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Skydweller Aero Inc., an aerospace company developing solar-powered aircraft for defense and commercial industries, today announced the successful completion of its first autonomous flight test demonstrations utilizing the company's new proprietary fly-by-wire (FBW) actuation control system.

The first petrol stations as we know them appeared in the 1920s - more than a decade after cars had already become a mainstay in America's burgeoning urban centers. Petrol stations and sprawling, well-paved road networks enabled longer, safer, and more reliable trips, unlocking the potential of the car.
Today, we're in a similar situation regarding drones.

From scientific research, firefighting and rainmaking to energy-saving airborne deliveries, more sustainable agriculture and renewable energy, unmanned systems are enabling the shift to a green economy.

Flyability's Elios 3 has successfully completed a 3D mapping operation of a radioactive waste storage vault following more than a year of preparation and research. The information obtained in the mapping project will prove crucial to planning the vault's removal. This is thought to be the first time a drone has been deployed to enter a high-level radioactive waste storage vault.

If you think you can model eVTOL aircraft charging based on the same systems used for electric cars, think again.
That is the message from Josh Portlock, the CTO of Electro, an Australia-based company that manufactures electric aircraft charging products. Portlock delivered his pitch at the recent Vertical Aviation Safety Team (VAST) conference.

The Matrice DJI M30T is the latest addition to the fleet but is already pulling its weight for clients who want to get to grips with sky-high energy costs.

Travelers know how hard it can be to find a plug at the airport to charge a phone or laptop. Now airlines are facing a similar challenge as they electrify their ground and air operations.

Tulsa Innovation Labs (TIL) began with a mission to build a tech hub that leverages Tulsa's strengths and to create inclusive opportunities in tech and sticky, long-term, high-wage jobs in the region. In a new initiative, TIL hopes to attract energy tech startups to the region with a $50 million fund that will offer early-stage capital, access to office space and custom startup support services, and a program to pilot new technologies with regional energy leaders.

SoCalGas' zero-emission initiatives are including Doosan Mobility Innovation's hydrogen fuel cell-powered drones.

Today, leading autonomous inspection and monitoring solution provider Percepto revealed that it has successfully concluded a proof-of-concept (POC) for the observation of a 250 acre floating solar farm alongside the Electric Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT).

Mapping drone manufacturer Event 38 Unmanned Systems completed a successful demo flight of a drone powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, at the Kent State University airport. The flight was the culmination of a multi-year project, initiated in 2020 with sponsorship by the Ohio Federal Research Network (OFRN), a program managed by Parallax Advanced Research. Event 38 partnered with experts at Kent State University, Case Western Reserve University, the University of Dayton, and Wright State University to investigate the potential of fuel cells as a power source for drones.

At the keynote address this morning in Orlando, Florida Power and Light and Percepto, the Israeli-based autonomous drone platform, took the stage to talk about the work that they are doing in Florida.
Florida Power and Light and Percepto are a partnership that is breaking new ground in the use of autonomous drone technology in the power industry.  FPL uses Percepto's drones for disaster recovery, line maintenance, and more.  This morning, Eric Schwartz from FPL, manager of the FPL Flight division, joined Percepto Chief Commercial Officer Ariel Avitan to talk about how they do it and what comes next.

Billions of dollars are finding their way into the numerous startup companies that are now jamming the personal aircraft, air taxis or emergency flight for first responders markets. NASA, to my amazement, is working to take this industry to the next level. They are working with the most prospective products with industry leaders and merging that with public acceptance, which is a major paradigm shift.

The exploration of airborne transportation and advanced air mobility (AAM) is the focus of a new partnership between the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Supernal—an advanced air mobility company from Hyundai Motor Group (earlier post). Supernal is developing electric, autonomous air vehicles capable of accommodating four to five passengers with the intent to launch commercial flights as early as 2028.

Portland-based Global Energy Transmission has demonstrated fast wireless charging for drones that gives delivery, inspection, or surveillance drones essentially unlimited range.

Researchers at University of Illinois at Chicago, through a partnership with the U.S. Army, are developing a new power supply system that will allow drones to recharge wirelessly from vehicles on the ground.

The UK government has agreed to invest in the development of a Drone Port at Montrose in Scotland, which is expected to benefit the emerging offshore wind developments and create a regulated testing area to attract companies from across the UK.

A Washington State University research team for the first time has successfully demonstrated the use of liquid hydrogen and a unique refueling system for powering Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.

At the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command's Army Research Laboratory, researchers developed a novel sensor and software application to detect and avoid energized power lines in the vicinity of unmanned aerial system, or UAS.

Whether it's for examining high-voltage power lines and natural gas pipelines, or seeding and spraying crops in a field, drones are getting a lot of attention, in Iowa and elsewhere.

As industry and society in general come back on line after months of interruption due to the threat of COVID- 19, Garrett Scott, UAS coordinator for Duke Energy, said he believes "a lot of the things we're seeing right now, whether because of social distancing or the financial [aspect], are going to be around for quite a while after we move out of this mandated period."

Xcel Energy has announced an initiative to deploy multiple UAS to inspect and photograph utility lines in its Chaffee County CO service area.

With the help of NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley, Swift Engineering of San Clemente, California, completed a two-hour flight test of their Swift High-Altitude Long-Endurance (HALE) UAS. The applications of the technology – for science, agriculture, and disaster response – could have a real impact on our everyday live

There may not be many pure-play drone stocks at the moment but the list is growing. There are other promising investment opportunities to consider. Here are seven drone stocks to watch.

As the world navigates a host of unprecedented challenges brought on by the coronavirus outbreak, we must look to new and innovative technologies for solutions. Drones must be part of the new normal post-pandemic.

One solution for reducing time and costs associated with visually inspecting individual wind turbine sites prior to development is to use an unmanned aerial vehicle when conducting the in-person field review.

As utilities respond to customers' expectation of network uptime, in the face of worsening natural disasters, they're investing in their power grids. By deploying remote sensors on drones, utilities are accelerating, automating, and amplifying their load analysis in a way that improves uptime.

The George Kaiser Family Foundation launched a new technology-led economic and workforce development organization to support Tulsa as an emerging tech hub.

The power industry was an early adopter of drone technology, but in this insider piece Andre Louis-Ferdinand says that the sector continues to find new applications and new uses for drones – especially in these challenging times.

In this recent op-ed by SkySkopes president and CEO Matt Dunlevy notes we need to remind ourselves during theses unprecedented times of the silver linings: society is going to pull through this mess and we have things to look forward to; one of them is with unmanned aircraft systems.

As part of its Wildfire Mitigation Plan, Southern California Edison will use drones over parts of the High Desert to inspect power equipment.

As the coronavirus lockdown stretches on with no certain end in sight, remote technologies, virtual services, and business delivery systems using drones that promote social distancing while sustaining some level of economic activity are experiencing an unsurprising boom.

Drones have been used in the power industry for a few years now, but in the U.S., power line stringing is a relatively new application.

Drone inspections play a vital role in preventive maintenance of vertical structures, ships, worksites and horizontal infrastructure like railroad tracks and power lines. Therefore, connected drones are the next phase of this technology.

Beyond their surveillance capabilities, drones can support inspection and asset management inside the manufacturing plant.

Unmanned vehicle control expert Lockheed Martin Canada CDL Systems and Canadian UAVs, a Calgary, Alberta-based military-grade unmanned aviation services company, recently signed a memorandum of understanding to build a solution that could enable BVLOS unmanned operations in Canada and beyond. 

US-based drone technology provider PrecisionHawk has raised $32m in Series E funding round from venture investors.

Officials from Kansas electric-utility company Evergy Inc. presented a study session to the Kansas Corporation Commission on how their unmanned aircraft system program is making utility work safer and more efficient.

Redwood City-based Skydio unveiled Skydio 2 two weeks ago, a $1,000 autonomous drone that can track objects and people while traveling upwards of 30 miles per hour.

Breakthroughs in drone technology aimed at oil and gas companies, such as advanced integration of artificial intelligence (AI), have added urgency to the fight for regulatory gains with the Federal Aviation Administration. Drones, or unmanned aerial systems, are increasingly pairing with AI capable of analyzing data gathered from oil and gas infrastructure in response to industry needs. As a result, interest from midstream operators has grown.

The old catchphrase "Virginia is for Lovers" may be true but – thanks to a North Carolina start-up the Commonwealth is also for drone lovers.

There are many terrific benefits of drones across multiple sectors.  Every week, we read about the new benefits of using UAVs for inspections.

The Electric Power Research Institute expects a future state where utilities use unmanned aerial systems to support the next generation of inspections and assessments.

In this question & answer articke frpm Prairie Business, SkySkopes CEO Matt Dunlevy talks about his company's role today as a drone service provider.

In our 2019 drone industry survey, we sought out to understand how the U.S. drone industry is doing — are pilots making money? What industries are they in? How often are they flying?

The Kansas Department of Transportation received the green light from the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct a unique drone flight. This flight will be performed beyond the visual line of sight, meaning it will fly past the operator's ability to monitor it from the ground.

Drone service firms are finding success in the oilfields.

Skysense ​today ​​announce​d​ the launch of ​its long-awaited new High Power Outdoor Charging Pad product line.

Revolution in the power energy sector in on. Polish UAV manufacturer recently launched the innovative photogrammetry-based algorithm for transmission line modelling. It is to replace costly helicopter inspections. 

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a helicopter-shaped drone cruising over miles of Xcel Energy transmission lines.