Drones – RAMONE

FAA committee says small drones should be allowed to fly over cities and crowds

April 7, 2016

A working group commissioned by the Federal Aviation Administration has released a set of recommendations for how small drones should be regulated, opening a path for commercial drone flight over populated cities, and even creating a special class of drones that would be allowed to fly over large crowds at low altitudes. The report argues that drones that weigh 250 grams or less should be allowed to fly with little to no restrictions, so long as they can prove there is a minimal chance of ...

Drones, News, Technology

New drone video shows Apple’s massive new spaceship campus is coming together

April 3, 2016

Apple’s new headquarters is no simple office building. Yes, it looks like a UFO. And, yes, it is estimated to cost close to $5 billion dollars. But it is shaping up impressively ahead of its planned late 2016 or early 2017 completion date. Just a few months ago, the buildings appeared to be in little more than their primordial stage. Now, the latest aerial drone video of the Cupertino, CA, campus shows that glass and solar panels are starting to be put in place, and buildings look to ...

Drones, News

‘AIRTime’ Is a 4K Drone Film Featuring Breathtaking Footage From Around the World

March 25, 2016

Christian Grewe’s AIRTime drone film compiles seven months worth of footage into a beautifully shot travel log, recorded in stunning 4K resolution. Grewe registered over 80,000 km, filming his experiences across 12 different countries. While drones have earned a reputation for being invasive, in the right hands, they can be used to do good. Such is the case with AIRTime, which culls a lifetime of memories into a six-minute-long documentation of breathtaking vistas, frighteningly high ...

Drones, News

Teenager wins $250,000 in biggest drone race yet

March 14, 2016

A British teenager has won $250,000 after placing first in the inaugural World Drone Prix in Dubai. 15-year-old Luke Bannister piloted his drone to victory along an outdoor track, using a camera mounted on its front to steer the craft through a series of illuminated hoops from a first-person viewpoint, and beating out competition from 150 other teams in the process. Drone racing has rocketed in popularity over the last year, but Dubai’s World Drone Prix is one of the biggest events ...

Drones, News

If drone racing is the sport of the future, how will we watch it?

February 13, 2016

There has been a growing excitement around the prospect of a new sporting league where competitors race that very futuristic sounding vehicle, a drone. By drone they mean small remote controlled quadcopters, incredibly agile little aircraft that can move at speeds of over 100 miles and hour. Unlike most racing sports — cars, horses, dog sleds — there is no human onboard the drone. The pilots are all standing about with goggles on, steering based on a live video feed from a camera on the ...

Drones, News

Bird’s-eye view: using Avegant’s Glyph headset to pilot a drone

February 10, 2016

Despite my best efforts over the years I have never managed to master the art of lucid dreaming. My nightly visions come and go as they please. So when a dream arrives and I find myself flying, it’s always an unexpected and terrifying treat. But earlier this week I found myself soaring above the earth, skyscrapers in the distant background, ships gently rocking on the water below. I was wide awake, wearing the Avegant Glyph headset and piloting a DJI Inspire 1 drone. The Glyph began as ...

Drones, News

Is Drone Racing the High-Speed Sport of the Future?

February 2, 2016

Images courtesy of the Drone Racing League Competitive drone racing feels like a video game come to life. Flying robots zoom through space at speeds pushing 80 miles per hour, navigating enormous courses laid out in subway tunnels, abandoned buildings, and NFL stadiums. Drone pilots have the reflexes of seasoned gamers and the technical know-how of aerospace engineers. They fly via remote control, using virtual reality goggles that stream video live from onboard cameras. On January 26, the ...

Drones, News

The Coming Age of the Military Micro-Drone

February 2, 2016

CICADA The Close-In Covert Autonomous Disposable Aircraft, or CICADA, is playfully described as a “paper airplane with a circuit board” in a recent AFP article. The micro-drone is intended to be deployed in, what the U.S. military has taken to calling, “swarms.” The CICADA swarm is dropped from an airplane to glide down to the Earth’s surface, directed by an on-board GPS which can guide the drones to within 4.5 meters (approx. 15 ft) of its target destination from a 17 km (approx. 11 mile) ...