(Source: Wired) If you want to understand why the government freaked out when a $400 remote-controlled quadcopter landed on the White House grounds last week, you need to look four miles away, to a small briefing room in Arlington, Virginia. There, just 10 days earlier, officials from the US military, the Department of Homeland Security, and the FAA gathered for a DHS … [Read more...] about Why the US Government Is Terrified of Hobbyist Drones
Wired
Crash-Avoidance System for Drones Aims to Keep Crowded Skies Safe
(Source: Wired) The skies of tomorrow will be filled with drones. Amazon and Google want to use them for deliveries. Construction companies are eyeing drones for building inspections. Filmmakers are already using drones to find new perspectives for storytelling. And of course, law enforcement agencies want to spy on us with them. At a certain point, all of these drones … [Read more...] about Crash-Avoidance System for Drones Aims to Keep Crowded Skies Safe
Facebook Lays Out Plans for Internet-Connected Drones
(Source: Wired) If companies like Facebook and Google have their way, everyone in the world will have access to the internet within the next few decades. But while these tech giants seem to have all the money, expertise, and resolve they need to accomplish that goal—vowing to offer internet connections via things like high-altitude balloons and flying drones—Yael Maguire … [Read more...] about Facebook Lays Out Plans for Internet-Connected Drones
Big Business Is Surveilling Itself With Swarms of Drones
from Wired At an open-pit mine, blowing stuff up is just part of the daily grind. But that doesn’t mean the danger disappears. If a truck drives out onto a blast site and over a piece of explosive that failed to go off, the result could be catastrophic. But Christian Sanz, the CEO and founder of aerial drone startup Skycatch, says that at least one mining outfit is now using … [Read more...] about Big Business Is Surveilling Itself With Swarms of Drones
Drone Hunts Down and Pops Balloons
from wired.co.uk A manually-operated drone which can seek and destroy targets is one thing, but what if it could carry out its missions autonomously? A Japan-based developer and drone builder has been finding out what it takes to do just that. Randy Mackay has hacked together a drone which independently scouts an area for large red balloons. When it spies one, the drone … [Read more...] about Drone Hunts Down and Pops Balloons