Hoverboards have been a thing since Back to the Future II, but none match the one piloted by Marty Mcfly. Omni Hoverboards CEO Alexandru Duru stated that his company could possibly be releasing the first commercial version soon. He currently holds the Guinness World Record for the longest flight on a hoverboard, so the odds are good that we’ll actually see one in the near future. Read more for two videos and additional information.
Photo credit: Kevin Yufeng Chen
Researchers, led by MIT Assistant Professor Kevin Yufeng Chen, have developed insect-like robots that could eventually be used as drones. Unlike previous robots, this one utilizes a new class of soft actuator that enables them to withstand the physical travails of real-world flight. Whether it be for pollinating crop, performing machinery inspections in cramped spaces, or even military surveillance missions, this robot is up for the task.
A mysterious sinkhole opened up over two weeks ago on a field in Santa Maria Zacatepec, about 12 miles outside the Puebla City center in Central Mexico, and this past weekend, it swallowed an entire house. Several of days of rain contributed to the sinkhole growing even larger these past week, reaching over 400-feet in length at some points, which is larger than a football field, and 150-feet deep. Read more for the drone footage and additional information.
The DARPA OFFensive Swarm-Enabled Tactics (OFFSET) research team have successfully completed its fourth test using swarms of autonomous air and ground vehicles at the Leschi Town Combined Arms Collective Training Facility (CACTF), located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) in Washington. These vehicles took part in a multi-stage, interactive scenario to locate and secure multiple simulated items of interest relevant to the urban operational scenario.
DARPA’s Mobile Force Protection (MFP) program is unlike any other that you’ve seen, and during recent tests at Eglin Air Force Base, it demonstrated a Counter-Unmanned Air System (C-UAS) multi-layer defense architecture to defeat unauthorized drone intrusions over military installations or operations. This low-cost reusable drone interceptor system doesn’t use lasers or sonic weapons, but rather streamers. Read more for a video and additional information.
No longer a concept, the Sony Airpeak S1 professional drone has just been announced. It’s now the world’s smallest drone that can be equipped with a full-size mirrorless interchangeable-lens Alpha camera, opening up a new world of possibilities for creatives. The S1 utilizes a proprietary motor, propeller, control system and sensing technology to enable it to fly at extremely high speeds (55 mph maximum) with extremely stable wind resistance. Read more for two videos and additional information.
The U.S. Navy and Boeing have for the first time ever demonstrated air-to-air refueling using an unmanned aircraft, the MQ-25 T1 test asset. This drone successfully extended the hose and drogue from its U.S. Navy-issued aerial refueling store (ARS) and safely transferred jet fuel to a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet, showcasing its ability to carry out its primary aerial refueling mission.
DJI’s FPV drone isn’t something you want to fly over an erupting volcano, but that’s exactly what photographer Joey Helms did recently. Unfortunately, things didn’t turn out for the best, or at least for the drone. What sets this first-person view drone apart from the others is that the recordings are also stored in the goggles, which meant that the footage was salvageable despite the drone perishing.
Soon, wars may be fought with autonomous drones rather than soldiers, as it’s reported that a KARGU-2 autonomous tactical drone attacked humans in Libya without any intervention. More specifically, this quadcopter autonomously attacked a human during a fight between Libyan government forces and a military faction led by the Libyan National Army’s Khalifa Haftar.
Cloud seeding may not be a new method to create rainfall, but the UAE wants to take it to a whole new level. They are sending full autopilot drones equipped with a payload of electric-charge emission instruments as well as customized sensors, and are designed to fly at low altitudes to deliver an electric charge to air molecules, thus encouraging precipitation. Read more for a video and additional information.