Autonomous drones may be the ultimate scarecrows … for pigeons

Much as we may like pigeons, they can make quite a mess of buildings and other structures, potentially posing a health hazard. According to new research, autonomous drones may be ideal for harmlessly chasing the birds away.

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Seasam drone autonomously follows divers and performs underwater tasks

Back in 2016, we told you about the iBubble, an underwater drone that autonomously follows and films scuba divers. Well, it now has a more capable industrial-use big brother, known as the Seasam.

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Kawasaki’s supercharged cargo copter tests robotic ground crew

Kawasaki has shoehorned the supercharged 1,000cc engine from its wild H2R hyperbike into a heavy-lift autonomous cargo helicopter, and has now demonstrated a robotic system for loading and unloading it without exposing humans to those big blades.

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DroneDek mailbox designed to securely accept deliveries-by-drone

While there are numerous questions about the logistics of drone delivery technology, here's one that not everyone thinks of: What if no one is home when the drone shows up? Well, the DroneDek system is designed with that scenario in mind.

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Drone-mounted electronic nose used to assess wastewater plant odor

Wastewater treatment plants generally aren't known for their nice smell, and they have to be monitored in order to ensure that they're not becoming too stinky. An experimental new system uses an "e-nose" and a drone to do the job better.

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AB6 JetQuad drone gives the quadcopter concept a shot of jet fuel

Two years ago we first heard about the AB5 JetQuad, a jet-powered VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) drone. Well, it's time to meet its new-and-improved successor, the AB6. Among other things, it has an estimated top speed of 250 mph.

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XAG V40 agri-drone uses just two rotors for better performance

Usually when we think of multicopter drones, we picture aircraft with four or more rotors. The V40 agricultural drone takes a different approach, using two tilting two rotors in an effort to improve range and spraying efficiency.

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Gremlin drone recovered in mid-air for the first time

Although drones certainly can replace crewed aircraft, DARPA's Gremlins program instead aims to equip military planes with drones that can be deployed and then retrieved for reuse. Now, for the first time ever, one of the drones has been recovered in mid-air.

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DJI redesigns camera drone from tip to tail for Hasselblad-packin’ Mavic 3

Three years after collaborating with Hasselblad for the Mavic 2 Pro's camera module, DJI has pushed the envelope further for the launch of the Mavic 3 by mounting a dual camera setup to the stabilized gimbal for 5.1K video or 28x zoom photos.

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Osprey NPS lets drones perform direct-contact power line inspections

Live power lines are traditionally inspected by workers who have to climb poles, stand in bucket lifts, or ride in helicopters. A new system promises to make such inspections quicker, easier and safer, by allowing a drone to do the job.

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