There are certain times in every wireless company’s life when their network needs a boost, whether it’s because of a natural disaster or the pope’s in town. On the heels of AT&T’s announcement that it’s testing drones as flying LTE antennae, Verizon Wireless says it’s been doing basically the same thing, and has been working on it for the past few years. [More]
drones
UPS Testing Using Drones For Package Deliveries In Remote Locations
By 9.23.16
Whether it’s robotic carrier pigeons or unmanned aircraft dropping off burritos, drones are big in the delivery world. UPS is the latest company to take to the drone-filled skies and see if the aerial vehicles are the right fit for its delivery system. [More]
Google Will Actually Deliver Burritos By Drone To Some Lucky College Kids
By 9.8.16
The eternal college conundrum: I am hungry, but too tired, busy, lazy, hungry, or hung-over to go to the place where the food I want is being sold. Why can’t lunch just appear on command and drop out of the sky? [More]
Mercedes Working On Delivery Vans That Deploy Robotic Carrier Pigeons
By 9.7.16
These days, it seems like you can’t turn around without bumping into news about drones or electric vehicles. Mercedes has combined those two trendy topics with one vehicle it’s working on: an electric delivery van outfitted with two small pilotless aircraft capable of carrying small items to their final destination. [More]
Drone Operators Could Outnumber Private Aviation Pilots In Just One Year
By 8.29.16
Two months after the Federal Aviation Administration released regulations governing the use of drones, thousands of would-be pilots have lined up to take the test to get licensed to fly on the first day it became available. The rush to fly the unmanned aircraft isn’t just for the novelty, it’s opening the door for new business possibilities for companies and entrepreneurs alike. [More]
Amazon Testing “PrimeAir” Drone Delivery In UK
By 7.26.16
While Amazon hasn’t received the okay to begin using drones to make deliveries in the U.S., that isn’t stopping the e-commerce giant from trying the method in the UK. [More]
Amazon Patents Way To Turn Lampposts, Church Steeples Into Drone Perches
By 7.19.16
For the past few years, Amazon has been working on plans that would unleash a fleet of drones to handle some deliveries – from unveiling a prototype that acts more like a “horse than a car” and a patent for propellers that tell bystanders to “look out.” Now, another recently released patent shows what those little flying machines might be doing while they aren’t ferrying your Prime deliveries: sitting on a lamppost. [More]
AT&T Now Testing Drones As Flying LTE Antennae
By 7.13.16 — Updated: 10.6.16
When wireless companies prepare to handle huge events — like the upcoming political conventions and the recent papal visit to Philadelphia — they roll out mobile cell towers and sometimes make permanent infrastructure upgrades to deal with the increased data use. Now AT&T is testing out whether it can use aerial drones to bolster LTE service in these situations. [More]
FAA’s New Rules For Commercial Drones Require Aviation Exam, Ban Night Flights
By 6.21.16
After years of waiting, it looks like the Federal Aviation Administration is finally ready to release a new category of rules governing the use of commercial drones weighing less than 55 pounds. [More]
Human-Carrying Drone Taxi Gets Approval For Testing In Nevada
By 6.8.16 — Updated: 2.13.17
Flying cars might not yet be within our reach, but there are companies out there working on technology that would let drones ferry around human passengers like flying taxis, so at least that’s something. [More]
Walmart Testing Drones To Help Manage Warehouse Inventory
By 6.2.16
As predicted, so it has come to pass: after asking the Federal Aviation Administration for permission to start testing drones for things like managing warehouse inventories, Walmart says it’s started that process, and could have the little guys up in the air and on the job in the next six to nine months. [More]
FAA Gives First Approval For Commercial Drone Flights At Night
By 4.21.16
The news that the Federal Aviation Administration has granted approval for the first flights of small commercial drones at night might not seem like a big deal to the average person, but the move also shows how U.S. regulators are now speeding up efforts to authorize expanded uses of the devices. [More]
Please Stop Flying Your Drone Anywhere Near A Commercial Jet
By 4.4.16
Recreational drones have grown in popularity in the last few years, and there are officially more registered drones than aircraft with pilots. Here’s the problem, though: even a tiny drone can cause serious problems if it crosses the path of a jet. While a plane-drone accident hasn’t happened yet, there have been some close calls, and no one wants to find out what would happen. [More]
Amazon Files Patent For Talking Drone Propellers That Tell You To Get Out Of The Way
By 3.31.16
While we don’t know all the details of Amazon’s long-anticipated Prime Air delivery drones just yet, we can guess at some of the specifics along the way. And if a recent patent application the company filed means anything, the drones may have a few things to say. [More]
FAA: There Are Now More Drones Registered Than Piloted Aircraft
By 2.8.16
What’s that in the sky — is it a bird? A plane? No, it’s a swarm of drones, blacking out the sun as they rise as one to push other aircraft out of the sky. At least, that’s the vision we got after the Federal Aviation Administration announced that drone registrations have now outstripped registrations for piloted aircraft. [More]
Man Arrested After His Drone Crashes Into The Empire State Building
By 2.5.16
A lesson for you drone owners out there trying to get just the right shot: if you crash your unmanned aerial vehicle into a famous landmark, you should probably just kiss it goodbye. Because if you ask for it back, you may find yourself arrested, like one New Jersey man who police say flew his drone into a little New York City landmark called the Empire State Building. [More]
FAA: Don’t Even Think About Bringing Your Drone To The Super Bowl
By 2.3.16
If you’re packing for the Super Bowl with an eye on getting a bird’s-eye-view of the big game with a remote-controlled aircraft, you can fill your luggage with extra socks instead: the Federal Aviation Administration is warning football fans against flying their drones around Levi’s Stadium on game day. [More]
Kickstarter Hires Investigative Reporter To Figure Out Where Mini-Drone Campaign Went Wrong
By 1.20.16
A company based in Wales showed up on Kickstarter with what looked like a working prototype of a really impressive consumer drone small enough to land on a saucer. Yet the promised drones never shipped. What happened? Kickstarter decided to find out, taking an unusual tactic: the company hired a local investigative reporter to, well, investigate. This week, the report came out. [More]
