Drone Articles

 Some drones fly; other drones swim.  Is it possible for a single drone to do both? Several Chinese companies are currently in the forefront of developing drones that can launch from the water and become airborne or plunge into the watery depths from the sky. These “transmedium” drones could one day revolutionize the way... Read More

Drone industry defenders have often bristled at the suggestion that drones are any louder than other sources of noise, especially vehicle traffic.   In one study funded by NASA, the authors suggested that consumers are simply more accustomed to hearing traffic noise.  But most noise experts disagree.  The problem isn’t really the decibel level of the... Read More

 Crop management continues to occupy center stage in the burgeoning drone industry.  But as technology advances, agricultural missions are evolving far beyond basic aerial surveying and boundary management.  Some drones are equipped to seed and spray farms with fertilizers and pesticides – without the need for remote piloting, and in precise amounts based on... Read More

Drones have many uses in law enforcement settings, including search and rescue, criminal pursuit and crime scene analysis. But one lesser-known highly specialized niche is the use of drones to support SWAT operations.  Drones can enter a building or room ahead of a SWAT team to gain situational awareness; they can also be equipped to... Read More

Drones have become an increasingly important part of “precision agriculture,” a state-of-the-art method for micro-targeting farm inputs – seeds, fertilizer and pesticides – to areas of a farm property where soil fertility promises the highest crop yield. Rather than planting seeds or administering fertilizers and pesticides the length of the farm, precision agriculture helps farmers... Read More

A rapidly spreading plant and tree fungus on the Hawaiian island of Hilo is responsible for killing hundreds of thousands of precious ʻŌhiʻa trees annually.  Researchers at the University of Hawaii, led by geographer Prof. Ryan Perroy, have devised an ingenious method for collecting samples of the fungus to better understand why it spreads.  They’re... Read More

America’s law enforcement agencies are warming to drones – and no state seems to have embraced them more enthusiastically than Wisconsin.  The Badger State ranks a close second (57) to California (58) for the number of law enforcement agencies nationwide with drone programs; both states slightly trail Texas, which has 64.  But consider the population... Read More

Most states and localities have laws in place that prohibit drone flights over government buildings and local parks as well as public gatherings. Even North Carolina – a state where drone flying is actively encouraged – has maintained such prohibitions.  Governments are understandably concerned about the physical threat posed by drones as well potential invasions... 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