Items tagged with drone
DJI has once again stepped into the spotlight with another powerful, yet portable, 4K drone that combines the video capabilities of its highly regarded Mavic Pro, with the smaller footprint of the consumer-focused DJI Spark. DJI has gone to great lengths in recent years to appeal to consumers looking for more portable devices. As a photographer, I carry a camera bag littered with lenses and DSLR bodies; but most will agree that something like DJI's earlier Phantom drones were simply too large to consider highly portable. With DJI’s latest and greatest drone, the Mavic Air, however, photographers...
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DJI has created a lot of buzz in the drone and photography communities with the Mavic 2 that leaked last month. Along with a leaked image of that device came some alleged specifications. Later in the month, a catalog page for the new drone leaked that called out a Hasselblad camera for the Mavic 2 Pro with a 1-inch sensor, 31-minute flight time, and the ability to stream video and images over 5 miles. A Mavic 2 Zoom was also called out with a zoom lens. Mavic 2 Pro The drone is also tipped to be 360-degree hazard aware in the leaked catalog. One thing we didn’t know was when exactly...
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Earlier in the month, a leak made the rounds that claimed to show the upcoming DJI Mavic 2 drone. The leak suggested that the drone might be able to detect obstacles with a 360-degree field of view. The Mavic 2 drone has since turned up in the latest Argos catalog, despite not being officially announced by DJI just yet. The catalog actually calls out two versions of the drone, one of them is the DJI Mavic 2 Pro, which packs a 1-inch sensor, and the DJI Mavic 2 Zoom with an integrated 24-48mm zoom lens and a "Dolly Zoom" effect. The description from the Argos catalog calls out some...
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DJI is one of the top companies in the world of personal drones for shooting video and other content. DJI also has a history of having a tough time keeping its new products under wraps. The $799 Mavic Air leaked back in January and it was officially launched not long after that slip-up. Another DJI drone has leaked and this time it is said to be the upcoming Mavic 2. The Mavic 2 designation on the drone is clear in the leaked image. You can tell from the hands near the drone that while it might be larger than the Mavic Air it still appears to be compact enough to be easily transportable....
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It appears that the naysayers have won out this time at Google with regards to its involvement in Project Maven, a Department of Defense program involving aerial drones used in military operations. Google has reportedly decided against renewing its contract with the Pentagon after facing immense backlash both inside and outside of the company. At a meeting with employees on Friday dubbed the "Weather Report", Google Cloud CEO Diane Greene broke the news saying that Google will not renew its contract once it expires in 2019. The meeting, which were first reported by Gizmodo,...
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When it comes to consumer drones, many people look to DJI for products like the Spark and the Mavic Pro. However, GoPro, which made a name for itself with action cameras, though that it could encroach into DJI's territory with its swanky Karma drone. Well, things haven't exactly been going well for the company on the drone front. A fresh report from TechCrunch says that GoPro will lay off between 200 to 300 employees this week, with most of those dismissals coming from its aerial drone division. According to a letter that the publication was able to obtain, GoPro says that its it taking this drastic...
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DJI has announced that it has a new firmware for the Spark drone coming this week, and it will be mandatory for everyone. The update brings with it enhancements for flight safety and performance, and owners who don't install the new firmware update by September 1 won't be able to fly their Spark drone. DJI says that the new firmware enhances the battery management system to optimize power supply during flight. The update also brings support for the DJI Goggles to the Spark drone's repertoire. Other tweaks included in the firmware are optimization for the PalmLaunch function that makes the...
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Most pet owners will agree that there are some days when walking the dog is the last thing you want to do. A drone retailer in the UK called Dronesdirect has a customized version of the Proflight drone that is specifically designed to take Fido for a walk when you just don't feel like it. This sounds like a great idea, as long as your dog is good on a leash and you don't mind those nearby assuming you to be the laziest dog owner ever. The drone is called the Proflight Walkies Dog Drone and it has a retractable lead to keep the dog safe and under control. Like the Proflight drone that it is...
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US Army recently banned the use of all drones built by drone maker DJI. The military warned that the drones might have unspecified "cyber vulnerabilities." The Army memo was published on August 2nd and read in part, "due to increased awareness of cyber vulnerabilities associated with DJI products, it is directed that the U.S. Army halt use of all DJI products." DJI is a Chinese company and the US government has long had fears of Chinese manufacturers installing spyware or backdoors into products, giving them access to classified and sensitive data. DJI for its part has announced that it is...
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DJI already blew us (and the GoPro Karma competition) away with the release of the Mavic Pro last year, and now the company is going even smaller with the release of the Spark. With the Spark, DJI has managed to cram in a ton of functionality into a device that is roughly the same size as a 12-ounce Coke can and weighs just 10.6 ounces. DJI is really pushing further into the mainstream market with an easy-to-fly drone that can be controlled with hands gestures. Although using hand gestures likely isn’t optimum for all situations, the Spark does have the ability to automatically enter Gesture Mode...
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Shippers like UPS and FedEx are looking for new ways to make the package delivery process more efficient as volume and costs increase across the board. For its part, UPS just showed off a new drone delivery system in Tampa, Florida that will allow the company to potentially reap millions of dollars in savings The HorseFly UAV Delivery drone, which was developed by Workhorse, resides in a compartment within the roof of UPS’ iconic brown delivery vehicle. A trap door within the ceiling allows the UPS driver to access the drone’s bottom-mounted delivery cage, into which they can place...
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At a time when most of the world is still debating on how to best regulate drone use for both consumer and commercial purposes (not to mention the use of autonomous vehicles on American roads), Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority has gone ahead and given the approval for the use of aerial drones to transport people. The impressiveness of this move can't be understated. Over the past few years, some major companies have been trying hard to make drone-use in business viable, especially Amazon. Only recently was the etail giant able to give "Prime Air" a test run, and that was in the UK. But here...
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Amazon may not be racing around the world in eighty days, but it has an eye on the sky. A recent United States patent application revealed that Amazon plans to develop a flying, zeppelin-like warehouse that would deploy delivery drones. Amazon has dubbed its portable warehouse as an “airborne fulfillment center” or AFC. The AFC would house unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) or drones that would deliver items from the AFC to customers. Some of the UAV’s would be temperature-controlled in order to deliver food. Amazon also plans to develop shuttles that would transport goods, drones, and people from...
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In case you haven't noticed, the popularity of drones has simply exploded over the past few years. That's to be expected, as their pricing continues to fall making them more accessible to the regular Joe (or Jill). That growth, however, comes with one big downside: an increased nuisance to the public and law enforcement. Yes, we're entering a time when people will want to do battle with drones, although in Drone Shield's case, no physical damage needs to be done. Drone Shield looks like a firearm, but it doesn't shoot bullets. Instead, it can send such an intense signal towards a drone that it...
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