Drone News – Week 4

One of the highlights of this week is the launch of DJI’s Inspire 2 and Phantom 4 Pro drones. Read on to find out more about the latest and most recent developments in the local and international UAV scene.

AUSTRALIA

1. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) have become unlikely prey for wedge-tailed eagles in Western Australia’s Goldfields, costing a mining giant more than $100,000 to replace its newest surveying tool. (18 November 2016)

2. Domino’s claims it has completed the world’s first pizza delivery by drone. The company said it shipped two pizzas – one peri-peri chicken and one chicken and cranberry – from a store to a customer in Whangaparaoa, 25 kilometres north of Auckland, shortly before lunchtime on Wednesday. (16 November 2016)

3. SURF lifesaving drones will be trialled for the first time in Queensland this week – but lifesavers fear a beachgoer could be killed if one of the unmanned aerial devices “falls out of the sky”. (12 November 2016)

INTERNATIONAL

1. Airports and pilots want tighter regulations after incidents involving jets near Shard in London and at Liverpool airport. Pilots have reported four near misses in a month between drones and passenger aircraft, including one flying near the Shard in London and another at Liverpool airport, prompting aviation experts to warn that increasingly popular and sophisticated models available to hobbyists are posing a serious risk. (17 November 2016)

2. A revolutionary civilian drone that flies up to 500km and for 10 hours non-stop is now on sale through a Singapore-based company.

HES Energy Systems says it has successfully developed hydrogen fuel cell technology that generates electricity to power its Hywings drone. It says its aerospace-grade fuel cell technology is 3 to 5 times lighter than lithium batteries. And it sees UAVs flying 50 to 80 hours continuously on hydrogen fuel as around the corner. (17 November 2016)

3. Intel and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts are collaborating on a 300-drone holiday show at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. (16 November 2016)

4. The most popular name in drone industry – DJI has launched its Inspire 2 and Phantom 4 Pro drones, aimed at professional photographers and videographers. (16 November 2016)

5. According to the UAV Drones Market report by Type, the UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) drones market will be worth $5.59 billion by 2020. Once upon a time, the military was the sole beneficiary of the UAVs that took the place of officers when flight was considered too dangerous. Now fields including disaster relief, air quality, agriculture, film and television, real estate and industrial inspection are taking advantage of the aircrafts. (12 November 2016)

6. The Flying Robot International Film Festival is returning to San Francisco next week, once again presenting a selection of short films shot with the help of drones on November 17. (12 November 2016)