US Coast Guard tests UAS-mounted ViDAR

US Coast Guard tests UAS-mounted ViDAR for search missions. Sentient, a developer of computer vision solutions, has announced the successful completion of its live demonstration of ViDAR with the US Coast Guard. The trial was conducted off Cape Cod, MA, over a week with a team from the USCG Research and Development Centre, Hood Technologies and TacAero. The demonstration highlighted ViDAR’s capability to find objects of interest at great distance, whilst searching over wide tracts of ocean from a small unmanned aircraft system (UAS).

http://www.unmannedsystemstechnology.com/2016/10/sentient-demonstrates-uas-mounted-vidar-to-us-coast-guard/

Drone photo helps rescue flood victim

Drone photo on Twitter helps rescue flood victim and dog halfway across country. Quavas Hart was sharing flood footage from his drone when it caught the eye of the brother of a veteran stranded in Hope Mills, N.C. - in the very house Hart filmed. Hart flagged a rescue crew, who then saved Chris Williams and his dog Lana. Hart became aware of the emergency only because Chris’s brother, who lives in Texas, noticed a photograph that Hart had tweeted.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/10/11/insane-drone-photo-on-twitter-help-rescue-flood-victim-and-dog-halfway-across-country/

New lithium metal batteries

New lithium metal batteries could make smartphones, drones, and electric cars last twice as long. SolidEnergy Systems has developed an “anode-free” lithium metal battery with several material advances that make it twice as energy-dense, yet just as safe and long-lasting as the lithium ion batteries used in smartphones, electric cars, wearables, drones, and other devices. The battery essentially swaps out a common battery anode material, graphite, for very thin, high-energy lithium-metal foil, which can hold more ions — and, therefore, provide more energy capacity.

http://news.mit.edu/2016/lithium-metal-batteries-double-power-consumer-electronics-0817

Use of photogrammetry or LiDAR for surveying/mapping via drone

Unmanned Systems Source has released an article designed to help surveyors decide when to use photogrammetry or LiDAR for surveying and mapping via drone. Drone technology has made a huge impact on aerial mapping and surveying. Drones offer many advantages including the ability to capture photos at predefined elevations and at a predetermined overlap percentage. Today, drones mounted with LiDAR systems can map these same areas quickly, affordably and with far less logistical issues.

http://www.unmannedsystemstechnology.com/2016/09/uss-compares-photogrammetry-and-lidar-for-aerial-mapping-via-drone/?utm_content=buffer915f6&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

First university-level UAV course

The University of Maine at Augusta will offer Maine’s first university-level unmanned aerial vehicle course starting in October, the school announced Tuesday. The seven-week program, which begins Oct. 27 at the school’s Augusta campus, will offer students a path to seek a Federal Aviation Administration remote pilot’s license. Tom Abbott, project manager for the small UAV pilot training center at UMA, said applications for unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, are growing and included business uses and search and rescue applications.

http://www.centralmaine.com/2016/09/27/uma-to-offer-drone-course-beginning-in-october/

Ancient cult site revealed with drones

Ancient Roman ruins that lie hidden below the surface at the Apennine Mountains of Italy have largely escaped discovery because the rugged terrain makes them difficult to spot by foot and dangerous to find by airplane. Using drones the archaeologists have found that an ancient settlement in the Apennines was much more dense and organized than previously thought, a new study reveals.

http://www.livescience.com/56186-drones-reveal-ancient-cult-site-italy.html

Drone racing takes to the Sky

Drone racing takes to the Sky with $1m investment. The satellite broadcaster is making the investment in the Drone Racing League (DRL) to bring competitive flying to its new Sky Sports Mix channel. The league specialises in "first person-view" drone racing, which features pilots flying custom drones through complex three-dimensional racecourses. One of the first events will be the DRL 2016 world championship.

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-37360753

ESPN have an agreement to broadcast the drone racing league

The Drone Racing League and ESPN have reached an agreement for the network to broadcast the first full season of the upstart organization, it was announced Wednesday. ESPN will air 10 one-hour episodes beginning with a viewer's guide to drone racing, airing Thursday night on ESPN2 and concluding with the DRL World Championship on Nov. 20. The elite pilots fly quadcopter drones at speeds of up to 120 miles per hour, with the goal of collecting the most points.

http://www.espn.com/moresports/story/_/id/17544727/drone-racing-league-espn-announce-broadcasting-agreement

Airshow plane crash in Germany

Fatal Germany airshow plane crash leaves two dead after aircraft collision. The pilots were operating a microlight and a glider respectively at an airshow in Erzgebirge, east Germany. Initial reports indicate that one of the aircrafts managed to land safely. The other aircraft crashed, reportedly killing a father and daughter.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/fatal-germany-airshow-plane-crash-8806612

Tropical storm caught with drones

NASA Spy Drone catches tropical storm turning into a hurricane. The surveillance drones, America’s largest, fly in the calmer altitudes of around 60,000 feet above the ground, where they can wait for over a day, cameras pointed down, watching. The same characteristics that make a Global Hawk a useful tool of war against insurgents also lend its power as a storm watcher. NASA has a Global Hawk, painted bright white and not Air Force gray--and last week it flew over a tropical storm Gaston, determining it was, in fact, a hurricane.

http://www.popsci.com/global-hawk-catches-tropical-storm-turning-into-hurricane?con=TrueAnthem&dom=tw&src=SOC&utm_campaign=&utm_content=57c6111d04d3013728c292d4&utm_medium=&utm_source=

How drones are revolutionizing environmental science

How drones are revolutionizing environmental science

Drones are revolutionizing research - and shares stunning aerial photos. They take pictures and video footage in remote places from above, providing their operator with a stunning view. Karen Joyce, an environmental scientist at James Cook University in Cairns, Australia, is using the drones to discover the marine ecosystem of the Great Barrier Reef. DW asked her to explain how the flying robots revolutionized her work.

http://www.dw.com/en/how-drones-are-revolutionizing-environmental-science/a-19515857

Drone race for dollars

Dozens of pilots, many of whom have been racing quadcopters and flying wings for just a year or two, tested their skills against one another on a twisting obstacle course built on Governors Island in New York to decide who is the fastest drone pilot in the country. A $50,000 purse was up for grabs at the 2016 U.S. National Drone Racing Championships. This was officially the second national championships in drone racing and was held on the first weekend in August. Dozens of competitors, hundreds of spectators, and a potential audience of thousands watching then or later via internet took it all in.

https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2016/august/25/drones-race-for-dollars

Pentagon report details military UAVs

Pentagon report details military UAVs, future of AI warfare. The United States needs to prepare for artificial intelligence in warfare. The report operated under the idea that autonomous weapons capabilities were going to be developed eventually, and that the United States needs to avoid an AI Cold War. There is a recommendation for a “minefield of autonomous lethal UAVs,” which could prevent unwanted incursion into American-held zones either on the land or underwater. These would be designed to be “cascaded,” or to deploy smaller autonomated weapons in order to control specific areas. As of 2014, the U.S. military employed almost 10,000 unmanned aerial systems.

https://www.pddnet.com/news/2016/08/pentagon-report-details-military-uavs-future-ai-warfare

Drone footage of the Earthquake in Italy

Drone footage offers aerial view of areas affected by the Earthquake in Italy. A magnitude-6.2 earthquake hit central Italy early Wednesday and rescuers are searching for survivors. At least 247 people have now been killed in Wednesday's central Italy earthquake, the country's Civil Protection Department says.

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/23/europe/italy-earthquake-live-blog/index.html?sr=twCNN082416/italy-earthquake-live-blog0338PMStoryLink&linkId=28005657

Managing the refugee crisis with solar-powered UAVs

Tackling the European refugee crisis with solar-powered UAVs: A fully autonomous 26 hour search-and-rescue flight. One year after having demonstrated the 81-hour continuous solar-powered flight that is still the current world record in flight endurance for all aircrafts < 50kg total mass, the AtlantikSolar UAV has completed its next milestone by demonstrating the first-ever fully autonomous (from launch to landing) solar-powered perpetual flight with significant payload in a 26-hour Search-and-Rescue (SaR) mission.

http://robohub.org/tackling-the-european-refugee-crisis-with-solar-powered-uavs-a-fully-autonomous-26-hour-search-and-rescue-flight/

UAVs for coastal monitoring

The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) has released a request for proposals (RfP) to contract unmanned air vehicle services for coastal monitoring across the European Union. Three classes of UAV are being sought, with bids to be placed by 17 October ahead of a contract award in the third quarter of 2016, the 10 August tender document indicates.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/eu-agencies-release-tenders-for-uav-coastal-monitori-428588/

Course for drone storytelling

Nebraska cornfields become new frontiers for drone storytelling. Over the course of three days, more than 60 journalists and media professionals explored issues of weather, safety, ethics, constitutional rights, regulations and more. Matt Waite, a pioneering drone journalist who teaches at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s College of Journalism and Mass Communications, led exhaustive but critical sessions about how to prepare for the Federal Aviation Administration test required for journalists who want to fly drones for commercial purposes.

http://current.org/2016/08/nebraska-cornfields-become-new-frontiers-for-drone-storytelling/

The US Air Force is offering bonuses to keep drone pilots

The US Air Force is doing everything it can to recruit and keep drone pilots, and now it's resorting to a very direct solution: cold, hard cash. The military branch is offering $10,000 more per year in bonuses to those pilots who renew their active duty commitment for 5 years. They were already getting a hefty $25,000 extra per year, but this is a huge incentive - if a pilot is active for the full term, that's a total of $175,000 above and beyond their usual pay.

https://www.engadget.com/2016/08/15/air-force-boosts-drone-pilot-bonuses-to-keep-up-with-demand/

Unmanned Aerial Systems Midwest conference in Dayton

Government, aerospace industry and academic experts across the country will converge in Dayton to share their visions of the future of drones. The two-day Unmanned Aerial Systems Midwest conference will launch Tuesday at the Dayton Convention Center. Organizers expect hundreds of attendees at the gathering, formerly called UAS Ohio and started in 2012. The name change was meant to broaden the conference’s reach and attract more states as it competes with more places that organize industry conventions, McDonald said.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/news/local/drone-conference-coming-to-dayton-this-week/nsFS4/

Tiny drones founded for military technology research

Tiny drones for urban warfare are among the projects that could soon be funded under an £800 million injection into UK military technology research. The new innovation and research insights (IRIS) unit is meant to breathe fresh life into military tech research and help the UK compete with other nations’ equipment and weapons. Among the projects which may be funded are tiny dragonfly drones – so named for their distinctive wings – which can be used for urban warfare, and a quantum gravimeter, which would be used on board drones to scan through walls and even underground, aiding with mapping. The military is also looking at developing laser weapons and reinvigorating the Royal Navy’s main drone development program for the Scan Eagle vehicle.

https://www.rt.com/uk/355653-military-fund-dragonfly-drones/