Light Detection and Ranging (Lidar) imagery offers high resolution models of ground elevation, with vertical accuracy.  As  Lidar sensors have gotten smaller and lighter for use on drones, the use cases have expanded. Lidar imagery is flexible and precise, which makes it useful for professionals who want to understand a surface.  With Lidar, users can see the ground beneath the tree cover, or with Bathymetric LiDAR, the riverbed beneath the water.  Lidar’s high resolution maps are used for applications that range from archeology to disaster management. Lidar data can be tricky to understand, however.  Without the context of traditional imagery, Lidar requires users to interpret what they are seeing.  Lidar scanners don’t typically capture color, including only elevation or intensity values. SimActive Software Used to Colorize Lidar  Now, SimActive Inc . announces the use of its lidar point cloud colorization capabilities by users of multi-sensor syste...

US drone manufacturer Skydio  funding soars by $230 million for a total of over $562 million. From the Skydio funding announcement: The $230 million Series E round brings Skydio’s total funding raised to $562 million with a current valuation of over $2.2 billion. Linse Capital led the round, joined by existing investors Andreessen Horowitz, Next47, IVP, DoCoMo, NVIDIA, the Walton Family Foundation and UP.Partners. Skydio also welcomed new investors Hercules Capital and Axon , a technology leader in global public safety and a key Skydio technology partner. Skydio has grown by 30x since it entered the market 3 years ago, based upon its US manufacturing and a ground breaking autonomy platform.  As demand in both civil and military markets increase, Skydio unveils a new 36,000 square feet manufacturing facility and expects to add 150 manufacturing jobs to the Hayward, CA site and other US locations. Skydio drones are now used by every branch of the U.S. Department of Defense, by o...

  Skydio , the leading U.S. drone manufacturer and world leader in autonomous flight, today announced it has raised $230 million in funding following a year that saw its enterprise customer base exceed 1,200 organizations, just three years after entering the enterprise and public sector market. Skydio drones are now used by every branch of the U.S. Department of Defense, by over half of all U.S. State Departments of Transportation, by over 200 public safety agencies in 47 states and across more than 60 energy utilities. Additionally, Skydio is used by enterprises in over a dozen other industries. These customers are automating complex inspection tasks and getting situational awareness in life and death situations. On the strength of its autonomy technology, Skydio is now the largest drone manufacturer in the United States. The $230 million Series E round brings Skydio’s total funding raised to $562 million with a current valuation of over $2.2 billion. Linse Capital led the round, join...

A sad time for Canadian model fliers and a lesson for model aircraft organisations around the world. The AMA, BMFA, SAMAA etc have to work hard to protect model flying, it was around before manned flight after all. I guess there are two paths available in Canada, MAAC start fighting properly with more people joining to help with relevance or just close it down. We first reported that there were storm clouds brewing in Canada in December 2022 there were calls to pull that letter down, don’t worry it will be ok. Transport Canada has not improved safety one jot with this action established model flying organisations really are the experts in RPAS safety. In my opinion, it looks like a money group from the commercial drone world with the ear of Transport Canada has managed to win a divide-and-conquer campaign. Transport Canada exempted MAAC Members from having to take the RPAS test required for drone drivers and from registering each model aircraft they owned. In their own words, MAAC rec...

Drones are becoming a common inspection tool across various industries, enhancing efficiencies, providing more accurate data and improving safety. Just a few years ago, drones were viewed as a novel inspection tool, with the systems typically only deployed for very specific missions to collect very specific data. As these platforms have proven their value, there’s been a shift: Drones have become integral to routine inspection plans across a variety of industries, including oil and gas, utilities and construction, and their involvement is only expected to grow. UAS are becoming part of a structured way to collect data, whether through in-house programs or third parties, providing insights that go beyond this asset has a leak here or corrosion there. Decision-makers can look back on the maps and models created for a more wholistic view of their assets and sites. And the data collected is going higher up the management chain for decision making and is now being disseminated across groups...

As wine grapes hit a critical stage in the Southern hemisphere, drones are changing vineyard management to make it safer, easier, and more efficient. XAG P100 Agricultural Drone, with a large payload for spraying, flew over the steep hills and into the vineyards of Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. In the face of climate change, it has helped wine growers control fungal diseases with less water and reduce manual labour. Oceania is an important grape-growing region for producing quality wines, where New Zealand is known for its outstanding wine grape varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. In 2022, New Zealand exported $1.9 billion of wine, representing 3.6% of its annual export revenue. The wine industry has become one of the country’s top export earners. Powdery mildew, a typical type of fungal disease spread by spores, is the key challenge of grape cultivation. It can attack both vines and grapes, decreasing yields and affecting the aroma of wines. Due to the changing weather, the...

ätigkeitsbeschreibung: System Engineer for Electrical Propulsion System for eVTOL Our Purpose, Our Team and Our Ambition  Airbus Urban Mobility (AUM) aims at laying the foundation for more efficient and sustainable city travel. To co-create an entire industry from scratch, we will develop cutting-edge technical solutions as well as engage with a wide range of stakeholders to build the necessary ecosystem and to ensure maximum societal benefit. In line with our purpose of pioneering sustainable aviation, we are using the emerging eVTOL domain (electrical vertical take-off and landing) to open up the sky in cities and to offer a mobility solution for the third dimension. Within the AUM Engineering department, the team is responsible for the development of the overall Urban Air Mobility products. The team is turning the existing set of strategic UAM initiatives into a coherent demonstrator program that delivers an end-to-end UAM solution that is certified, competitive, and tailored to...

Do you want to capture incredible scenes with your Mini 3 Pro, such as the ones you watch on YouTube or Instagram? The process is straightforward. To record video on DJI Mini 3 Pro, go to camera view and press the record red button on the right side of the screen. Also, if you are using a mobile device with an RC-N1, ensure that you are in recording mode, and press the right trigger once to start recording. Or press the left trigger once to record when using a DJI RC. But what about capturing fun videos and beautiful cinematics? This guide explains the process of recording videos with the Intelligent Flight Mode. You’ll learn how to use this feature to record appealing content. Finally, we give you a complete lesson on how to adjust your camera to take videos like a pro. But first, let’s review the simple steps to record a video. Record Video on DJI Mini 3 Pro To record a video with your drone, you first need to pair it with a remote controller or device. RC-N1 As the RC-N...

The DJI Mini 3 Pro drone currently remains one of the best drones assembled with many features packed in under 250 grams, including avoidance sensors and the ability for the drone to ‘Return to Home’ safely. What is Return to Home, and how does it work on DJI Mini 3 Pro? The Return to Home feature is a failsafe mechanism where your DJI Mini 3 Pro drone will return to the take-off point automatically, or to the pilot/RC position in case the signal of the drone is lost, the drone has a low battery, or when the pilot manually activates it.   This feature has been a lifesaver for many drone pilots and nowadays is part of almost all DJI drones, including the DJI Mini 3 Pro. But what else do we need to know, and what are the best configurations and safe ways to use the return-to-home function on the DJI Mini 3 Pro? Return to Home function for DJI Mini 3 Pro, explained in detail The return to home function is nowadays an essential feature of any drone, including the DJI Mini 3 Pr...

A Hawaiian getaway is calling your name – can you hear it? You dream of strolling the sandy shores of Oahu and feeling the sun on your back, and you want to bring your drone with you to capture every magnificent moment. Can you use a drone in Oahu? You can fly a drone in Oahu, but you’re prohibited from flying in any state park or near any airports in the area. Some of the best spots for using a drone in Oahu are Sandy Beach State Park and Waimea Waterfall. In today’s article, we’ll further explain the rules for using a drone in Oahu, recommend some must-see flight destinations, and offer tips and pointers for a safe flight. Make sure you don’t miss it! Can you fly a drone in Oahu? Under the jurisdiction of the FAA, you can use a drone throughout Hawaii, including the small island of Oahu. » MORE: Drone Laws in Hawaii Oahu contains the state capital of Honolulu, making it a premier destination for drone pilots lucky enough to take a vacation or business trip to this part ...

By  Scott Simmie InDro Robotics has obtained what we believe to be a Canadian first: A waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct Beyond Visual Line of Sight flights. The waiver will allow InDro to expand its successful program of remotely piloted infrastructure inspections where we ship a drone to the location – and instruct a person there to be a Visual Observer during the flight. Specifically, the FAA waiver permits InDro to remotely operate drone inspections of fenced solar farms in Class G airspace, 10 miles (16 km) from airports. Operations can reach a maximum altitude of 400′ AGL. The waiver opens the skies for InDro to tap into a large market, remotely inspecting some of the 2,500+ solar farms in the United States. Below: A solar farm in Hawaii. Photo courtesy Reegan Moen, US Dept of Energy. Inspection without the hassle Solar farms require regular inspection. Traditionally, these have been done by employees walking the grounds with a handheld thermal sensor, pl...