Drone Blogs

Everyone knows that unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of every kind are proliferating rapidly, and sales are booming, but how fast is the global drone market actually growing?  No two market research firms seem to agree on the precise numbers, in fact. The German company Drone Industry Insights (DII) estimated the size of the UAV market... Read More

Air taxis and delivery drones are widely considered next-generation technology in the development of the burgeoning drone industry. While most commentators have drawn attention to a host of thorny regulatory and safety issues involved in establishing new aerial pathways for transporting goods and people, less attention has been placed on a far more elementary problem: ... Read More

Once upon a time – that is, less than a decade ago – few Hollywood cinematographers were aware of the prospective advantages of deploying drones in a major film-making role.  But these days, if you want to make a successful Hollywood movie, drones are likely to play a major – indeed, even a starring –... Read More

Industrial society depends on the introduction of new technology to meet business and consumer needs more efficiently.  But every new technology contains a downside or two.  In the case of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s) one of those downsides is the risk of noise pollution generated by drone motors and rotary blades.  For most commercial activities... Read More

Drones are used for a variety of purposes in a wide range of industries – from construction and mining to farming and traffic management.  In most of these cases, the scope of drone operations is fairly predictable.  A specific site needs to be mapped or surveyed and the video surveillance data collected and analyzed.  The... Read More

All devices that rely on electronic communications send and receive transmissions across a specific radio frequency.  Drones are no exception.  Does one frequency range provide better performance than another?  What are the most common radio frequencies employed?  It turns out that the range of frequencies used is quite wide and varies on several factors, including... Read More

The commercial drone industry is growing by leaps and bounds but still faces some major hurdles. One of those hurdles is the prohibitive regulatory environment, which is slowly being loosened to accommodate rapid drone expansion.  But the rising demand for drones could end up being hindered by an unforeseen problem: the growing shortage in the... Read More

Falls from scaffolds, lifts and ladders are the nation’s leading source of workplace fatalities, about 5,000 annually.  Many of them are construction workers; others are window washers that work on skyscrapers. They often hang precariously, from unstable platforms, at altitudes of 300 feet or more.  How can these workers be better protected?  Equip a drone... Read More

What’s the best anti-drone technology money can buy?  For the Dutch police, it’s no technology at all.  It’s birds, specifically eagles. Back in 2016, law enforcement officials in Amsterdam were training the large raptors to snatch unlawfully flying drones from the sky and then do what eagles do best: take their prey to a nest... Read More

Most drone innovation is associated with private businesses, especially small start-ups.  But in some cases a local government agency takes the lead.  Take the case of the Chula Vista (California) Police Department (CVPD).  As far back as 2015, the CVPD partnered with the federal government to develop a drone program that could bolster the emergency... Read More