Image

Betsy Lillian on sabrssBetsy Lillian on sabemail

Betsy Lillian

Betsy Lillian

Editor at Zackin Publications

Betsy Lillian has been the editor of Unmanned Aerial Online since 2014. She also serves as an associate editor of sister publications North American Windpower and Solar Industry magazine. She has been with Zackin Publications since 2012.

Fruity Chutes Rolls out New Mechanism for UAV Parachute Deployment

Posted by Betsy Lillian on November 10, 2016

Fruity Chutes has announced the availability of the new Hawk CO2 release valve, used for the company’s parachute deployment system for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The valve can be integrated with the company’s Peregrine UAV Ballistic Parachute Launcher. “We have [Read More]

Echodyne’s UAV Detect-and-Avoid Radar Test Goes off Without a Hitch

Posted by Betsy Lillian on November 10, 2016

Echodyne Corp. has completed what it says is the first-ever successful test of airborne detect-and-avoid (DAA) radar on a small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Over a period of several days, the drone, equipped with Echodyne’s radar, flew multiple missions below [Read More]

AirMap, Kongsberg Provide Real-Time Airspace Awareness for UAS Pilots

Posted by Betsy Lillian on November 10, 2016

Kongsberg Geospatial, an Ottawa, Ontario-based developer of real-time, mission-critical, geospatial visualisation software, and AirMap, an airspace management platform for drones, recently announced a new collaboration: AirMap’s real-time airspace services will be delivered to users of the Kongsberg Geospatial IRIS unmanned [Read More]

3DR Brings New Drone Capabilities to Construction

Posted by Betsy Lillian on November 10, 2016

3D Robotics (3DR) has launched building information modeling (BIM) capabilities within its Site Scan software, a full-stack commercial drone platform suited for the construction industry. Site Scan, an end-to-end application offering fully autonomous drone image capture and cloud integration with [Read More]

Vegetable Producer Inks Drone Services Contract with Deveron

Posted by Betsy Lillian on November 10, 2016

Toronto, Ontario-based Deveron UAS Corp. has secured a new contract with Bonduelle North America, a large producer of ready-to-use vegetables. Deveron is a full-service enterprise drone data services company focused on agriculture. The company aims to help consumers increase yields [Read More]

GoPro’s Karma Drone Takes a Hit: All Units Recalled

Posted by Betsy Lillian on November 09, 2016

Uh-oh: GoPro is recalling approximately 2,500 Karma drones, which, in a very small number of cases, lost power during flight, the company says. GoPro’s new Karma quadcopter made its official debut in the consumer unmanned aircraft systems world back in [Read More]

Catamaran, UAV and Kayak Take on Study of Ocean’s ‘Skin’

Posted by Betsy Lillian on November 09, 2016

Using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), kayak and remote-controlled catamaran, researchers from nonprofit foundation Schmidt Ocean Institute returned yesterday from an in-depth study of the ocean’s “skin” – the sea-surface microlayer – on board their Falkor research vessel. According to [Read More]

Mississippi Joins Pan-Pacific UAS Test Range Complex

Posted by Betsy Lillian on November 09, 2016

The state of Mississippi has joined Alaska, Oregon and Hawaii as a full member in the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF)-led Pan-Pacific UAS Test Range Complex (PPUTRC), one of the Federal Aviation Administration’s seven unmanned aircraft system (UAS) test sites. [Read More]

Kansas DOT’s UAS Testing is in Full Swing

Posted by Betsy Lillian on November 08, 2016

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) has kicked off its unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) program, which is exploring ways to use drones for inspecting bridges and towers. KDOT says the flight testing, which began on Friday, is one of several [Read More]

Drones are Coming to Disney Skies – Sooner Than You Might Think

Written by Betsy Lillian on November 08, 2016

In conjunction with the holiday season, Disney – now with a federal green light – is planning to bring its “Flixels” drone light show to one of its parks.

The Parrot Bebop 2 Drone Can Now Follow You Around

Posted by Betsy Lillian on November 08, 2016

Parrot has now incorporated a follow-me mode into its Parrot Bebop 2 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). According to the company, the new feature (within the FreeFlight Pro app) combines visual tracking with a smartphone’s GPS and barometer. Available only on [Read More]

DJI is Bringing UAS Technology to Marriott Hotel Guests

Posted by Betsy Lillian on November 08, 2016

JW Marriott Hotel & Resorts is partnering with DJI to launch the luxury hotel brand’s Drone Experience Program, which will allow guests to test out DJI’s unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) technology. JW Marriott Zhejiang Anji in China will first launch [Read More]

Intel’s Latest UAS Venture: The Shooting Star Drone

Posted by Betsy Lillian on November 08, 2016

“Can we pretend that [drones] in the night sky are like shooting stars?” Intel, gaining a stronger foothold in the commercial drone sector more and more every day, has announced a quadcopter designed specifically to be used in a fleet [Read More]

Drone Insurance Comes to Professional Photographers of America

Posted by Betsy Lillian on November 08, 2016

Professional Photographers of America (PPA) has partnered with its insurance provider, Lockton Affinity, to offer a new drone insurance package for its members. The new package comes in two forms: liability and equipment coverage. The drone photography liability insurance is [Read More]

AERIX Rolls out Miniature Virtual Reality Drone

Posted by Betsy Lillian on November 08, 2016

AERIX Drones (formerly Axis Drones) has launched the new VIDIUS VR HD, what the company calls the “world’s smallest HD virtual reality drone.” The VIDIUS VR HD is equipped with a 720p, high-definition, wide-angle lens video camera system, yet it [Read More]

Security Intelligence Company Using UAS Wins $50K in Fla. Competition

Posted by Betsy Lillian on November 08, 2016

EagleEye Intelligence, a Boca Raton, Fla.-based public safety and security company increasingly using unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), has been named runner-up in the 2016 VentureTech Showcase in Florida. The Florida Venture Forum and Space Florida announced the two top winners [Read More]

Drones Brought in for Surface Mining Project in Pennsylvania

Posted by Betsy Lillian on November 07, 2016

Identified Technologies, a Pittsburgh-based provider of automated commercial drone mapping and tracking for industrial job sites, has been selected by Bentley Development to support a large surface mining project in western Pennsylvania. Established in 1971, Bentley Development now performs a [Read More]

Safety Audit a Success for North Dakota UAS Company

Posted by Betsy Lillian on November 07, 2016

Grand Forks, N.D.-based SkySkopes says it has earned a passing grade on a safety audit conducted by the Lone Star UAS Center of Excellence and Innovation and Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service. SkySkopes says the National Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems [Read More]

Trimble Brings UAS Function to New Cloud Processing Platform

Posted by Betsy Lillian on November 07, 2016

Trimble has announced the first service available on its new Trimble Connect cloud-processing platform: Trimble Connect AutoUAS. Trimble Connect is a collaboration ecosystem for architecture, engineering, construction and geospatial users. According to the company, the new AutoUAS service dramatically reduces [Read More]

Wanted: U.S. Energy Company Seeks Unmanned Solutions

Posted by Betsy Lillian on November 07, 2016

The AES Corp. is launching an open innovation contest targeted at improving the safety and increasing the availability of power plants through unmanned inspections in extreme heat. AES, a Fortune 200 global power company, provides energy to 17 countries through [Read More]