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Submission + - DJI Unveils Technology To Identify And Track Airborne Drones (suasnews.com)

Submitted by garymortimer
garymortimer writes: AeroScope uses the existing communications link between a drone and its remote controller to broadcast identification information such as a registration or serial number, as well as basic telemetry, including location, altitude, speed and direction. Police, security agencies, aviation authorities and other authorized parties can use an AeroScope receiver to monitor, analyze and act on that information. AeroScope has been installed at two international airports since April, and is continuing to test and evaluate its performance in other operational environments.

Submission + - Update DJI Spark or be grounded (suasnews.com)

Submitted by garymortimer
garymortimer writes: News has arrived of a mandatory firmware update from DJI. Owners of DJI’s latest and smallest quadcopter must update their firmware by September the 1st or their machines will automatically ground themselves.

The Firmware update apparently is to stop in flight shutdowns that have been occurring. So no bad thing to fix, a safety issue.

Submission + - US Army walks back DJI decision (slightly) (suasnews.com)

Submitted by garymortimer
garymortimer writes: News has reached me that another DJI memo was passed around on Friday the 11th of August. An exception to policy with recommendations from the asymmetric warfare group that will permit the use of DJI kit once some conditions have been met.

The Android Tactical Assault Kit will become the ground control station (GCS) of choice when a DJI plugin has passed OPSEC (Operational Security) scrutiny.

Submission + - Commercial drones less than 2kg may be set free ( DJI Phantom, SenseFly eBee) (suasnews.com)

Submitted by garymortimer
garymortimer writes: The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is establishing an aviation rulemaking committee with industry stakeholders to develop recommendations for a regulatory framework that would allow certain UAS to be operated over people who are not directly involved in the operation of the aircraft. The FAA is taking this action to provide a more flexible, performance-based approach for these operations than what was considered for Micro UAS. The committee will begin its work in March and issue its final report to the FAA on April 1.

Submission + - Linux Foundation Launches Open Source Dronecode Project (suasnews.com)

Submitted by garymortimer
garymortimer writes: The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux and collaborative development, today announced the founding of the Dronecode Project. The Project will bring together existing open source drone projects and assets under a nonprofit structure governed by The Linux Foundation. The result will be a common, shared open source platform for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).

Founding members include 3D Robotics, Baidu, Box, DroneDeploy, Intel, jDrones, Laser Navigation, Qualcomm, SkyWard, Squadrone System, Walkera and Yuneec. Dronecode includes the APM UAV software platform and associated code, which until now has been hosted by 3D Robotics, a world leader in advanced UAV autopilot and autonomous vehicle control. The company was co-founded by Chris Anderson, formerly editor-in-chief of Wired

Submission + - Google Buys Drone Maker Titan Aerospace (suasnews.com) 1

Submitted by garymortimer
garymortimer writes: Google has acquired drone maker Titan Aerospace, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Titan is a New Mexico-based company that makes high-flying solar powered drones.

There’s no word on the price Google paid, but Facebook had been in talks to acquire the company earlier this year for a reported $60 million. Presumably, Google paid more than that to keep it away from Facebook.

Submission + - Drone-assisted hunting to be illegal in Alaska after game board decision (suasnews.com)

Submitted by garymortimer
garymortimer writes: A drone system allowing a hunter or helper to locate game now costs only about $1,000, said Capt. Bernard Chastain, operations commander for the Wildlife Troopers. Because of advances in the technology and cheaper prices, it is inevitable hunters seeking an advantage would, for example, try to use a drone to fly above trees or other obstacles and look for a moose or bear to shoot, he said.

“Under hunting regulations, unless it specifically says that it’s illegal, you’re allowed to do it,” Chastain said. “What happens a lot of times is technology gets way ahead of regulations, and the hunting regulations don’t get a chance to catch up for quite a while.

Submission + - DARPA Hydra, unmanned sub mothership to deploy drones (suasnews.com)

Submitted by garymortimer
garymortimer writes: The Hydra program will develop and demonstrate an unmanned undersea system with a new kind of unmanned-vehicle delivery system that inserts UAVs and UUVs. stealthily into operational environments to respond quickly to situations around the world without putting U.S. military personnel at risk.

The Hydra large UUV is to use modular payloads inside a standardized enclosure to deploy a mix of UAVs and UUVs, depending on the military situation. Hydra will integrate existing and emerging technologies in new ways to create an alternate means of delivering a variety of payloads close to where they're needed, DARPA officials say.

Submission + - German drone darts off and hits transport plane on ground. (suasnews.com) 1

Submitted by garymortimer
garymortimer writes: German tabloid newspaper The Bild has unearthed new video from a herons eye view of a 2010 taxi accident in Afghanistan. According to Bild a junior officer put the Heron into auto start and then was unable to stop it. The incident occurred at Mazar-i-Sharif on Mar. 17, 2010

Watch the ground crew get out of the way quick!

Submission + - SpaceX Grasshopper launch filmed from drone helicopter. (suasnews.com)

Submitted by garymortimer
garymortimer writes: Instantly in at number one as my favourite drone footage, this filming does not show bits of leg or propeller is not GoPro bent out of shape and pans up beautifully and holds the desired shot. For once I am glad they left the sound recording running to catch the noise of the blast off. Top banana. Make sure you watch it in hi res.

SpaceX’s Grasshopper flew 325 m (1066 feet)–higher than Manhattan’s Chrysler Building–before smoothly landing back on the pad. For the first time in this test, Grasshopper made use of its full navigation sensor suite with the F9-R closed loop control flight algorithms to accomplish a precision landing. Most rockets are equipped with sensors to determine position, but these sensors are generally not accurate enough to accomplish the type of precision landing necessary with Grasshopper.

Submission + - Germany :Remote-Control Model Plane Attack 'Foiled' (suasnews.com)

Submitted by garymortimer
garymortimer writes: Two aeronautics students planned to use remote-controlled model planes packed with explosives to carry out terrorist attacks in Germany, according to prosecutors.

German authorities are holding two men of Tunisian origin who they say are facing possible charges for the “preparation of a serious, state-threatening act of violence”.

Prosecutors say the men are suspected of “procuring information and objects to commit Islamic extremist explosive attacks with remote-controlled model airplanes,” prosecutors added.

Police investigating the terror plot on Tuesday launched a series of raids in Stuttgart and Munich in southern Germany and Saxony in the east. They also carried out one raid in Belgium. No-one was arrested.

The suspects had been under surveillance for more than a year and authorities had recently detected “an increased interest in explosives and model aircraft”, according to an unnamed security source quoted by a German news agency.

Submission + - German railways to test anti-graffiti drones (suasnews.com) 1

Submitted by garymortimer
garymortimer writes: Germany's national railway company, Deutsche Bahn, plans to test small drones to try to reduce the amount of graffiti being sprayed on its property.

The idea is to use airborne infra-red cameras to collect evidence, which could then be used to prosecute vandals who deface property at night.

A company spokesman said drones would be tested at rail depots soon.

Submission + - Google acquires kite-power generator (suasnews.com)

Submitted by garymortimer
garymortimer writes: Google has acquired a US company that generates power using turbines mounted on tethered kites or wings.

Makani Power will become part of Google X – the secretive research and development arm of the search giant.

The deal comes as Makani carries out the first fully autonomous flights of robot kites bearing its power-generating propellers.

Google has not said how much it paid to acquire Makani, but it has invested $15m (£9.9m) in the company before now.

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