When it comes to catching sight of a national landmark, it can get pretty crowded on the ground. But starting next week, you won’t be able to use a drone to get a better view of 10 famous spots in the U.S. [More]
game of drones
Walmart Imagines Floating Warehouses That Could Rain Down Delivery Drones
By 8.21.17
While Amazon has dreams of delivery drone beehives and parachuting packages, it’s not the only one looking upward: Walmart has plans for a floating warehouse capable of launching flying delivery vehicles so it can rain discount goods on you from the skies. [More]
Here’s How To Get Your $5 Drone Registration Fee Refund From The FAA
By 7.7.17
Did you pay $5 to register your drone with the Federal Aviation Administration? Now that an appeals court has overturned the agency’s rule requiring hobbyist drone operators to register their aircraft, you can get your money back and remove your name from the federal database. [More]
Amazon Patents Ridiculous, Terrifying Towers To House Delivery Drones
By 6.23.17
Because the notion of automated flying robots delivering dog food to your doorstep is something straight out of the Jetsons, it sort of makes sense that Amazon has a very retro vision for the towers that could house its Prime Air delivery drones. [More]
Amazon Wants To Turn Shipping Labels Into Little Parachutes For Drone Deliveries
By 5.30.17
What if package delivery drones didn’t have to actually land to make their deliveries, and instead just dropped their cargo near your home and flew away? Amazon recently filed several variations on parachutes — in the form of shipping labels — that would soften your package’s landing. [More]
Court Rules Drone Hobbyists Don’t Have To Register With FAA
By 5.19.17
An appeals court has overturned a recent Federal Aviation Administration rule requiring hobbyists drone operators to register their tiny unmanned, non-commercial aircraft. [More]
Amazon Prime Air Drone Drops Off Sunscreen In First U.S. Demo
By 3.24.17
When Amazon completed its first ever drone delivery in the United Kingdom last year, the company released official footage touting its latest milestone. But its first demo flight on this side of the pond was a much quieter affair, captured by a bystander at a recent company event. [More]
UPS Testing Residential Drone Deliveries Launched From Trucks
By 2.21.17
After first testing the idea of using drones to deliver packages to extra remote locations, UPS is making its move into more residential skies with octocopters that can be launched from roving trucks. [More]
FAA Slaps Company With $200K Fine For Flying Drones Over NYC & Chicago
By 1.17.17
Lest you think The Man won’t come after you for sending commercial drones whizzing through congested airspace over some of our nation’s biggest cities, think again: the Federal Aviation Administration has reached a $200,000 settlement witha company accused of conducting 65 illegal flights in the skies above Chicago and New York City. [More]
Amazon Makes First Commercial Drone Delivery To Customer In England
By 12.14.16
Amazon’s Jeff Bezos has had a dream for a while now: delivery drones flying here, there, and everywhere, zooming over rooftops and dropping off packages to customers. That dream has now become real with Amazon’s first Prime Air drone delivery, Bezos announced today. [More]
Amazon Patents Pocket-Sized, Voice-Controlled Drones
By 10.19.16 — Updated: 11.1.16
There you are, driving up and down rows of cars, looking for the right parking spot. What if you could release a tiny drone into the air, and tell it to help out with the search? That’s the kind of future Amazon is looking toward with a new patent for voice-controlled drones that can fit in your pocket. [More]
Verizon Joins AT&T In Testing Drones That Act As Flying LTE Antennae
By 10.6.16
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]
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]
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]
FBI Lends FAA Drone Detector For Tests At Kennedy Airport
By 5.17.16
Birds pose a danger to commercial aircraft, but unauthorized drones are also a threat. Fortunately for everyone, we don’t yet know what would happen if a solid unmanned aerial vehicle collided with a jet or flew into its engine. The Federal Aviation Administration doesn’t want to find out, which is one of the reasons why they tested an FBI drone-detection system to prevent crashes. [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]
Walmart Asks The FAA For Permission To Test Drones For Home Delivery, Curbside Grocery Pickups
By 10.26.15
Amazon isn’t the only retailer on the market that wants to get into the drone delivery game: Walmart filed paperwork with the Federal Aviation Administration today asking permission to test drones outside for home delivery, curbside pick-up and duties around the warehouse and parking lots. [More]
Experimental Crocs Store In Tokyo Brings You Shoes With Drone
By 3.5.15
If you’ve always thought that shoe stores would be improved by replacing salespeople with drones, well, you’re going to have to wait a while before you can experience your dream. The technology apparently isn’t quite here yet. As a promotion for a new shoe line, Crocs has a store in Tokyo where customers tap on a pair of shoes on an iPad, and a green Crocs-branded drone fetches the item and brings it to them. [More]
