Engineers create world’s smallest flying robot with zero electronics onboard
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley have developed a magnetically powered, 21-milligram device under one centimetre.
Drone uses stars to navigate
Researchers at Australia’s University of South Australia have developed a lightweight celestial navigation system for drones, using stars to overcome GPS jamming.
Palletrone: Flying shopping trolleys are not far away
The Palletrone is a new aerial cargo transportation platform, developed by researchers at Seoul National University of Science and Technology in Korea.
High-speed aerial grasping with soft claws
Researchers from MIT’s SPARK Lab have developed a drone capable of high-speed aerial grasping using four soft finger-esque projections and an onboard perception system.
Treehugger: Flying bot wraps its wings around trees to perch
A research team from the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems at EPFL, Switzerland, have introduced an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that can perch on vertical poles using a passive wing morphing technique.
VIDEO: World’s first Mount Everest drone delivery
DJI, a Chinese UAV company, conducted drone transport tests on Mount Everest, achieving a new record by delivering supplies between base camp and camp 1 at 5,300 and 6,000 metres altitude respectively.
VIDEO: First UCAV to perform autonomous barrel roll
Turkish defence company Bayraktar have successfully tested their TB2 Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) performing a barrel roll combat maneuver by following a spiral trajectory and completing a full turn around its own axis.
DARPA funds long distance wireless drone charging system
The University of Texas at Dallas, USA, is advancing wireless technology to recharge drones mid-flight, potentially revolutionising UAV operations and other devices with far-field wireless power transfer.
VIDEO: Helium balloon drones
Germany-based H-Aero have developed bi-propeller helium balloon drones for long duration, energy efficient flight, with the largest model boasting a 3 kg sensor payload and 5 hr flight time.
Brazilian startup develops drones that fight the spread of dengue by releasing sterile Aedes mosquitoes
A Brazilian startup has developed a drone-based technology for releasing sterilised mosquitoes, including the Aedes aegypti, to combat the spread of viruses such as dengue and yellow fever in urban environments, now under validation by the International Atomic Energy Agency.