Robotics Introduction

Inside an MRI, a Non-Metallic Robot Performs Prostate Surgery

If the robot masters prostate procedures, brain surgery may be next
via Inside an MRI, a Non-Metallic Robot Performs Prostate Surgery

VIDEO: New Minidrone Cuts Through the Waves

Catch a glimpse of Parrot’s first-ever waterborne drone
via VIDEO: New Minidrone Cuts Through the Waves

This week: NASA’s Mars drone; largest-ever humanitarian drone effort; Mexico rising; drone on the Fourth of July

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Question of the week

This week Atlanta, Georgia, banned the use of drones within city limits. They cited the helipad at the governor’s mansion as one reason: Since per the FAA all airspace within five miles of airports is off limits, the airspace within five miles of this helipad would also theoretically be off limits. Drone enthusiasts claim the citywide ban will restrict egregiously the commercial potential drones hold for the city—delivery being one obvious example.

However, the law might also set a precedent for blanket bans elsewhere. Other municipalities might be able to extend this logic, if the law is upheld, to any area where there’s an officially recognized helipad. If so, such a ban could theoretically cover huge swaths of urban and suburban areas; for instance, wherever there’s a medevac pad on a hospital roof.

The Atlanta law comes on the heels of the passage of prohibitive anti-privacy drone legislation in Florida, signed into law last month by governor Rick Scott. (It’s likely the Florida law will be challenged in court, as journalists claim it infringes on First Amendment rights.) Other municipalities around the country have passed similar laws regarding drones and privacy.

I wonder what your thoughts are about the rise of these laws. Do you foresee a legal creep—could they block airspace, at least temporarily, in practically every American city? Does the FAA have a place and an interest to intervene—if so, will they? Or are these simply more growing pains for a technology just entering its adolescence?

Leave your comments below!

And now, the links that mattered this week:

Headlines

The city of Atlanta issued a blanket ban on drones, citing in part the airspace around the helipad on the governor’s mansion. (CBS 46)

In Maine, a drone helped firefighters rescue two boys stranded in the middle of a river. The boys were tubing when the water proved too much; the drone delivered a lifejacket while firefighters prepared the rescue attempt. (ABC)

The Chinese Air Force used a drone to survey an earthquake-damaged rural area in Xinjiang province, where reportedly six people were killed. It’s the first time the Chinese Air Force has publicly used a drone on such a mission. Xinjiang is a politically sensitive region in China, home to the Muslim Uighur population. (Reuters)

A Rhode Island search and rescue team has been using a drone to aid in their search for a missing boater. (WPRI)

Culture and commentary

The Verge partnered with the Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College to publish a comprehensive database detailing the first 500 companies to receive a commercial exemption from the FAA. It’s an informative look at the lay of the land as it is today. The rise has been truly exponential—at the beginning of this year, only a dozen companies had been granted exemptions. (The Verge)

The tech sector is traditionally dominated by men. Perhaps it won’t be so in the drone world: Fortune profiles four women who are helping to shape the drone industry.

The PBS Newsblog mulls how drones could replace workers on American farms. The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, a trade group, says agriculture could account for 80 percent of all commercial drone use. The FAA has approved 50 exemptions for farm use since January.

Thanks to the low costs of labor and production, and a workforce that’s becoming increasingly skilled in engineering, Mexico is poised to become the drone capital of Central America. We have manufacturing facilities in Tijuana, and can attest that the country is certainly on the bleeding edge. Additionally, the Mexican government is using drones to monitor high-crime neighborhoods as well as some of their state-owned pipelines. (Fusion)

Ghana is set to deploy the largest number of drones ever mustered for a humanitarian effort. The mission—a delivery system for medical supplies—is being led by the Michigan Aerospace Manufacturers Association and Ausley Associates Inc. (MAMA), an engineering and consulting firm based in Maryland. The drones could do a lot of good in densely populated Ghana: The country is the size of Oregon, with a population close to that of California. (UAS Magazine)

High tech

This week NASA revealed a fixed-wing prototype drone for use in collecting high-resolution photos of the Martian surface. The drone is scheduled to be included in the 2022 Mars mission. (GeekWire)

Drone burgers: A man is reportedly trying to help the homeless by attaching hamburgers to his drone and dropping them on people around San Francisco. In his video he flies around the city, “looking for people who might be hungry.” Would you like flies with that? … (The Telegraph)

But in the interest of fairness, here’s another take on that story. In addition to a pointed sociological critique, this article points out that the video might just be a misguided viral ad for Burger King. (The Independent)

Camera technology and drone technology are on converging courses. This week GoPro made headlines with the release of the GoPro Hero 4 “Session”—a smaller and lighter version of their popular line of action cameras. The company reports it’s pursuing the production of a quadcopter, though its stock has taken a hit this year, dropping 18%. Here’s a half hour-long interview with CEO Nick Woodman about the future of GoPro. (USA Today)

Drone on the Fourth of July

A man in New York was served with a summons after flying a drone over the annual Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog-Eating Contest on Coney Island. The contest made history—the reigning champion 6 years running lost to a newbie, Matt Stonie, who weighs all of 130 pounds. Not that I watch that stuff or anything… (NY Daily News)

Tennessee has passed a law making it illegal to fly a drone through a public fireworks display. Interestingly, the same law also makes it “illegal to use an unmanned aircraft to intentionally capture an image of an individual or event at an open-air event venue ‘wherein more than one hundred individuals are gathered for a ticketed event.’” (WKRN)

Public Service Announcement: Strapping fireworks to your drone is a bad idea. (Wired)

Photo and video

Here’s an extremely well-curated collection of drone videos from around the world, showcasing the amazing versatility of this technology: From London’s underground tunnels to an underground jungle to the underside of the world—Antarctica. (Wired)

And here are the incredible winning selections from Dronestagram’s second annual aerial photography contest. (AdWeek)

The post This week: NASA’s Mars drone; largest-ever humanitarian drone effort; Mexico rising; drone on the Fourth of July appeared first on 3DR | Drone & UAV Technology.

via This week: NASA’s Mars drone; largest-ever humanitarian drone effort; Mexico rising; drone on the Fourth of July

Another Robot to Enter Fukushima Reactor, and We Wish It Were Modular

A real-world use case where modular robots could be invaluable
via Another Robot to Enter Fukushima Reactor, and We Wish It Were Modular

Robots Build Large Structures With Brick and Concrete

Construction robotics has the potential to drastically speed up building structures while reducing cost
via Robots Build Large Structures With Brick and Concrete

The Solo Backpack: Pack and unpack Solo in less than a minute

When we say we designed Solo to provide the best possible user experience for aerial video, we mean the entire experience of owning and using a drone. As fliers and photographers, ourselves—with plenty of our own frustrations about the current drone experiences available—we know the entire experience extends beyond the actual acts of flying around and getting awesome shots. How you get from one shot to the next with your drone is a big part of it. We addressed this in two ways: Every Solo comes with a starter travel case—i.e., “the box inside the box”; and now we’re introducing the Solo Backpack.

The Solo Backpack is a durable custom-cut travel case that makes it a snap to use Solo in the field. Pelican cases can be unwieldy, and on-site drone assembly can sometimes seem like an Easter egg hunt. The Solo Backpack is specially cut to make it easy to pop Solo in and out, and to make onsite setup simple and quick.

The backpack accommodates Solo with the Solo gimbal (coming soon) already attached. This means that all you’ve got to do is unzip the pack, take Solo out, spin on the props, power up and you’re ready to fly—all told, this takes less than a minute. And I know it seems pretty trivial in print, but I’m telling you, the zipper action on this thing is phenomenal. I’m normally not the type to pay close attention to things like zipper action, but really, it’s like the zipper on the Solo Backpack doesn’t even have teeth—it’s like a zipper on your granddad’s gums. Okay, that’s maybe not the best visual—how about this: it feels like you’re ice-skating with your hand. But truly: I was taken aback with the backpack’s alacrity, how easily and speedily it opened and closed. And it’s thoughtful design elements like phenomenal zipper action—the design that you don’t notice—that make your interaction with products truly exceptional. (The pack even has rubber feet on the bottom, so it can double as a takeoff/landing platform in uncertain terrain.)

This ability to have your drone ready to go in less than a minute is great if you’re hopping from location to location or if you’re on a high-pressure, fast moving shoot and need to move quickly or coordinate your work closely with others. It also means that if you’re traveling and something catches your eye, you can have Solo up in the air getting a great shot without the usual barriers of setup time and effort, and no tools needed for assembly. The backpack lets you shoot more spontaneously.

You can sling this backpack by hand if you want, or strap it to your back (to one-strap or two? That is the question) and you’ve got your hands free for anything else—gear, snacks, texting, pushups, etc. It also means that, unlike a case, you can keep your balance in a rugged location.

The Solo Backpack has room for the Solo copter with attached gimbal, plus the controller, as well as custom fit pockets for two replacement motor pods, up to five spare batteries, two sets of propellers, a tablet and other spare parts. It features a form-fitted, shock-resistant interior, a water-resistant exterior, comfort-padded back and shoulder straps and the styling is sleek and smooth.

The Solo Backpack is available for pre-order at $149 through our resellers, such as Best Buy, DSLRPros, Dronefly and B&H photo.

The post The Solo Backpack: Pack and unpack Solo in less than a minute appeared first on 3DR | Drone & UAV Technology.

via The Solo Backpack: Pack and unpack Solo in less than a minute