Helen Greiner didn’t just put the ‘robot’ in iRobot. Starting as an 11-year-old who wanted to build R2-D2, she achieved her a dream twice: after co-founding iRobot and ushering it to an IPO in 2005, Greiner left to create a second company, CyPhy Works, that builds flying robots.Greiner spoke at the RoboBusiness conference in Boston last week, and shared her views on […]
Archives for October 2014
Sinclair sees UAS payoff in future jobs
By Barrie Barber Staff Writer DAYTON — Sinclair Community College has invested millions of dollars in southwest Ohio’s unmanned aerial systems industry in advance of an anticipated job boom. The downtown Dayton college has become a key part of a regional strategy to train a UAS-ready workforce. “It’s a major element in our overall strategy,” […]
Menlo Park Fire district gets green light to buy a drone
by Dave Boyce / Almanac A drone like this one, the DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ Quad-Copter, is under consideration as an aerial assistant for firefighters of the Menlo Park Fire Protection District when fighting a significant fire or conducting a difficult rescue. The drone’s arms are about 4 inches long. (Photo courtesy of DJI Innovations.) […]
Drones to be used for cheaper structural checks
by JOHN-PAUL HOLDEN Remote-controlled drones are set to carry out inspections of key buildings across the Capital in a bid to make structural checks cheaper. A “hexacopter” equipped with high-res camera has already been trialled in the Capital, with moves under way towards a city-wide roll out. The pilot, which took place at a carefully […]
Northport begins using drone in emergencies
NORTHPORT, AL (WBRC) – By Terri Brewer Northport Fire Rescue has been using a drone as part of its training for several months, but now, the department is beginning to use the drone in real emergencies. A tanker fire Friday marked the first time Northport Fire Rescue used the tool in a real-life situation. Northport […]
Photographer uses drone to capture amazing footage of protective mother humpback whale and her calf off remote Tongan island
After decades as an underwater wildlife cameraman Darren Rice changed his angle of approach to shoot humpback whales from the sky with a remote-controlled drone off the stunning island of Foa in Tonga’s Ha’apai region. Rice, 47, captured remarkable scenes of the majestic creatures in their natural state from a distance as he controlled the […]
WATCH via Drone: Sea Turtles Return Home
Video Credit: Virginia Aquarium via Scott Hansen Drones to the rescue! Or at least the return, in this case. This amazing video filmed by Scott Hanson demonstrates just one of the unique opportunities the use of drones offers ocean research and conservation efforts. Here we can see Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center as they […]
Orcas, Via Drone, for the First Time Ever
By A.J. McCarthy Drones are so hot right now. From peeking inside the mouth of an active volcano to recreating Tatooine pod races, unmanned aerial vehicles are in, and their utility (thankfully) extends far beyond the battlefield. For proof of this, look no further than the Vancouver Aquarium’s use of a custom-built hexacopter to track […]
Yamaha Demos Agricultural RoboCopter, But Humans Can’t Unleash It Yet
By Evan Ackerman Agriculture is (arguably) where drones are going to be the most useful in the near future. Drones have already proven their usefulness to hobbyists and the military, and agriculture is the next huge commercial frontier. And although commercial drone operation is still waiting for official approval, at least in the United States, […]
3DR Announces Launch of the Dronecode Foundation
From the beginning 3DR has been committed to open source development. This is the 21st century lesson in innovation: moving fast means moving together. To that end, we’ve proudly supported a vibrant global community of brilliant and selfless developers who over the past seven years have been responsible for some amazing achievements in aerial robotics, not the least of which is the APM/Pixhawk platform that’s […]