Toggle light / dark theme

Alphabet’s Wing to Begin Biggest U.S. Drone-Delivery Test in Texas

(Bloomberg) — Alphabet Inc.’s Wing is set to begin the largest drone-delivery test program so far in the U.S., starting Thursday in the Dallas suburbs. Most Read from BloombergU.S. Drones for Ukraine Will Include Latest Tank KillersRussia Skirts Nearer Default After Dollar Payment BlockedCanada to Ban Foreigners From Buying Homes as Prices SoarEx-Oligarch Says Putin Sees War With the West Already UnderwayIf Stocks Don’t Fall, the Fed Needs to Force ThemWing LLC, which had announced its intention to begin the Texas deliveries last October, has obtained permission for the program from the Federal Aviation Administration, the company said in a statement Monday.

Wingcopter drones to deliver spare parts to offshore wind farms

Wingcopter says it’s teaming up with German Airways to explore the use of drones in the delivery of spare parts to offshore wind farms. This development comes days after two Singapore-based firms announced their plans to produce offshore wind farm delivery drones that would operate at 90% lower costs than current methods that involve the use of boats or helicopters.

At the time of deployment, Wingcopter’s delivery drones would take off from the Rostock Airport, requiring to land with pinpoint accuracy on a moving ship. Wingcopter says it will work closely with German Airways to develop this technologically demanding feature.

Japan Wants to Make Half Its Cargo Ships Autonomous by 2040

On top of the environmental concerns, Japan has an added motivation for this push towards automation —its aging population and concurrent low birth rates mean its workforce is rapidly shrinking, and the implications for the country’s economy aren’t good.

Thus it behooves the Japanese to automate as many job functions as they can (and the rest of the world likely won’t be far behind, though they won’t have quite the same impetus). According to the Nippon Foundation, more than half of Japanese ship crew members are over the age of 50.

In partnership with Misui OSK Lines Ltd., the foundation recently completed two tests of autonomous ships. The first was a 313-foot container ship called the Mikage, which sailed 161 nautical miles from Tsuruga Port, north of Kyoto, to Sakai Port near Osaka. Upon reaching its destination port the ship was even able to steer itself into its designated bay, with drones dropping its mooring line.

Elon Musk says people might download their personalities onto a humanoid robot Tesla is making, which he says could be in ‘moderate volume production’ next year

Elon Musk discussed a humanoid robot Tesla is making called Optimus, saying, “We could download the things that we believe make ourselves so unique.”


The longest drone corridor in the world could be built in the U.K., linking multiple cities across the country and representing the most ambitious British transport project since the railway network in the 18th century.

American Robotics CEO Reese Mozer calls 2022 an ‘inflection point’ in automated drone services

American Robotics CEO Reese Mozer has no beef with drone deliveries, but he thinks all the hoopla surrounding aerial transport of burgers and burritos is drowning out news about farther-reaching UAV activities that are dramatically changing the way businesses operate. He tells DroneDJ about that transformative innovation, and how American Robotics’s (AR) leading role in the complete automation of critical drone services to industry is set to take wing.

Nevertheless, Mozer adds, that action manages to generate sufficient media and public excitement to divert attention from the more complex, vital, and – in total financial terms – valuable surveying and inspection services drone automation provides heavy industry, energy, railroad, and infrastructure operators. And that’s precisely the UAV sector activity he predicts will begin taking off and turning heads this year.

World’s longest 165-mile ‘drone superhighway’ proposed in the UK

A UK consortium wants to build the world’s largest and longest “drone superhighway,” connecting towns and cities across the United Kingdom.


Also read: 14 amazing drone photos from DJI SkyPixel contest winners

The idea is to enable businesses in these regions to develop and grow through the commercialization of new drone-based products, processes, and services. However, a decision on whether the project would receive the green light is not expected for a few weeks at least.

But that’s not stopping Richard Parker, CEO and founder at Altitude Angel, from calling the proposed drone superhighway a harbinger of the second transport revolution in Britain. Here’s Parker:

‘Suicide drone’ that picks own targets seen in Ukraine in horror AI breakthrough

The six-foot drone is made by by ZALA Aero, a subsidiary of famed Russian arms manufacturer Kalashnikov. After being fired from a portable launcher the KUB-BLA can loiter over a target area for up to half an hour, flying at speeds of around 80mph.

Once it has recognised a suitable target it deliberately crashes into it, detonating its seven-pound high explosive payload.

Elon Musk Thinks Destinus Technology Will Soon End The War Against Russia, Know How

Mikhail Kokorich is the founder of Destinus. This serial entrepreneur has been dubbed Russia’s Elon Musk by his public relations team. The Russian businessman says his business, Destinus, is developing a hydrogen-powered, zero-emissions transcontinental delivery drone that can travel at speeds up to Mach 15.

Destinus plans to combine the technological advancements from a spaceplane with the ordinary and straightforward physics from a glider to create a hyperplane that will meet the many demands of a hyper-connected world.

This hyperplane will use clean hydrogen fuel to transport cargo between Europe and Australia in mere hours. The hyperplane will be fully autonomous; it will take off from ordinary runways, traveling leisurely to the coast before accelerating to supersonic speeds.

/* */