DJI GO app to automatically track your subject, capture stunning motion timelapses or even stream a moment live around the globe.

Norwegian Vacation Photos from Architectural Photographer Steve King

My girlfriend virtually insisted that we go to Norway, this past winter, to see the Northern Lights.   I have long been  fascinated by Norwegian Architecture, so I wholeheartedly agreed.   Two days before our trip, while doing some research, I found a blog post about Snorre Stinessen’s Sea Cabins.  When I texted Luiza the link,

New on the scene: Archos drone coming in October

A new contender for the hobby drone market will soon be entering the arena. Scheduled to release in October is the ARCHOS Drone. The ARCHOS Drone is lightweight and agile, making it a good option for beginning fliers. It can reach a max speed of 25km/h and can fly as high as 50 meters. The ARCHOS Drone is capable

Yuneec Unveils Compact, Easy-To- Use Ultra HD Flying Camera

ONTARIO, Calif. (August 30, 2016) — Yuneec International today announced the availability of the Breeze, creating an all-new mass consumer category for the brand. The Breeze, the ultimate flying camera, is controlled via mobile device, has five easy-to- use flights modes and is able to seamlessly share to social media channels. The Breeze is now available at a suggested

Drone Fleet Management Startup Releases Software to Synchronize Drone Teams and Businesses

PASADENA, CA. – 08/29/2016 (PRESS RELEASE JET) — NVdrones, a start-up that provides cloud-based software solutions for drone fleet management, today launched its mobile application, NVDash, that promises to bring drone management into the digital age. New commercial drone regulations, titled Part 107, are effective as of today. With the new regulations many expect a massive increase

Drones Are Revolutionizing Healthcare In Madagascar

Due to the continued use of drone strikes by the military, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are often associated more with ending lives than saving them. That’s a trend researchers at Stony Brook University want to help reverse. Working with medical drone manufacturer Vayu, they’ve been developing tools for use in rural Madagascar: using UAVs to

Passing the FAA Knowledge Test

Part 107 goes into effect on August 29, establishing the first national, uniform regulations for commercial operation of unmanned aircraft systems under 55 pounds. Anyone looking to fly commercially will have to obtain a remote pilot certificate by passing the FAA aeronautical knowledge test. Feeling unprepared? Don’t worry! We’ve got everything you need to know to pass with

(How to) Build A Racing Quad That Flies 70mph – VLOG #5

The sport of drone quad racing is quickly growing from DIY hobby to full-fledged competitive sport. Unlike off-the-shelf drones like DJI’s Phantom series, the racing drones are quadcopters (hence, “quad” racing), generally hand-built and fully customizable. In a multi-part video series, Mashable Creative Producer Sam Sheffer explores what it takes to build, race and compete

Drone Rental Site Goes Live Today in Chicago

A new drone rental service called Up Sonder goes live today in Chicago. Up Sonder is starting out by spreading the word in the drone community in Chicago looking for drone owners interested in renting out their drones or drone services to list on the marketplace. The service will soon be available in three cities (Chicago, San Francisco, New York). Here’s a

Snakes on a Drone: Python Takes to the Sky

Drones are making a push to become a major piece of hardware for solution providers. They’re currently used for mapping, search and rescue, and even surveying and managing invasive species. When you combine their commercial applications with hobbyist enthusiasm, you get some pretty impressive numbers. The FAA recently lifted their application procedure for running a drone business, a

6 Best Small Business Ideas for Drones

In recent years, the use of drones has been a hot topic in every industry. Every big business is trying to come up with innovative ways to use drones as a way of reducing cost. The truth is that the use of drones has gained massive popularity in the US and across the world. With

Changes to US Drone Law Coming Soon

This video and infographic created by Airstocpilots.com show the changes that are coming soon to US Drone Laws, and the implications for drone pilots, both hobby and commercial.  

International Drone Expo Announces All-New and Upgraded Activations for December Show in Los Angeles

Los Angeles, Calif. – (August 19, 2016) – International Drone Expo (IDE) today announced its all-new and upgraded show activations for 2016. IDE, the largest gathering of the most innovative and leading members of the UAV community from around the globe, will host its first annual Drone Race Cup, a pitchfest competition and film showcase. The third annual

CNN Launches Drone Journalism Department – CNN Air

Might be time to get used to reporter drones In the latest expansion of drone journalism, CNN has officially launched a team dedicated to flying drones, which consists of two full-time unmanned aerial systems (UAS) pilots. “CNN’s cutting-edge development of technology to enhance the way we tell stories is a part of our DNA,” said

Study up for the New Small Drone Rule

A new world of opportunities for drone operators opens next week on August 29 when the new small drone rule for non-hobbyists becomes effective. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) wants to make sure you have the information you’ll need to take advantage of those opportunities. Aeronautical Knowledge Test One very important step you have to

Little Arms Studios Launches the Drone Simulator Zephyr Beta

August 11, 2016 – Prince William County, Va. – August 1st marks the beta release of Zephyr, a drone training simulator that is uniquely designed for drone training and education developed by Little Arms Studios. The intent of Zephyr is to be the drone operator training tool educators want, combining accurate flight models and physics with a built

A Tiny Camera on a Tiny Drone – The Tiny Whoop – VLOG #4

New vlog series, How to Race Drones, features Mashable Creative Producer Sam Sheffer diving into the growing world of drone racing as he prepares to compete in the Liberty Cup drone race. Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday: http://on.mash.to/subscribe

The AirMap Platform is Here

On Friday, August 12, AirMap officially launched the AirMap Platform for anyone who wants to build software for drones, apps, and web. Drone manufacturers and app developers can now integrate AirMap’s best-in-class airspace information and services into their products. More than sixty developers from all over the country joined us at our offices in Santa

Tethered drone could fly ‘forever’

(Reuters) – An unmanned aircraft system (UAS) developed by engineers from the University of Southampton uses a powered tether to provide unlimited flight time for drones. The developers say it could offer a more cost-effective solution for aerial monitoring and surveillance than other options on the market. The tethered drone system was a collaboration between

Aericam developing transforming drone

Aericam, maker of Idolcam, the worlds’ first gimbal stabilized action camera, is currently at work on a transforming drone prototype. The Idolcam, which is now available for preorder on Indiegogo, is a compact, easily portable action cam that allows for smooth, cinematic quality video. The Idolcam boasts a robotic lens, that can be controlled with

Coalition Announces Launch of Commercial Drone Operator Directory

The Coalition has just announced the launch of commercialdrones.proven.cc, a directory of authorized commercial drone operators in the United States. The directory was established by Proven, a data-driven platform developed to provide verified information and reviews of consumer products and services. The launch of commercialdrones.proven.cc comes in anticipation of the FAA’s Final Small UAS Rule implementation,

Zenmuse Z3 Unboxing And First Flight – Intro to DJI’s zoom camera by Heliguy

Heliguy shares a brief intro to the Zenmuse Z3 Camera now available from DJI. Get a peek at what’s in the box, how to mount the camera and gimbal, and the high quality video capabilities.  

New FAA drone rules could boost commercial use

On a cloudy summer morning, Rochester Institute of Technology professor Carl Salvaggio and a student from the school’s Center for Imaging Science stood in an open Pittsford field, eyes fixed on the sky. They were flying an unmanned aircraft system — also known as a drone — with the help of a longtime pilot. The

THE SOURCE: An East Europe Travel Story

Two California compadres believe The Source resides somewhere in Eastern Europe, and once located, they can break free from their daily cycles of routine and familiarity. Preston Clarington and Douglas Gimbal travel 2,500 miles in 9 countries over 20 days to find it, and it’s not what they expected. This is a travel film masked

FIRST TIME FLYING A DRONE – VLOG #3

Vlog series, How to Race Drones, features Mashable Creative Producer Sam Sheffer diving into the growing world of drone racing as he prepares to compete in the Liberty Cup drone race. Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday: http://on.mash.to/subscribe In this third episode, Sheffer flies a real drone for the first time. Watch Vlog #1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeJTM…

Startup Equips Police With Drone Air-Traffic System

An Arizona-based startup is equipping a local police department with a unique air-traffic control system for its future drone fleet. Drone Control Systems recently signed an agreement with the Sahuarita Police Department to deploy the company’s Local Area Drone Dispatch and Authorization System software and hardware solution. “[LADDAS] provides near real-time data via private and secure

Results: the 2016 U.S. National Drone Racing Championships Presented by GoPro

New York, NY (August 7, 2016) – Drone Sports Association (DSA), the leading global drone racing and drone sports entertainment company, today crowned Zachry “A_Nub” Thayer the 2016 U.S. National Drone Racing Champion. Presented by GoPro, the race took place in front of thousands of spectators on Governors Island, New York. The 2016 U.S. National

LiPo vs. Intelligent: Which battery is best?

What is LiPo? We hear the term LiPo so often nowadays we know it refers to batteries widely used almost everywhere: power tools, RC models, toys, and even cars. But what exactly are they? The commonly used LiPo batteries are made of Lithium based electrode and liquid or gel electrolyte in a polymer case. The

Yuneec Releases First Person View Headset for Immersive Flying Experience

ONTARIO, Calif. (August 4, 2016) — Yuneec International today announced the availability of its all-new SkyView first person view headset. As the world leader in electric aviation, Yuneec is the first major consumer drone manufacturer to offer its own FPV headset that allows users to operate via the onboard camera, watch movies, and play video games, among

British Airways Launch the i360 with Global Drone Footage

Today, 4th August 2016, British Airways are officially opening the world’s tallest moving observation tower in the world. From the same team team that designed the famous London Eye, guests who take a ‘flight’ on the i360 will be treated to a 450 feet high and 360 degree spectacular view of Brighton and the coastline

The Weather Company Enters Drone Space with AirMap Deal

  Today, The Weather Company, an IBM Business, announced that it’s working with AirMap to deliver real-time hyperlocal weather data directly to drone operators. The deal marks the company’s first in the drone space. A little over a month ago, the FAA finalized Part 107 for small Unmanned Aircraft System to provide the first national,

160 Commercial Drone Companies to Showcase Latest UAV Technology at InterDrone

MELVILLE, N.Y., August 1, 2016 — BZ Media LLC today unveiled the exhibition component of the industry’s largest dedicated commercial UAV show, InterDrone. More than 130 exhibitors have already signed up and another 30 are expected before the show opens its doors September 7-9 at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas. The exhibition will be

QuadRKT – The future of drone racing

  The QuadRKT family of aircraft began life as a technology demonstrator named the XQ-139 developed under the University of Kansas Transportation Research Institute (KUTRI) between 2010 and 2014. The (then) institute director Dr. Robert Honea (now Edissey Chairman) funded research on revolutionary new technologies including new aircraft technologies. The platform design was originally conceived

Mine-hunting drone could make the world a safer place

Designer and entrepreneur Massoud Hassani hopes to rid the planet of its estimated 100 million buried land mines within 10 years. That’s why several years ago, he developed the Mine Kafon – a device that rolls across minefields like a tumbleweed, tripping mines as it goes. While it’s a clever idea, he still wanted something

Drone Mapping Software Provider Pix4D Elevates Agriculture Software to Desktop & Cloud Solution, Launches Flexible Monthly Rental Option at InfoAg

August 2, 2016. Today Pix4D announces its first hybrid processing solution: this week, users of Sequoia with a license of Pix4Dmapper Ag will be able to process both locally in Pix4Dmapper Ag and on the Pix4Dcloud. Together with this announcement, Pix4D also introduces very flexible monthly (149 USD) and yearly (1490 USD) plans for its Pix4Dmapper Ag solutions. This

DJI Opens Its First Drone Arena in Korea

DJI, the world’s leading maker of unmanned aerial vehicles, will open a DJI Arena in Korea, providing a safe and enjoyable environment for customers to learn how to fly a drone and a gathering place for aerial enthusiasts. The 1,395-square-meter arena is located in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, 49 kilometers south of Seoul, and will open

Facebook’s Giant Internet-Beaming Solar Drone Takes Off

Facebook says it has successfully run the first test flight for its solar-powered, pilotless airplane that it plans to use to beam wireless internet to remote parts of the world. The 90-minute flight lasted three times longer than planned, the company said in a post Thursday on its website, during which the aircraft, named Aquila, remained at

7-Eleven Performs First Drone Home Delivery

7‑Eleven, the world’s largest convenience retailer, and Flirtey, a leading independent drone delivery service, announced they have completed the first fully autonomous drone delivery to a customer’s residence to advance research toward integrating drones into the National Airspace System. This delivery is the first time a U.S. customer has received a package to their home

The Age of Drones Expo

The emergence of pilotless aircraft in Filming & Photography provides cutting-edge solutions for realization of creative ideas of film directors, saves money and does filmmaking process safer. Therefore, this autumn Events International, the organizer of B2B and B2C global conferences and exhibitions, following the latest world trends, arranges The First International Age of Drones Expo

Drone Market Environment Map 2016

Last year we published the initial Drone Market Environment Map and it was so successful that we updated and enlarged it to visualize the current evolutionary stage. This map provides the most comprehensive picture of the global drone ecosystem, making the drone market more transparent and accessible for prospective customer, investors and newbies.   Diversity

Lehmann Aviation redefines mapping drones with the brand-new L-A Series

PARIS — July 26, 2016 — Lehmann Aviation (http://ift.tt/14ipQow) announced launch of a totally new L-A Series line of professional mapping drones for operators around the world. Lehmann Aviation also shared new features from the all new OperationCenter v2, the most advanced Drone Management System. The new ground-breaking L-A Series is comprised of three fully

Using UAVS to stop palm oil causing deforestation in rain forests

A look around the UAS boom industry at interaerial SOLUTIONS

Karlsruhe, Hamburg 25 July 2016 | The new sector for hardware and software manufacturers and service providers in the UAS industry is incredibly dynamic. As part of INTERGEO in Hamburg from 11 to 13 October, interaerial SOLUTIONS will be showcasing the legal frameworks, new areas of application, growing safety concepts and much more. “The geoindustry

How to Shoot the Perfect Drone Fly-by Video

Fly-by drone shots are used in everything from television to cinema and music videos. They are best utilized as a way to show viewers the geographical location of an object or landscape, and to highlight its scale in comparison. In this post, you’ll learn some of the best ways to produce stunning fly-over drone footage.

The Hover Camera Will Follow You Around and Record Your Entire Life

The selfie drone concept has had a lot of buzz lately, and if you’re trying to figure out which one is right for you, it can be a little overwhelming with so many vastly different options popping up. Mashable recently reviewed one of the options, the Hover Camera. Enclosed in a rigid, lightweight carbon fiber

Amazon Patents Method for Delivery Drone Recharging Stations

Reminiscent of the days when automobiles were a recent invention and gas stations began popping up all around the country to supply fuel, we may soon be seeing “drone docking stations” or “birdhouses” appearing on streetlights, cell towers and church steeples if Amazon’s latest patent becomes a reality. Patent 9,387,928 B1, which was filed with

Google News Lab Sponsoring the Drone Journalism Boot Camp

Plans for the Drone Journalism Boot Camp are coming together at light speed. One big one: It’s now the Drone Journalism Boot Camp @ UNL powered by the Google News Lab. The News Lab has been a terrific supporter of the Drone Lab and they’re now sponsoring the boot camp, which has opened the door

These amazing Star Wars drones let you battle with the Millennium Falcon

The Millennium Falcon may have an iconic shape, but it was never designed to fly. That is, until toy makers Propel got their hands on it, and turned it — along with three other classic Star Wars ships — into some of the most straightforwardly fun quadcopters I’ve ever played with. “It’s basically a Frisbee,”

Skysense Charging Pad cloud-edition now available

You’ve been asking for it… and now it’s here! The cloud-managed Skysense Charging Pad is out of Beta and available to the public. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to autonomously charge your drone and monitor the status of your charging pad. Simply connect the pad to your socket wall and router, install the

How to race drones – VLOG #1

A new vlog series, How to Race Drones, features Mashable Creative Producer Sam Sheffer diving into the growing world of drone racing as he prepares to compete in the Liberty Cup drone race on July 30. Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday: http://on.mash.to/subscribe

World’s Fastest Production Drone Released Today – Interview with George Matus

There’s a new player in the game of racing drone manufacturers. Meet Teal, just announced and released today. Designed and created by kid George Matus, Teal boasts of being the world’s fastest production drone right out of the box, with unbeatable wind resistance. When we got a tip on this hot new item, of course

Selfie drones: Future of the selfie or more trouble than they’re worth?

How many times has this happened to you? You and your friends are hanging out, having a grand old time. You decide that you need to capture this moment so you can share it with the world, and also you want it to look like you’re walking an invisible robo-bird on a stick. So naturally

Now you can create your own drone show with the Drone Dance Controller

RIGA, LATVIA – As the popularity and availability of drones increases so do the ideas for applications. One such application is the use of drones for entertainment shows. While flying a pack of drones with synchronized moves in the air is no easy task, it can produce a truly stunning view, especially if the drones

Drones + Peanut Butter = Clever Plan to Help Endangered Ferrets

There has been chatter lately about the possibility of using drones to deliver food, and I for one sure wouldn’t mind having drones deliver tasty peanut butter snacks. This is just what the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service is proposing, (Yay!) only these snacks won’t be delivered to people (Bummer!) Actually, this peanut butter delivery

Norwegian Fernweh

While on assignment for #DroneNorway Daniel Haussmann made this awesome compilation of his favorite shots in one short film. Check it out and see if you don’t start itching for your own trip to Norway.

Blackmagic Ursa Mini 4.6k & DJI Inspire X5R reveal the Midway in a brand new way

The midway like you’ve never seen it before!  Gary Yost captures the pure exuberant joy of being at the Marin County Fair on July 4, 2016. One of the most classic Americana icons, seen in an entirely new way. Shot entirely in 4.6k and 4k raw mode using two very new and advanced cinema cameras, the

Parrot releases the Sequoia multispectral camera for agriculture and field research

Parrot has announced the official launch of the new Parrot Sequoia multispectral camera. The Sequoia is immediately compatible with the Sensefly eBee, but it can also fit on just about any other drone (including multi-rotors) using just a standard GoPro-size mount. It’s available now on the Parrot website. The Parrot Sequoia is one of the smallest and

Drones Taking AT&T Network to New Heights

Imagine you’re at a concert watching your favorite band, and out of the corner of your eye you notice a tethered drone hovering nearby. But this drone isn’t taking photos or videos of the band.  It’s temporarily providing enhanced LTE wireless coverage at the packed venue so you, along with thousands of others in attendance,

Rihanna Music Video Features Otherworldly Drone Shots

Los Angeles-based Wild Rabbit Aerial Productions filmed all the aerial shots featured in the music video. Quite obviously, drones are essential in telling the “Sledgehammer” story. “It’s one of the coolest projects that we’ve worked on,” says Drew Roberts, CEO and founder of Wild Rabbit, as well as drone pilot for “Sledgehammer”. “Sledgehammer” was shot at the

Drone Journalism Boot Camp Coming at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

By Matthew Waite | So we’ve got Part 107 now. We know what the rules are going to be. The first major hurdle for journalists and journalism educators wanting to use a drone to do journalism will be passing the FAA’s test to get certified. We can help. We’re having a boot camp here at the Harvard of

You Can Now Buy a Medium-Format Camera Drone from DJI and Hasselblad

The cameras attached to drones, whether they’re proprietary models or simply GoPro cameras, have gotten pretty good. However, if you really want to push the boundaries on unmanned aerial photography (and your shoot budget), then medium format is the way to go. Drone-maker DJI owns a minority stake in the Hasselblad Group and now the two

Amazing Drone Video Shot at a Wedding Ceremony

by Alex Cooke This is by far one of the most gorgeous drone videos I’ve ever seen. Shot in California by Adam Rubin of Kaveret, its elegance and narrative beauty make it stand far above the crowded playing field. Though drones are primarily used for landscape and cityscape photography, I’ve begun to see them slowly make

UAV Mapping & Surveying Workshop by Pix4D to Kick Off InterDrone

MELVILLE, N.Y., July 12, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BZ Media LLC today announced that Pix4D would be bringing a half-day technical workshop to the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas on September 6 to help educate and train professionals in the use of drones for mapping and surveying. InterDrone is being held September 7-9 and expects

Small Drone Operators, Big-Time Jobs: LIFT’s Network in Action

by Rebecca Wilson, Skyward — Over the past several months, hundreds of drone service providers have reached out to us for advice on marketing and gaining new customers. In fact, more than a third of drone entrepreneurs told us that marketing is their biggest business challenge. We decided to tackle this issue head on. First,

Lofoten, Where the Sun Never Sets

Theo Gove-Humphries recently spent a week in the Lofoten Islands, Norway and shot a short film with a Phantom 4.  It was filmed over one week in June 2016, across the beautiful Lofoten Islands, where the sun never sets and 24 hour daylight illuminates the landscape. Lofoten is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county

How to fly a drone like a pro: 8 tips for beginners

So you’ve decided to buy your first unmanned aerial vehicle. You’re in good company. There’s no better time to jump on the drone bandwagon; UAVs are cheaper, more advanced, and more varied in model and design than ever. The Federal Aviation Administration predicted that sales of drones will jump from 2.5 million this year to

How Drones are Feeding the World — and Disrupting Agriculture

DJI’s drone technology is expected to provide more sustainable farming practices while increasing yields through projects including crop-stress monitoring, aerial imaging and precision spraying. “Our partnership with Kansas State University is helping educators, students and researchers develop more sustainable practices that increase yields in agriculture,” said Romeo Durscher, DJI director of education. “We’re proud to part

The Truth about Drones in Construction and Inspection

We have just released a new research study titled “The Truth about Drones in Construction and Infrastructure Inspection.” The free report is the second in series of studies sponsored by BZ Media that looks objectively at each major commercial market for drones and drone technology. In the report, we show how drones have been used successfully in construction

Never Lose Your Drone Again – Interview with Trackimo

There’s no bigger bummer than losing that new drone you just bought. With Trackimo, you now have a way to track where the drone ended up when it went spinning off crazily (of course through no fault of your own). We interviewed Trackimo to find out more of the story behind the product and how

The Drone Business Development Guide 2016

Get it right from the start – How to start commercial drone operation. Everyone is doing something with drones today. If you want to check out what could be in it for you, this article is a must-have! Here you will find what’s happening today, what’s out there, what’s necessary and last but not least,

Affordable personal aircraft coming soon – Interview with Airvinci

I recently got a tip about a really cool project to create an affordable and easy to use personal aircraft. Of course I wanted to find out more, so I contacted Airvinci, the company behind the project, to find out more. What they shared with me makes it look like the future of personal transportation

Iconic Frankfurt skyline – the latest from Lumen Art Studio

The city of Frankfurt has Germany’s most iconic Skyline. This is a compilation of drone film artist Daniel Haussman’s favorite aerial images, captured by drone and plane over the course of 10 months. All drone shots captured with permission from the city of Frankfurt and the respective building owners where necessary. Follow Haussman: facebook: http://ift.tt/1P7MNvF 500px: http://ift.tt/1d5u0W7

Revolutionary KIMON Selfie Drone-Flying Camera

Recently, the KIMON selfie drone launched by Keyshare Information Technology, the Hunan-based Chinese company, on the JD.com Crowdfunding Platform has attracted great attention. Many are wondering why KIMON has won so much support, but many more are beginning to take an interest in the rising selfie drone industry, which is the result of applying high technology in people’s everyday

8 Exciting FPV Drone Racing Videos

More and more pilots are starting to pick up FPV drone racing. It combines the excitement of racing sports with the immersive aspect of video games. Customizing your quad also strengthens your attachment to it. If you haven’t seen drone racing in action before or you’re looking for some exciting videos, I’ve listed a few

3DR Announces Investment from Autodesk

3DR announces investment from Autodesk® to continue the development of Site Scan™, the Premier Aerial Data Capture and Analytics Platform. Last week, during the first Autodesk Forge conference, we announced that 3DR received an important investment from Autodesk, makers of powerful and popular desktop software programs used by top construction, engineering, and surveying firms around

Typhoon H PRO equipped with Intel RealSense Technology

Most recently demonstrated live at CES Asia, Intel RealSense Technology enables Typhoon H by Yuneec to fly autonomously, intelligently navigating around objects, taking safety and customers’ creative options to the next level. This video illustrates those capabilities, and hi-res images of the H equipped with Intel RealSense Technology. Learn more at: Twitter: @YuneecAviation; @intel Facebook: /YuneecAPV; /Intel Instagram: @yuneecapv; @Intel

Pix4D Responds to Growing Number of Drone Professionals with Global Workshop Launch

With the formalization of the most important regulation for the US drone industry and an increasing number of professionals worldwide using drones and photogrammetry in their business, there’s a greater need for training on how to maximize usage. How does the technology work, and what is the optimal workflow for using these tools to map, measure, inspect and

New FAA regulations will create new opportunities for commercial drone use

WASHINGTON – The Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration has finalized the first operational rules (PDF) for routine commercial use of small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS or “drones”), opening pathways towards fully integrating UAS into the nation’s airspace. These new regulations work to harness new innovations safely, to spur job growth, advance critical scientific research and save

Drone Data Sparks a New Industrial Revolution

Businesses are learning that sometimes the best way to boost the bottom line is by reaching for the sky. Commercial drone usage across a wide variety of industries is exploding as businesses take advantage of rapidly advancing technology and falling hardware prices to incorporate the technology into their work flow. “Incorporation of commercial drones is going

Which Selfie Drone will rise to the top?

With Zero Zero Robotic’s Hover camera going viral with the aid of WeChat’s friend circle (WeChat is now one of China’s most popular smartphone social networking apps), the selfie drone is once again under the spotlight. But after the complete failure of Zana and the repeatedly delayed launches of Lily – both developed by Lenovo –

Airobotics Raises $28.5M to Pursue Autonomous Drone Platforms

Drones have numerous applications in security, inspection, and other major roles at industrial facilities, but in many cases manual control is still the standard. Tel Aviv-basedAirobotics aims to automate the process as an alternative to costly and involved human pilots, and has raised $28.5 million to do so. The company’s solution is to provide hardware

Leaked: Summary Of New FAA Commercial Drone Rules

UPDATE:  FAA has shut down websites that linked to commercial drone rule and test summaries.  But here is a link to the FAA’s summary and a link to the screenshot of the FAA’s commercial drone test for current manned aircraft pilots. The commercial drone world has been waiting for many months – years even – for

New leader emerges for the TOP20 Drone Company Ranking

There is a new leader of the TOP20 Drone Company Ranking – DJI (△+1) is in the lead with narrow margin to Parrot (▽-1). The eternal battle of the two giants for the first time turned towards the Chinese drone manufacturer. Reasons for that are the strong global expansion (partnerships with Apple, Lufthansa, etc.) the

Seoul designates new park for drone-flying

Drone flights are strictly regulated in Seoul, but now the city government has allocated 27,000 sq m (290,000 sq ft) of land flanking the Han river for the new park, Yonhap news agency reports. The site, in the city’s east, will be available from 25 June and will include an information centre providing advice on

Age of Drones Expo is coming: 14-15 Oct. in Hamburg, Germany (updated location)

14-15 October 2016 Hamburg, Germany will host the first Specialized Exhibition and Conference Age of Drones. The show will gather worldwide companies from the entire Drone supply chain with customers and end-users in Schuppen 52 Hamburg Expo Center. The emergence of pilotless aircraft in Filming & Photography provides cutting-edge solutions for the realization of creative ideas of film

Newly released FlyPro XEagle drone operated by Smartwatch

This next-generation drone incorporates advanced signaling and expert robotics to deliver a highly accurate, one-of-a-kind product. The XEagle’s unique features revolve around the XEagle Smartwatch which can control the drone entirely.   With XEagle’s ultra-stable 2.8K Gimbal camera and intuitive usability and quick reactions, this drone is ideal for sport-videoing and other high-energy activities. The precise auto follow functions allow for directed imaging and ensures that you never miss a frame.  

Maersk Tankers – Flown out by drone

Drones could cut time and costs for deliveries and inspections across the Maersk Group – but they must be reliable and absolutely safe. Maersk Tankers is testing delivery to vessels on drones that have been certified for explosive environments.

How to Choose a Camera for Your Quadcopter

For many pilots, successfully building, sourcing and flying a drone has required more than a knowledge of aeronautics. As many current applications of UAS technology rely heavily on imaging devices, a solid understanding of the principles of photography goes a long way toward creating a successful flight experience. After you have a strong grasp of

Automated Charging Stations Enable Continuous UAS Deployment & Monitoring

Drones are already making headlines about how they can dramatically cut costs for one-off inspections. Replacing $2000/hr helicopter surveys, accessing hard to reach areas, inspecting hazardous locations or rapidly surveying large areas have all provided huge time and cost savings through the use of drones. However, the cost of deploying 100 drones each with a

NEW DJI M600 DRONE

DJI has announced a number of new products over the last few months, including its next-gen drone the Matrice 600, its new handheld 3-axis gimbal the Ronin MX and a new follow focus simply named ‘Focus’. We thought it was ABOUT time we took a look at the company’s latest offerings. A six-rotor system next-gen drone, that features

How drone racing will drive innovation

Over the past 15 years, drones have progressed from laboratory demonstrations to widely available toys. Technological improvements have brought ever-smaller components required for flight stabilization and control, as well as significant improvements in battery technology. Capabilities once restricted to military vehicles are now found on toys that can be purchased at Wal-Mart. Small cameras and

This Startup Wants To Plant One Billion Trees a Year Using Drones

Deforestation downs 10 billion trees around the globe annually. Replanting trees by hand is slow, expensive, and barely puts a dent in reversing the damage. But one startup wants to use drones that can reforest our increasingly tree-strapped Earth, on a big enough scale to replace slow and expensive hired humans. The small company, called

World’s first passenger drone cleared for testing in Nevada

The world’s first passenger drone capable of autonomously carrying a person in the air for 23 minutes has been given clearance for testing in Nevada. Chinese firm Ehang, which unveiled the electric Ehang 184 passenger drone at CES in Las Vegas in January, has partnered with the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems (NIAS) and the

DJI Focus – A game changer for serious filmmakers?

Drone manufacturer DJI has announced the launch of the ‘Focus’, a wireless, handheld device that will give serious filmmakers a new level of flexibility when it comes to getting the perfect shot. It may not look like much, but this little device promises to put a lot of smiles on the faces of those who

Walmart is developing a drone

Walmart is getting into the drone game. Walmart’s VP of Emerging Sciences Shekar Natarajan demoed the retailer’s new technology to reporters from a Bentonville, Arkansas, distribution center on Thursday, on the eve of its annual shareholders meeting. The drone technology will be replacing the jobs of inventory quality assurance employees, cutting inventory checks across massive

“When you tell this bird to do something, it does it!”

Botlink was the first drone operations platform to incorporate airspace alerts, real-time manned aircraft advisories and a cellular connection that links drones to industry in real time. Now, we’ve taken all of those features and made them even better! The release of Botlink 2.0 brings an updated user interface that requires only a few taps

KIMON – Your Magic Selfie Drone

KIMON – an impressive selfie drone crowdfunding project – has recently launched on JD.com Finance, a subsidiary of China’s E-commerce giant JD.com, by Keyshare Information Technology, a company based on Hunan province in South Central China. The project has received wide attention and gone viral on Weibo, the leading Chinese microblogging website, and through WeChat, the most popular messaging

Watch Drone Drop a Soccer Ball 105 Feet

In an attempt organised by The Sun, multiple record-breaking freestyle footballer John Farnworth set a brand new record for the Highest soccer ball dropped and controlled, as he managed to successfully trap the ball after it fell from 105ft. The regulation size-5 soccer ball was released by a huge specially-designed drone, created by Batcam, which

Will drones ever become mass-market, must-have gadgets?

Xiaomi’s unveiling of its first, astonishingly cheap drone last week marked a symbolic milestone for the fledgling technology. In recent years, the Chinese electronics company’s entrance has signaled a new technology’s turn to the mass market. In 2011, “the Xiaomi effect” hit smartphones when the company took advantage of decreasing smartphone component costs to make

A Brief History of Drones

When it comes to “boys and their toys”, one the most impressive and controversial in recent years is the automated drone. In official circles these are known as UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicle) – or to the rest of us, the ‘flying robot’. What other toy could threaten the security of one of the world’s most

Munich Re Selects PrecisionHawk to Improve Post-Catastrophe Assessment Using Drone Technology

Munich Re, one of the world’s largest reinsurers, has partnered with PrecisionHawk, a global, drone data platform, to enhance insurance assessments worldwide by providing faster response times and increased reporting accuracy in the aftermath of a natural disaster. The partnership was recently exercised following the April earthquake in Ecuador, where PrecisionHawk collected drone imagery of the

Student designs drone that gives new meaning to the phrase ‘photo bomb’

Forget cats and dogs, a student at the Rochester Institute of Technology is making it rain photos. Visual media student Nicholas Kundrat installed a Fujifilm Instax camera onto a DJI Flame Wheel F450, creating a film and drone hybrid that actually allows unsuspecting subjects to see the images instantly – after they flutter down to the

Drone Racing May Soon Establish A Betting Market

We’ve written before about the growing potential of drone racing as the sport of the future, and with each passing day the words only seem to become truer. It’s not too often that an entirely new sport or competitive activity comes to light, and in this instance it’s picking up followers and competitors pretty rapidly.

On June 3-5, 2016, Drones Data X gathers industry leaders at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco

The commercial drone industry is just starting to take shape and has seen enormous growth in the last year alone. Drones are already helping change the way we work and live and are becoming a mainstream tool for consumers and businesses. But we’ve only begun to scratch the surface of possibilities. Companies like Google X

How to Fly a Drone Without Being a Jerk

Drones are a marvelous new consumer technology, allowing the average person to take aerial photographs, make highly accurate maps and models, and generally have a grand old time—after all, we’re talking about having your very own flying robot. But there is danger here: Because drones are so new, our society has yet to form rules

Oregon’s growing drone industry is finding business in surprising places

As a former helicopter pilot in the U.S. Army and then for Life Flight, nothing gets me more excited than aviation. And right now, there’s a lot to be excited about. Here, in the U.S., I’m confident that 2016 will go down in aviation and business history as the year drones became tools, not toys.

Xiaomi gives sneak peek of new drone release coming May 25

This short teaser video from Xiaomi has recently appeared online, showing their soon to be released first drone product. The video was first spotted on Chinese streaming site Youku. There’s not much to jump at here, though, if we’re getting an accurate sneak peek from Xiaomi’s teaser images. It looks like a pretty standard quadcopter, with the only interesting

Using UAVs in smart city construction

The notion of a truly smart city is a fashionable topic among governments of developed countries, and increasingly, developing countries too. Using sensors and real time monitoring systems,  it is possible to process and analyse data collected in real time to enhance quality, performance, and interactivity of urban services while reducing the costs and consumption, creating a

All Before Breakfast With Tyler Chorlton

Most people have a strict regime when it comes to breakfast. They may have cereal, toast, yoghurt or perhaps just a cup of tea or coffee. What would your routine be if you lived in the mountains and were faced with a bluebird sky? You’d surely head up on the first lift and get riding

Investment Trends of the Commercial UAV market

Although the commercial unmanned aviation industry is still in its infant days, the market already presented a diverse range of fantastic hardware, software and operational products. These prerequisites connected, especially in the last two years’, many accelerator, early stage and also later stage investment companies with the market. The investors strongly raised their portfolio by

The Complete Guide to Drones

The just-released book by Adam Juniper, The Complete Guide to Drones: Whatever your budget, true to its title, offers everything you need to know to get started in the world of drones. The book starts off with a brief overview of the history of drones, covering military drones, the influence of RC hobbyists, building and

LAST OF ITS KIND – Aerial journey to the melting glaciers

In early May I had the opportunity to go back to where my photography and film “career” began. When I was a teenager I got my first fixed lens film camera from my grandfather. During our holidays in Switzerland I practiced in the stunning landscapes of the Engadin. This time I go back to document

How to Get Started with Drone Racing

Drone racing is one of the hottest, new sports out there. The spectacle of hot-shot pilots sending powerful drones racing around a track is a great spectator sport, so it is no surprise that ESPN is planning to start broadcasting races soon. And it’s easy to get into: all you need is a drone and

Fast-Growing Dedrone Raises $10M Series A

Dedrone, developer of a market-leading civilian drone detection system, today announced that it has raised $10 million in Series A funding. The round was led by U.S.-investor Menlo Ventures, one of the world’s premier venture capital firms investing in consumer and enterprise technologies. Dedrone will use the fresh capital to accelerate the advancement and sophistication

$127bn Worth Of Human Labor & Services Could Be Replaced By Drones

[Ubergizmo] had previously reported how robots could replace human jobs one day. In fact it has been estimated that 5 million jobs could be replaced by robots in 2020. However it seems that not only do we have to worry about robots taking our jobs, but we will also now need to worry about drones

Making History: Ziplines Are Saving Lives with Drones

These Californians have invented life-saving drones that drop blood bags and medicine into remote areas. Are their Ziplines the future of healthcare in the developing world?

Drone Expert Eric Cheng Joins Drone360 Magazine as Editor-at-Large

Waukesha, WI – (May 13, 2016) – Eric Cheng, a UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) expert and an authority on drone video and photo, is joining Drone360 magazine as the Editor-at-Large. Cheng’s broad background combines a passion for photography with experience as a General Manager and Director of Aerial Photography for DJI, the leading manufacturer of

Acrophobia | Basejumping When You’re Afraid Of Heights

Acrophobia is about a BASE jumper that is afraid of heights. He has to overcome his deepest fear before every single jump. When it comes to BASE jumping and wingsuit flying, most people think about videos of daredevils risking their lives. Most actual BASE jumpers, however, see it differently. They are not crazy. For them,

Second Women in Drones Event Planned for InterDrone

MELVILLE, N.Y., May 12, 2016 — BZ Media LLC announced today the second Women in Drones Luncheon, a special networking event at InterDrone™ The International Drone Conference & Exposition being held September 7-9 at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas. Gretchen West, a Senior Advisor at Hogan Lovells US LLP and former executive at Drone Deploy and AUVSI,

Are flying robots the perfect co-workers?

The year is 2020. A group of warehouse workers are locking up for the weekend. As the lights go off, a swarm of buzzing drones fly into the darkness. Over the coming days, they will zoom up and down the aisles, updating the inventory for when their human colleagues return on Monday morning. This isn’t

Around The World With A Drone | An Unforgettable Journey

Having the opportunity to travel the world is a dream for most people. Imagine having a drone with you and being able to record every memory. The landscapes, the people, and the sports all create a journey never to forget. Check out this video, one of the latest entries from the drone festival “Rise of

Aerial video of rarely seen area near San Francisco

This video by Gary Yost premiered last week to a sold-out house at the Throckmorton Theater in Mill Valley as part of an event to raise awareness of the restoration of the old air force station on the top of Mt. Tamalpais near San Francisco. Yost has been working for almost 5 years promoting the

Ultra-portable, unbreakable: Diodon, the world’s first inflatable drone

Meet DIODON, the first inflatable drone. An inflatable drone comes with some undeniable advantages, as you can imagine. Here’s are the basics: Easy to carry – Deflated, the DIODON is small and fits in practically any bag Crash proof – The DIODON is inflatable, which makes it practical and crash proof Autonomous – The DIODON’s electronic system

Skycatch COMMANDER app makes mapping easy

I had the chance last weekend to test out the just-released Skycatch COMMANDER flight app for use with DJI drones. It’s billed as easy-to-use, and it most definitely lives up to that appellation. With just a few taps on the screen of your iPad or other device connected to the DJI remote control, the drone

First Age of Drone Expo to be held in Dortmund, Germany

This 7-8 October 2016 Dortmund, Germany will host the first Specialized Exhibition and Conference, Age of Drones. The show will gather worldwide companies from the entire Drone supply chain with customers and end-users in Westfalenhallen Dortmund Expo Center. The emergence of pilotless aircraft in Filming & Photography provides cutting-edge solutions for the realization of creative ideas of film directors,

International Drone Day

This weekend marks celebration of the second International Drone Day!  Public perceptions of drones have greatly shifted since last year.  A year ago many people were skeptical of drones, even wary, many likely convinced that if you were flying a drone, you were probably spying on somebody.  In response to this, the theme of last year’s

The magic of a drone: Showreel

Need some motivation to get out and fly your drone this weekend? This film by Kai Jonny Thue Venøy will definitely get you inspired! It was filmed with a DJI Phantom 2 (GoPro Black 3 and 4), DJI Phantom 3 Professional and DJI Phantom 4 in several locations: Norway: Åheim, Hoddevik, Strynsvatn, Røfsdalsnipa, Blæja, Kvandalseggja, Blåfjellet, Svolvær,

World’s First FPV Drone Race Set Against the NYC Skyline to be Held July 30-31, 2016

Following the success of the second New York City Drone Film Festival, Yeah Drones is announcing the Liberty Cup FPV Drone Race set for July 30/31. They have partnered with the Liberty Science Center to bring you a high octane combination of virtual reality, video gaming and STEM-education. Competitions will be held in MINIQUAD RACING

FlytOS: Operating System for Commercial Drones Now Open for Developers

Drones are beginning to play an increasingly important role in a variety of commercial applications, such as: agriculture, surveys, inspections and delivery. As these applications become increasingly complex, access to common building blocks that can be easily customized for each use-case becomes critical. NavStik Labs, based in Pune, India, is building an open platform to enable commercial drone makers

A Comprehensive Breakdown of the DJI Phantom 4: Features and Specs

  The decision to purchase a DJI Phantom is one of the great double-edged swords of the drone world. Being that DJI is a massive and well-respected company with extensive support and spare parts options, you can’t go wrong with your purchase, but the ever-growing list of options can leave a technophile pouring over every

Game fishing rises to new heights

Pioneering game fishing from the beach using innovative techniques from above. See how these fishermen use a drone to help land a fish from the beach.

Competition, co-creation accelerate in Week 2 of Airbus Cargo Drone Challenge

Our latest community challenge has gotten off to a fast start and is showing no signs of letting up anytime soon. The Airbus Cargo Drone Challenge is averaging eight entries per day since its April 12 kick off. That puts the Challenge on pace to reach 330 entries by the May 22 deadline, good for

Big data and drones team up to keep the lights on

Storm damage repairs and preventative maintenance on power lines and trees are two of the most important tasks utility companies take on, requiring a large amount of time and budget. Currently, ground crews inspect assets manually or via helicopter, and then based on their observations, they’ll identify areas that need attention. New technology on the

Paying to play in Las Vegas at NAB 2016

With so much to see and do in the city that never sleeps, the NAB Show adds another stop to the Vegas tour. The show’s tagline is “Where Content Comes to Life” and it certainly held up to that statement. Drones are as popular as ever and this year’s NAB wasn’t so much about new

Drone Insurance Coverage for Recreational and Commercial Use

If you’re thinking of (or already using) a drone for recreational or commercial use, then make sure you get drone insurance. If it causes property damage or bodily harm, you could be in a lot of trouble if you don’t have the right coverage. It’s almost happened. Last December, a World Cup skier narrowly escaped

5D Robotics Acquires Industrial Business and Assets of Aerial MOB, LLC

5D Robotics, Inc. has announced its acquisition of industrial assets and intellectual property of Aerial MOB, LLC (Aerial MOB). This acquisition has led to the formation of the 5D Aerial division. The division provides precise 3D mapping, photogrammetry, thermal and multi-spectral imagery data, empowering focused analytical solutions to vertical markets which include oil and gas, utilities,

EpicTV & DJI Announces Second Annual Rise Of The Drones Film Festival

EpicTV – in association with DJI, market leader in developing and manufacturing innovative drone technology – has today announced the launch of the 2nd edition of Film Festival Rise of the Drones, which aims to unearth the very best in aerially shot* adventure, outdoor and action sports from climbing, mountain biking, kayaking, skateboarding, skiing, BMXing and snowboarding films as well