McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP (McKenna), on behalf of members of its UAS Advisory Group, has petitioned the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requesting that any Notice of Proposed Rulemaking issued by the FAA addressing small unmanned aircraft systems (“sUAS”) include a regulation that expressly preempts state and local regulation of sUAS including design, sale, distribution, use, or operation. […]
Archives for October 2014
Interview with DJI: Future of the Phantom quadcopters
Quadcopters – or ‘small drones’ as they are also known – are enjoying a meteoritic rise in popularity. One brand in particular appears to have made a name for itself in the market. Just like ‘GoPro’ for many people has become synonymous to action camera, ‘DJI Phantom’ increasingly seems to be the first and indeed […]
One of America’s Biggest Insurance Companies thinks Unmanned Aircraft Could Change the Way It Processes Disaster Claims
BY NEAL UNGERLEIDER One of America’s largest insurance companies has an unorthodox proposal: using unmanned aircraft to speed up insurance claim processing. USAA, which serves millions of U.S. military personnel and their families with financial services, formally petitioned the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on October 2 for permission to use drone aircraft to process insurance […]
North Carolina high school uses drone to live-stream football game
A small white object hovered high above the Green Hope field in Cary, N.C. The four propellers looked too delicate to power the device, which fought rain and wind to maintain its position 100 feet above two rival football teams. The game between Green Hope and Middle Creek (Apex, N.C.) was more than just a […]
America can’t lead the world in innovation if the FAA keeps dragging its feet on drone rules
By Larry Downes October 8 at 7:00 AM As the latest revolutionary digital technology takes off, entrepreneurs are finding themselves battling federal regulators for permission just to experiment with new applications. This time, it’s not the FCC (smartphone apps), the FTC (the Internet of Things), the FDA (genetic testing), the Department of Transportation (driverless cars), […]
A Drone To Watch Over Me
The Nixie wearable drone aims to turn selfies to stalkies. Filming others from afar remains suspect behavior, but it could become less so as drones normalize surveillance by enticing us to record ourselves. A team that includes Stanford post-doctoral researcher Christoph Kohstall, Google technical program manager Jelena Jovanovic, and physicist-filmmaker Michael Niedermayr, along with other […]
Give the dog a drone: Owner exercises his Jack Russell terrier with a Drone
Dave Jansen has put ‘drone dog walking’ to the test at a Sydney oval His Jack Russell terrier was filmed running around with his tail wagging as he tried to chase the quadcopter across the field Mr Jansen said his dog Tyler ‘loved it’ and will consider using it again to get the canine’s energy levels up […]
Olde But Goode News: Drone Discovers Abandoned Renaissance Fair On Historic Land
I said reconnaissance, you bucket of bolts! What care I for meat on a stick? by Carolyn Cox Monday, October 6th 2014 at 6:30 pm Disclaimer: this story, much like the Renaissance itself, is a little old. But does extreme radness really have an expiration date?According to Roadtrippers, in 1996 elaborate grounds were built for the […]
My ISP Is A Solar-Powered Drone
[Originally published 4/15/2014] Google (NASDAQ:GOOG), the ad-driven search giant, and Facebook (NASDAQ:FB), the social connections giant, are fighting over airplane drone technology companies. What’s that all about? Solar-powered drones would, when they’re ready for mass-market in the next five years, be able to fly for weeks or months. They can take 2D and 3D photos […]
Surf Lifesaving UAV wins innovation award
by Simon Chester Two students from University of Wollongong have won an innovation award for using a quadcopter UAV to quickly deliver a floatation device to a distressed swimmer. The UAV, designed by Nicolas Roach and Leo Stevens, uses magnets to carry a floatation device out to sea, releasing it via a remote switch operated […]