BROWSING: UAVs

Industrial automation vendor Rockwell Automation is working with French multinational energy company TotalEnergies to implement a robot fleet management system for its offshore oil and gas platforms. Rockwell Automation has been engaged via its professional services business Kalypso. The duo are to start testing...

Nokia has released a cellular-connected drone solution for enterprises to run remote security and maintenance inspections of sites and equipment. It claims it is the first CE-certified cellular drone solution, meeting European health, safety, and environmental protection standards. It works with public and private...

US private cellular Ondas Holdings has completed the acquisition of Israeli drone system and platform developer Airobotics through a merger acquisition, in a deal worth $15.2 million. The new drone unit is to be combined with American Robotics, acquired by Ondas Holdings for $70.6...

US private cellular Ondas Holdings, parent of Ondas Networks, is to buy Israeli drone system and platform developer Airobotics in a $15.2 million merger acquisition. The new business will be combined with American Robotics, its other drone subsidiary, acquired by Ondas Holdings for $70.6...

Ericsson is working with US real estate developer Hillwood to offer a tool for autonomous and connected vehicle companies to access “secure and constant” 4G and 5G connectivity at the Mobility Innovation Zone (MIZ) within the 27,000-acre AllianceTexas development in Fort Worth, in Texas....

FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx, is working with California-based aerial cargo startup Elroy Air to launch test flights for autonomous drone cargo deliveries in 2023. The deal is billed as a “first of its kind agreement” in the US. FedEx Express said it...

Japanese manufacturing group Mitsubishi Electric has inducted country-mate NTT Docomo into its new Industry 4.0 alliance in Thailand in order to offer private 5G with smart manufacturing solutions from other partners. Mitsubishi Electric called it “the first case of private 5G with Japanese equipment”...

Telstra has deployed a private 5G network for industrial tech organisation AgriFood Connect in Australia. It has worked with Ericsson on the deployment; it is the Swedish vendor’s first private-5G install in Australia. AgriFood Connect is a not-for-profit seeking to drive tech adoption in...

The Federal Communications Commission is taking a fresh look at a proceeding that asks the agency to set aside a spectrum allocation for the operation of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), or drones, in the 5 GHz range. The agency is revisiting a 2018 petition...

Vodafone is launching a higher-accuracy GNSS-based positioning technology for enterprises to remotely track vehicles, machines, and devices to within 10 centimetres, compared to around three metres with standard satellite systems. It is using an assisted GNSS system, which introduces various correction techniques and analytics,...

Hyundai Motor Group has agreed a $1.1 billion deal with Softbank to acquire an 80 percent stake in US-based robotics company Boston Dynamics. Japan-based telecoms group Softbank will retain a 20 percent stake in the firm, and contribute alongside as Hyundai looks to bring...

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) helped lay the foundation for autonomous ground vehicles with a 300-mile challenge race. DARPA also pushed AI-powered, software-defined radios to their limits in the three-year Spectrum Collaboration Challenge that culminated at last year's Mobile World Congress Los...

Most people in Britain would support regulated usage of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, for critical services and industrial enterprises, according to a report by Vodafone. Eighty per cent of the British public would support their adoption if better safety, security and monitoring measures...

Postal company UPS has achieved another ‘first’ for drone deliveries by making a commercial delivery of a medical prescription from a pharmacy to a residential property. The firm’s drone subsidiary UPS Flight Forward received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate a...

Sprint is supporting tests of LTE connectivity at 1.9 GHz and 2.5 GHz via a solar-powered, drone-based high-altitude platform system (HAPS) in Hawaii, partnering with fellow SoftBank company HAPS Mobile. HAPS Mobile is a joint venture formed in late 2017 by Sprint parent company SoftBank...

German logistics company DHL has launched its first drone delivery solution for last-mile deliveries in urban areas of China, starting with flights in Guangzhou, the port city northwest of Hong Kong on the Pearl River. DHL Express has signed a partnership with Cinese drone company...

Nokia is providing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), portable LTE networks, and artificial intelligence (AI) and analytics tools to the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) to help with disaster recovery. The drone solution is a major component of Nokia’s non-profit Nokia Saving Lives (NSL) initiative, supported by...

Vodafone has completed the first live tests in Europe of a full cellular system for both short and long-range vehicular communications, as well as for monitoring and managing multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the same air space. The UK operator teamed with Jaguar Land...

UK start-up Skyports is ramping up activity in the US as it seeks to establish an international network of helipads for flying taxis and drone deliveries. Skyports has so far secured 15 rooftops in London as ‘vertipads’ for passenger and cargo drones. It is currently...

Drones could increase UK GDP by £42 billion, or two per cent, by 2030, according to a new report by financial services firm PwC, with the largest productivity gains in the wholesale and retail trade sector in percentage terms (2.5 per cent) and the...

Last December, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office in northern Virginia used a drone to help search for a 92-year-old hunter who had gotten stranded overnight in the woods. Within 20 minutes, they had sighted the man, who was then rescued safely. Public safety agencies are...

The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) has selected 10 smart city authorities and regional government agencies to explore the implications of integrating unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, into US national airspace. The initiative variously involves state, local and tribal governments, in partnership with private...

Transport for London (TfL) has appointed UK civil engineering firm Lanes Rail to carry out maintenance work on the London Underground network using drones, as their usage in industrial settings increases. Lanes Rail is responsible for maintaining and repairing a wide range of assets across...

Drones in the telecom industry Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, are often characterized as toys or weapons, but they are also seen as maintenance tools among telecom operators. In a global report on the commercial applications of drone technology, PwC estimates the addressable market...