First Responders
Skyfire Consulting, a public safety-focused drone company, kicked off 2018 by gaining the FAA's sign-off on the Los Angeles Fire Department's in-house UAV program. LAFD, one of the nation's busiest fire/rescue agencies, put their trust in the four-year-old
Commercial
The southern Polish mining city of Katowice has started testing a drone to pinpoint offenders who break anti-smog rules. The machine, supplied by the local Flytronic company, can analyse the chemical composition of smoke emitted from the chimneys of individual houses. Local authorities hope that the eye in the
Commercial
GreenSight Agronomics, a drone services and agricultural intelligence provider, has secured a waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration to operate its drone system beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS). BVLOS operations allows GreenSight to control its drone systems stationed anywhere in the world remotely from its Boston command center. While
Commercial
For fried chicken lovers and drone enthusiasts alike, in India, KFC is set to offer what is being called ‘the most fly meal ever.’ Dubbed the ‘KFO’ which obviously stands for ‘Kentucky Flying Object’, the limited edition option encompasses a special smokey grilled wings order, while its packaging can be
Business
PrecisionHawk, Inc. has announced that it has raised a $75 million round of funding from a group of venture and strategic investors. This investment brings PrecisionHawk’s total funding to more than $100 million since being founded in 2010, making it the world’s most well-capitalized commercial drone company.
Commercial
The National Institute of Standards and Technology is launching a competition to see who can design and build a cost-effective drone that carries the biggest payload and stays in the air the longest. Top contestants in the Unmanned Aerial Systems Flight and Payload Challenge can win cash prizes up
First Responders
Schiebel’s CAMCOPTER S-100 proved its suitability for search and rescue missions as part of an ongoing homicide investigation in Stiwoll, Austria, in late 2017. In the first operation of its kind, Schiebel provided Austrian law enforcement with a CAMCOPTER S-100 and operating personnel to assist in the
Commercial
Chinese civil aviation industry insiders have called for tighter regulation on illegal drone flights, as the country has become the world's largest manufacturer of consumer drones. China currently has about 20,000 unregistered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), said attendees at the China UAV Safety Development Forum which opened
First Responders
Lennox Head on the state’s Far North Coast made history last Thursday when it became the scene of a dramatic rescue involving the deployment of the Westpac Little Ripper UAV and Rescue Pod. Lifeguards from the Australian Lifeguard Service were preparing for a training session to familiarise themselves with
Commercial
Bell staked a claim as the first helicopter maker to exhibit at the recent Consumer Electronics Show, and joined a growing list of manned aircraft manufacturers working to make pilots optional. Bell has been moving people over urban obstacles for decades with traditional rotorcraft. Now the company is expanding the
Business
SkySpecs, an automated infrastructure inspection company, has announced an $8 million Series B financing led by Statkraft Ventures together with UL Ventures and Capital Midwest with follow-on investments from Venture Investors, Huron River Ventures and additional existing investors. Founders and Forbes 30 Under 30 honorees Danny Ellis and Tom
First Responders
When a driver was fatally ejected one night late last year from a vehicle that rolled off a road in Eastern Ontario's Renfrew County, emergency responders were unsure whether there were other victims. The terrain around the crash site was difficult to access, forested and rocky with steep