#DroneTechie – KnowTechie https://knowtechie.com Tech News, Reviews, and How-To's for the Non-Techie Sat, 05 Aug 2023 10:36:19 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://knowtechie.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/cropped-LOGO-ICON-KNOW-TECHIE-FINAL01-01-COLOR-32x32.png #DroneTechie – KnowTechie https://knowtechie.com 32 32 Drone deliveries are becoming a reality – are we ready for it? https://knowtechie.com/drone-deliveries-are-becoming-a-reality-are-we-ready-for-it/ Sun, 30 Oct 2022 12:40:00 +0000 https://knowtechie.com/?p=252038 Drone delivery is starting to become a reality, but will it soon be everywhere, or are we just dreaming?

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In recent years, cafes, supermarkets, and online shops have started to trial drone delivery in a handful of locations around the world.

More than a dozen drone delivery companies are now running such trials.

Just this week, Wing (owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet) announced a partnership with Australian supermarket giant Coles to deliver small items via drone to customers close to a Gold Coast supermarket. Wing is already operating in parts of Canberra and Logan, Queensland.

Given the technical success of various trials, it is worth exploring whether drone delivery might become mainstream and can be scaled up geographically.

As you would expect, the answer is “it depends.” There are many issues when considering drones around people, such as safety and infrastructure.

For example, a recent crash of a delivery drone on electricity lines in a suburb of Logan left thousands without power.

Safety first

Adding potentially dozens of small aircraft to the sky above our homes, workplaces and roads each day is a serious business.

As you would hope, currently, the operation of commercial drones is a highly regulated undertaking in most countries.

In Australia, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority has strict regulations that aim to make the operation of drones as safe as possible. They also prohibit drone use if the craft can’t be used safely in a given situation.

kroger drone delivery
Image: Kroger

In fact, Australia was one of the first countries to have drone regulations. For example, you cannot fly a drone close to an airport or directly over people.

Commercial operators of drones are acutely aware of this and gain a license to operate – it is not in anyone’s interest to operate unsafely, and it would be bad for business.

A limited geographic market – for now

To satisfy the requirement of operating drones safely, delivery operators focus on flying drones over unpopulated land, generally very low-density areas, and in particular, the urban fringe.

These are newer suburbs where drone flight paths can be planned to eliminate or minimize safety issues, such as unexpected crashes.

It is no coincidence Wing has been running drone delivery trials in low-density areas of Southeast Queensland and outer Canberra suburbs.

These places are ideal for drone delivery and a great place to continue to develop this business, even if the odd bird attack can disrupt things.

But drone delivery in dense parts of major cities? This is very unlikely in the medium term due to the difficulty of safely operating drones in dense suburbs.

Where would the delivery take place if you live in an apartment building? On the roof? Maybe, if your building was set up for it.

This is where scaling up faces the largest difficulties, and the logistics of running potentially hundreds of drones from a distribution center become truly challenging.

However, if there was a high demand for it, and the right investments were made, it is feasible that drone delivery to dense city areas could be achieved.

But just because it might be technically possible doesn’t mean it will happen.

The long-term business case would need to make sense, of course. But there is a more critical issue in the near term – the social license to operate.

A social license

A social license is not an official thing, a government body does not issue one. It is more about whether the general public accepts and supports the new thing.

At the end of the day, this social acceptance often determines the success or failure of the widespread uptake of new technology, such as delivery drones.

Take nuclear power, for example. Many countries have nuclear power, and the public seems happy with that.

Other countries had a social license for nuclear power and lost it, such as Japan.

In Australia, we do not have a social license for nuclear power, but that does not mean we won’t gain it in the future.

amazon drone in the sky
Image: Amazon

A social license is an ever-evolving construct based on the pros and cons of technology, all of which are influenced by its perceived value.

Most people are now seemingly comfortable with being tracked 24 hours a day by smartphones, as they believe the benefits outweigh the potential negative impacts.

It is likely we already have a solid social license to use drones to deliver emergency life-saving medicine to people in need.

In a potentially life-or-death situation like that, it is easy to see that, normally, the benefits outweigh any risks or inconvenience to others.

But delivering a coffee or a tube of toothpaste by drone? I think the social license for that is up for grabs. At this point, it could go either way.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

Editor’s Note: This article was written by Jonathan Roberts, Professor of Robotics, Queensland University of Technology, and republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Snapchat unveils a $230 self-flying drone called Pixy https://knowtechie.com/snapchat-unveils-a-230-self-flying-drone-called-pixy/ https://knowtechie.com/snapchat-unveils-a-230-self-flying-drone-called-pixy/#respond Thu, 28 Apr 2022 18:56:33 +0000 https://knowtechie.com/?p=198548 A $230 pocket-sized drone that can only fly for three minutes.

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Snap is now in the drone business. The company unveiled a $230 pocket-sized drone that follows you around. The device is called Pixy, and it can take pictures and videos that are automatically uploaded to Snapchat.

Announced during the Snap Partner Summit keynote, Pixy looks like it was created for ease of use. There’s no controller, no SD card for additional storage – just a dial to choose between the four preconfigured flight paths.

Different flight paths include float, orbit around you, follow you as you walk or run, and Pixy zooms into the air and starts recording. The resulting video is at a 2.7k resolution, or you can get 12-megapixel photos. To stop recording, you put your hand under Pixy and it will land.

READ MORE: Snapchat Plus adds BFFs and Story stats for $3.99 a month

https://youtu.be/cqIsDo-f670

READ MORE: Snapchat is reportedly adding a paid tier for early-access features

Snap says Pixy can capture five to eight flights on each charge from the 3.3Wh, 860mAh removable battery. In terms of flight time, that equals out to about three minutes. The whole drone, including the battery, only weighs 101g.

Pixy transfers its footage wirelessly to the Snapchat app via Snapchat Memories. You can then view, edit, and share the videos, using the same editing tools for Snapchat.

READ MORE: Snap launched a desktop version of its mobile app

Pixy is available for sale now, starting from $229.99 for the drone, a carrying case, one rechargeable battery, and a USB-C charging cable. Snap expects orders to ship within 11-12 weeks from the day you order.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

READ MORE: A new Snapchat update lets other users see your precise location

Editors’ Recommendations:

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Amazon delivery drones keep crashing https://knowtechie.com/amazon-delivery-drones-keep-crashing/ https://knowtechie.com/amazon-delivery-drones-keep-crashing/#respond Mon, 28 Mar 2022 16:59:23 +0000 https://knowtechie.com/?p=192599 In the span of 13 months, eight drones have crashed.

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As the old saying goes, what goes up must come down. And that seems to be the case with Amazon delivery drones. According to federal crash reports and internal documents obtained by Business Insider, at least eight drones have crashed in a span of 13-months.

Adding insult to injury, one of those drone crashes was responsible for an acres-wide brush fire from crashing back down to earth after falling 160 feet last June. The most recent crash was reported in February earlier this year in Oregon

We use a closed, private facility for our flight testing to ensure we are operating safely even when we push our drones to their limits,” an Amazon spokesperson tells KnowTechie in an email. “In this case, the fire was contained with no damage to people or structures, we reported it to the FAA as required, and we used the learnings to keep improving.”

READ MORE: Snapchat unveils a $230 self-flying drone called Pixy

For the uninitiated, Amazon is gearing up for Prime deliveries via drones. The program, Prime Air, would potentially allow the company to make deliveries by drones.

According to Insider, the company conducted more than 2,300 drone test flights last year. In an email to KnowTechie, Amazon points out the drones that crashed were not customer deliveries, but instead, experimental test flights.

amazon prime air drone
Image: Amazon

READ MORE: Amazon’s Prime Air drone delivery service is taking flight in California

So, why are these drones crashing? As Insider notes, the federal crash reports redact Amazon’s name, but the publication was able to confirm some of the mishaps in its own investigation.

Reasons reportedly include faulty propellers, motor, and software glitches. Thankfully, no one has been injured in tests conducted by the company.

“Safety is integral to everything that we do at Amazon,” an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement.

“We carry out experimental flights in a closed, private facility to test our drones or aspects of the technology we’ve installed within it. We test our drones and technology to its limit in this safe environment, we learn from the results, and continue to improve. This process allows us to ensure the drone we use for delivery is safe.” 

To be fair, eight reported crashes out of 2,300 test flights doesn’t sound all that bad. I’ve owned a few drones since 2014 and I can confidentely say that I’ve crashed them at least six times.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

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Autel’s new range of Evo drones is going to give DJI some stiff competition https://knowtechie.com/move-over-dji-autel-is-coming-for-ya-with-a-new-range-of-evo-drones/ https://knowtechie.com/move-over-dji-autel-is-coming-for-ya-with-a-new-range-of-evo-drones/#respond Thu, 06 Jan 2022 14:44:27 +0000 https://knowtechie.com/?p=178446 Autel showed off four new drones at its CES 2022 panel.

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Autel’s latest range of Evo drones is finally in the US, and they’re beastly. The four new Evo Nano and Evo Lite models offer upgraded cameras, able to record at up to 6K30 (for the Lite Plus), and with impressive low-light performance on all but the base Evo Nano.

They’re all specced and priced to compete directly against DJI in the consumer space, with high-tech features usually found in more expensive, larger drones. They were teased at the end of last year, with Autel waiting until CES 2022 to show them off fully.

Let’s dive in.

Autel Nano and Nano Plus

autel evo nano drones
Image: Autel

The diminutive Evo Nano is the same 249g weight as the DJI Mini 2, so it doesn’t need to be registered with the FAA before your first flight in the US. It’s got a 28 minute flight time, folding arms for transport, and a three-axis gimbal camera. To make it easier to fly, the Nano has forward, aft, and downward-facing obstacle sensors.

READ MORE: Snapchat unveils a $230 self-flying drone called Pixy

You’ll need your smartphone to fly it, paired with the included remote. You’ll also need a microSD card, as the Nano and Nano Plus don’t feature internal storage.

The main difference between the Nano and Nano Plus is the camera. On the base Nano, it’s a 1/2-inch CMOS sensor (like the one in your smartphone), capable of 48MP images and 4K 30fps footage.

On the Nano Plus, you get a 1/1.28-inch CMOS sensor, capable of 50MP images and 4K 30fps footage, with an f/1.9 aperture. It also has a different color filter array that offers better low-light performance.

The Autel Evo Nano and Nano Plus are shipping to distributors now. They come in Autel’s signature orange, red, white, or gray. The Nano Standard is $649, with the Premium bundle $799.

The Nano Plus Standard is $799, with the Premium bundle at $949.

Autel Evo Lite and Lite Plus

autel evo lite drones
Image: Autel

The 1.8lb Autel Evo Lite takes the camera from the Nano Plus and puts it onto a four-axis gimbal design that enables portrait orientation photography and video. It’s also got phase detection autofocus and a dual-focus algorithm that should be able to track fast-moving subjects.

The camera can record 4k 60fps footage, so this is the one to get if you’re serious about photography or videography. You also get 6GB of internal storage and the option for expansion via a microSD card.

The Evo Lite Plus changes the sensor to a 1-inch class one, that can support 20MP stills, 6K 30fps, or 4K 60fps video. It only has a three-axis gimbal, as the larger camera needs the space. It also has an adjustable aperture from F2.8-11.

The Autel Evo Lite and Lite Plus are shipping to distributors now. The Evo Lite Standard is $1,249, and the Premium bundle is $1,549. The Evo Lite Plus Standard is $1,349 and the Premium bundle is $1,649.

Autel Dragonfish Series

We know, this isn’t the drone that most of you will be picking up but it’s freaking cool. The Dragonfish series is aimed at enterprise users; with three models and multiple payloads to tweak for a wide range of use cases.

The tilt-rotor design can do vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL), and changes to fixed-wing flight at a moment’s notice. It was designed for industrial inspections, forest fire fighting, coastal patrol, agriculture use, or even public safety.

Oh, and as to why you’re probably not picking it up? The price starts at $100K and can run double that depending on which model and options are chosen.

Autel’s Evo Nano and Lite drones will be available at B&H, Best Buy, and Adorama.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editor’s recommendations:

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Review: TRNDlabs FADER drone – a terrific little drone that has one glaring weakness https://knowtechie.com/review-trndlabs-fader-drone/ https://knowtechie.com/review-trndlabs-fader-drone/#respond Mon, 20 Dec 2021 08:09:36 +0000 https://knowtechie.com/?p=93177 Overall, TRNDlabs' FADER drone is a terrific little drone that has one glaring weakness.

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The Good
It’s a ton of fun to play with
Durability and control are its strong points
It’s considerably easier to fly than the others I’ve tested in this price range.
The Bad
Battery life is its Achilles heel
8
Overall

Aww yeah, I finally got another drone in to play with – which is always a good time because I’m an absolutely terrible pilot. Typically when I fly, I wind up running the thing way too far up in the sky and praying it won’t fall to its immediate demise, or I’m too nervous to make it move and accidentally run it into things.

While TRNDlabs FADER drone isn’t the cheapest of the small plastic drones, it’s considerably easier to fly than the others I’ve tested in this price range. To say that I’ve not enjoyed abusing this thing would be a lie, the FADER is an absolute blast to play with.

The TRNDlabs FADER is yet another small, lightweight, plastic drone that’s meant to be a more economically affordable drone while still giving you a lot of performance for the money.

Equipped with a 720P camera and its own smartphone app (iOSAndroid), the FADER allows you to take photos and record video in real-time. I liked being able to watch the camera in real-time, but I found recording to be a little bit more challenging than it should have been.

The right bumper on the controller takes photos (and videos too, I think) but the app has icons on the touch screen which seem to be a much faster way to choose between whether or not you want to simply snap a photo or record video.

I crashed the drone quite a few times trying to get my iPhone X’s touch screen to activate the options, and I’m not sure if it was an operator error or if the app wasn’t as responsive as it could have been.

Perhaps it was the way the phone holder mounts your phone on the controller that was acting as a dummy touch, or maybe it was just me hectically trying to push buttons while keeping the drone in the air, but I sucked at capturing media.

fader drone
Image: TRNDLabs

I decided to take FADER’s learning approach seriously by following the instructional videos and materials in the manual. Unfortunately, the videos basically just read the manual, so they’re mostly irrelevant – but I did pick up the auto-calibration setting which I missed when reading the manual.

This made drone stability much more comfortable to balance for the initial flight, and I like the flight safeguard by not only having to rotate the stick up then down to prepare for flight but then having to press the auto land button to engage the rotors which would then allow the drone to take off.

It took me a few flights to fully understand how the auto-takeoff function worked, but once I realized that slightly pressing up on the throttle would jump the drone about three feet into the air before gliding back down to a much lower altitude, I had a considerably easier time learning the basics of flight.

trndlabs fader drone

Rather quickly, I was able to turn FADER’s sensitivity up to the highest setting, and for the first time in reviewing a drone, I was able to perform the automated flip functions reliably. FADER allows you to press down on the right stick, and then the drone will barrel roll to the left or right, or front/backflip with the flick of the direction.

This is a ton of fun and made for some impressive flying considering my skill level to anyone who happened to walk by while I was derping around outside with it.

While I did learn how to be a much better drone pilot due to FADER’s instructional materials and overall ease of use, I think some of my earlier struggles in capturing media had to do with being conscientiously aware of the FADER’s incredibly short battery life. 

Clocking in around seven minutes of flight time, FADER’s fun is unfortunately over by the time it gets started. I’m sure this is because the drone is continually streaming a WiFi signal and video, even if you aren’t connected or actively using the companion app.

fader drone
Image: TRNDlabs

Seven minutes of flight isn’t terrible, but it takes around 45 minutes to charge the battery. Quite honestly, seven minutes is barely worth walking outside for.

You can purchase additional batteries for the FADER directly from TRNDlabs, but even with their three-pack of additional FADER batteries being on sale for $29, you’re immediately up to $129 for the cost of this drone which starts to bring it out of the impulse purchase zone and more into “do I wanna pay $100+ for a toy I might fuck up in 10 minutes”.

Even if you buy three more batteries, you’ll be getting around 28 minutes of flight time while looking at 180 minutes of charge time. I wouldn’t exactly call that the best time investment trade, but the drone is really fun to fly in spite of being crippled by the battery.

Perhaps in the future models, the capture button on the controller could be used to enable/disable the streaming video/WiFi feed which could extend the battery life – likely doubling it for people who just wanna have fun flying their drone and don’t wanna invoke their inner Casey Neistat.

That being said, remember a few sentences ago when I said people might be afraid they’ll tear this little thing up? I have to admit: The FADER is remarkably durable considering its lightweight plastic.

fader drone

While I learned that because there’s not much weight to the drone and it struggles to maintain any sort of control in a decent strength breeze, it can also withstand smashing into a tree and being submerged in a creek for over 10 minutes while we looked for it.

I figured for sure that I’d murdered it, and it acted a little odd when I tried restarting it after being submerged, but letting it sit overnight, it worked flawlessly without any electronic drying gimmicks.

There’s a slight film on the inside of the plastic where the camera is, but that’s a small price to pay (and I could probably disassemble and clean it if I wanted to) if it still works after something that would have killed drones that cost twice as much.

Final Verdict

Overall, TRNDlabs’ FADER drone is a terrific little drone that has one glaring weakness. It’s a ton of fun to play with, and it’s got a lot of options that make it an attractive drone for beginner and intermediate pilots.

Durability and control are the strong points, but the battery is the Achilles heel. It likely should have come with an extra battery or two (or three) due to the short flight time.

If it had come with a battery charging station that could accommodate four batteries (I use that because they sell the three-pack of batteries) so that it would take 45 minutes to recharge for 28 minutes of flight time at around $150, the weak-ass battery would have been much easier to forgive but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

The TRNDlabs FADER drone is available for an MSRP of $49 and can be purchased on the company’s website or StackSocial.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. A review unit was provided to KnowTechie for review by TRNDlabs. Click here for more.

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An unmarked drone tried to attack the US power grid last year and it almost succeeded https://knowtechie.com/an-unmarked-drone-tried-to-attack-the-us-power-grid-last-year-and-it-almost-succeeded/ https://knowtechie.com/an-unmarked-drone-tried-to-attack-the-us-power-grid-last-year-and-it-almost-succeeded/#respond Mon, 08 Nov 2021 16:55:58 +0000 https://knowtechie.com/?p=168663 Attacks like this one are likely to become more of a problem in the future.

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In case the massive and deadly military drones that have been developed over the years aren’t scary enough, it looks like we should start worrying about smaller, personal drones as well. A new intelligence report tells how a consumer drone launched a solo attack on the United States power grid last year and almost succeeded.

According to a joint intelligence bulletin initially obtained by ABC News, the incident took place more than a year ago, in July of 2020. An unmarked DJI Mavic 2 drone approached a Pennsylvania substation with a copper wire suspended from a couple of ropes hanging beneath.

The plan? To disrupt the power grid by creating a short circuit using the wire hanging from the Mavic 2 drone. Fortunately, that plan didn’t work out so well, as the drone ended up crashing on a nearby rooftop, damaging its propellers.

The operator of the drone was never found. The Mavic 2 was completely stripped of any kind of identifiable markings, like serial numbers or SKU tags. The drone was also missing its onboard camera and the internal memory card – seemingly additional steps to conceal the operator’s identity.

To be completely frank, I would be surprised if this is the only incident like this that has happened in recent years. Chances are that this is just the one that the government wants to let us know about right now.

As more and more drones enter the air, this will continue to be a growing issue for the US government, both internationally and domestically.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

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Oops, the DJI Mavic 3 leaked early https://knowtechie.com/oops-the-dji-mavic-3-leaked-early/ https://knowtechie.com/oops-the-dji-mavic-3-leaked-early/#respond Thu, 04 Nov 2021 18:46:54 +0000 https://knowtechie.com/?p=168352 Beastly drone, beastly price.

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DJI has an event later today at 10 pm ET to show off some new products, but a review on YouTube that went live early tells us that at least one of those products is the hotly awaited DJI Mavic 3. Some publishing snafus earlier today by TechCrunch and PetaPixel (now both offline) sealed the deal.

We now know how much of a beast the Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Cine are, with the beastly price tag of $2,199 for the Mavic 3. Earlier leaks had the Mavic 3 at $2,299 based on the Chinese pricing, with the Fly-More combo at $2,799, and the Mavic 3 Cine at $5,199.

Yes, over $5,000 for a Mavic. That’s because the Cine is rumored to have 1TB of internal storage, and support for up to 2TB of SDcard storage. That’s way over the 8GB of internal storage that the base Mavic 3 has.

Both models have a new dual-camera system that includes a custom Hasselblad L2D-20c aerial camera. One lens is a 4/3 CMOS sensor with a 24mm prime lens, and a second lens is a hybrid 28x telephoto. A new camera means new capabilities, and that includes support for Apple ProRes 422 HQ, DCI 4K, and 5.1K. This should also have some 120fps video modes.

You can see a clip from an early review that’s in Mandarin Chinese, so follow along for the crisp visuals if you don’t speak that language. The Mavic 3 looks bigger than the previous Mavic 2, with larger props and that sweet-looking dual-lens camera. Check out the crispy footage, especially the follow-cam behind the SUV while it’s driving.

Other specs that we expect to be officially confirmed later are a new vision sensing system that can pick up items from 0.5m to 200m away (so it should be pretty hard to crash), a 900g weight, a new ActiveTrack 5.0 system, and the ability to stream video to the controller in 1080p/60. Claimed battery life is 46 minutes, which is insane if anywhere near true.

Anyway, we won’t have long to wait for official confirmation as the event is tonight at 10 pm EST.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

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Alphabet’s Wing drone has now delivered over 10,000 cups of coffee https://knowtechie.com/alphabets-wing-drone-has-now-delivered-over-10000-cups-of-coffee/ https://knowtechie.com/alphabets-wing-drone-has-now-delivered-over-10000-cups-of-coffee/#respond Fri, 27 Aug 2021 15:56:56 +0000 https://knowtechie.com/?p=160546 More than half of those deliveries come from one city in Australia.

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Wing is a company from Australia that is leading the way in automated drone delivery. Over the past year, the company delivered more than 10,000 coffees and 1,200 roasted chickens in one Australian city alone.

In a blog post on the company’s website, Wing celebrated its success ahead of the company’s two-year anniversary in September. The company, a subsidiary of Google’s parent company Alphabet, is quickly approaching 100,000 deliveries overall. Of those near 100,000 deliveries, more than 50,000 have come in one city in the last eight months alone.

The place where Wing has seen the most success is Logan, Australia. Logan is a city just outside of Brisbane, with a population of around 300,000 people. It is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, and the place where Wing has focused most of its expansion. The company serves a total of 19 surrounding suburbs in the city with a population of around 110,000 people.

READ MORE: Snapchat unveils a $230 self flying drone called Pixy

Despite the increased success in Logan, Wing hasn’t limited its efforts to Australian cities. The company has partnerships with businesses and companies around the world.

The company began expanding in the US after becoming the first delivery drone company to win approval from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in 2019.

READ MORE: Amazon delivery drones keep crashing

And it looks like it’s just the beginning for Wing. The company has its eyes on cities all over the world as potential places for high-volume drone deliveries. The company says it’s gearing up for several exciting announcements, including new partnerships, new technologies, and new cities.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

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This egg-looking thing is a drone, webcam, and handheld camera all in one https://knowtechie.com/this-egg-looking-thing-is-a-drone-webcam-and-handheld-camera-all-in-one/ https://knowtechie.com/this-egg-looking-thing-is-a-drone-webcam-and-handheld-camera-all-in-one/#respond Thu, 08 Jul 2021 19:37:47 +0000 https://knowtechie.com/?p=155600 Get you a drone that can do it all.

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Ever wished that your drone could replace your webcam? Well, with the $900 PowerEgg X, you can now replace your webcam, your camcorder, and your camera drone with one device that looks like its namesake, an egg.

Billed as the first full-platform AI camera, the PowerEgg X doesn’t have to fly around to give you 4K 60FPS footage because you can opt not to put the rotor arms on and use the drone as a handheld or tripod-mounted, gimbal-stabilized camera. That’s a neat trick, considering most drones are best when in the air and can’t really multipurpose.

Depending on which accessory pack you buy, the PowerEgg X can withstand the weather or even land safely on the water without your expensive drone sinking like, umm, an egg to the bottom.

The 4K camera module within the egg packs a 1/2,8″ CMOS 12-megapixel sensor that can output 60fps footage at 4K. The internal 6GB of storage will probably fill up quick at that resolution, but you can stick 128GB microSD cards in to extend your recording time. The PowerVision app has editing capabilities, and you can share instantly from your smartphone without needing to transfer anything to your computer.

READ MORE: Snapchat unveils a $230 self-flying drone called Pixy

The latest firmware update enabled a host of livestreaming features, like the ability to stream to third-party services like YouTube and TikTok with the drone. The PowerEgg X’s Smart AI comes in handy here, with gesture control and facial recognition to control the drone and keep the focus on the presenter, with 720p and 1080p options.

We’ve got a review unit on the way, which we’re excited to get testing so we can tell you just how well it does in practice.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

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Bad news drone pilots, you’re gonna need to take another test https://knowtechie.com/bad-news-drone-pilots-youre-gonna-need-to-take-another-test/ https://knowtechie.com/bad-news-drone-pilots-youre-gonna-need-to-take-another-test/#respond Thu, 01 Jul 2021 15:36:15 +0000 https://knowtechie.com/?p=155187 Thankfully, the test is extremely easy.

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If you’ve got a drone that you like to fly whenever you get the chance, you’re going to want to read this. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has just made a new test a requirement for all recreational drone users.

Yes, all users, even those with their Part 107 certification for commercial use need to take the new test. The Recreational UAS Safety Test (TRUST) applies to all drones as well, even the small ones that are under the 250g weight limit for needing registration.

You’ll want to get it as soon as possible, as the FAA or law enforcement could ask you for proof while you’re flying, and you’re legally obliged to show it.

Here’s the list of approved online providers that are administering the TRUST for the FAA. They’re all non-governmental organizations, the test is online and free, and once taken it will never expire.

The good thing? The FAA says it’s virtually impossible to fail. No, really. If you get a question wrong, the test will tell you why that answer was wrong and let you retake the question. It’s all about education, not locking people out of a growing hobby.

Once you bumble your way through the test, you’ll get a certificate that will never expire. Keep hold of that, because neither the testing center nor the FAA will keep a record of your name and if you passed, so you’ll have to retake the test if you lose the certificate.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

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