Kelly Shores

A company based in the northwestern United States called DroneSeed is speeding up the process of replanting forests in areas where logging has left the landscape barren of trees. The company is using specially modified drones to first spray herbicides and then fire seeds into the ground using compressed CO2. Using drones instead of humans both speeds up the process and drastically reduces costs. I...

Earlier this year, a team of drone pilots was hired to fly to Vietnam to shoot drone footage in one of the largest cave systems in the world. This article tells the interesting story of how they transported the drones to this remote location and were able to actually shoot the footage. Despite problems with customs, equipment malfunctioning in the humidity, lack of light, high heat and many other ...

With the passage of the FAA’s Part 107 in the US, commercial drone use is up. Recently, Allstate insurance, one of the world’s largest home owner insurance providers, began using drones to inspect the roofs of homes damaged in recent storms in San Antonio, Texas. The company used to send insurance adjusters and roof inspectors to climb on the top of the roofs, but no longer. With drone...

Everyone knows that drones are becoming more and more popular, not only for recreational flying, cinematography and FPV racing, but also in many industries. Forbes recently released an infographic that shows the major industries that are using drones now and will be using drones more in the near future. The commercial impact is staggering! Don’t be surprised if you next pizza is delivered by...

As drones become more and more prevalent, fears about privacy and security continue to increase. And, of course, where there is a need (and money to be made), there is innovation! Several promising drone deterrent technologies have recently been announced. Some of them simply detect the presence of an unwanted visitor in the sky, some block them from coming overhead, and some, like the ApolloShiel...

Project Drone is a FPV drone racing game that can be played either as a single player or multiplayer in a competitive mode. Project Drone is both drone simulator and a game. You can, for example, practice flying a FPV racing drone, race against your friends, do crazy stunts and tricks and explore stunning locations with your friends or by yourself.  The game includes eight different racing locatio...

Yesterday we mentioned the Erida from YI Technology. We recently discovered another small form factor drone that could compete with the DJI Mavic and the GoPro Karma. It’s called the Breeze and it’s made by the reputable drone company Yuneec. The Yuneec Breeze seems to be made for taking selfies. It has a 4K camera and a “follow me” mode that keeps you and your friends in t...

YI Technology is a Chinese camera manufacturer with a large customer base and a reputation for making good cameras. And, just like GoPro, they are entering the drone market. But can a traditional camera manufacturer make a decent drone? And more importantly, can they market and sell drones in an industry that is seeing greater and greater competition every day? Find out more about the Erida from Y...

Parrot unveiled a hybrid of a fixed-wing quadcopter and traditional drone. The Parrot Swing takes off vertically but can then fly like a fixed wing aircraft giving it higher speeds and a longer flight time. Parrot CEO Henri Seydoux said that “The Swing is made to play in your backyard. It’s also quite easy to pilot compared to traditional minidrones as it’s much more stable. It’s much more e...

An unsuspecting wedding videographer was the unfortunate victim of a swarm of balloons that attacked and crashed his drone. Well, not really, but he did experience an unexpected surprise when a couple, whose wedding he was shooting for them, did a balloon release right below his flight path. The drone did get its propeller caught by one of the balloons and did take a tumble to the ground. Everyone...

September has been an exciting month for drone enthusiasts! Earlier this month we saw the announcement of the new GoPro Karma drone. And, as if right on cue, yesterday saw the announcement and unveiling of the DJI Mavic, a quadcopter designed to compete directly with the GoPro Karma! The Mavic was announced at a large event very reminiscent of an Apple product launch. With guest celebrity (at leas...

What is the biggest limiting factor when it comes to drone flight time? It is usually the battery. Today’s LiPo batteries in most drones can fly for 20 – 30 minutes at the top end. MMC is hoping to change that with their announcement of the HYDrone 1800, the world’s first hydrogen fueled drone. The HYDrone 1800 can stay in the air for up to 4 hours without refueling and works in ...