Two men have been interviewed by police after a drone was seen flying over the central Melbourne prison where disgraced Cardinal George Pell was being held. Police believe the drone was being flown as part of a “commercial operation” when it was spotted above Melbourne Assessment Prison on January 9. They have concluded their probe…
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Category: News
First drone and data academy opens in Africa to improve service delivery for children
The first African Drone and Data Academy (ADDA) opened today in Lilongwe, Malawi, UNICEF announced. The move is part of efforts to promote the use of drones in programmes and services that will impact the lives of children and young people. “Humanitarian and development programme delivery in Africa and beyond can benefit significantly from the…
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Drone drops package over Queensland prison wall on Christmas Day
A prisoner has been taken to hospital a day after catching a package dropped into a Queensland jail by a drone. An officer spotted the drone over an exercise yard of the Capricornia Correctional Centre in central Queensland about 1.45pm on Christmas Day. A prisoner caught the package of contraband but it was confiscated and…
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Sky shepherds: the farmers using drones to watch their flocks by flight
A shepherd is out tending a flock when a presence appears above. It descends from the sky and communicates vital information. It may sound like a nativity scene, but for an increasing number of farmers it’s a daily occurrence – and that celestial being is a drone. Corey Lambeth, a New Zealand farmer, originally purchased…
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Why killer robots risk spreading to Australia’s backyard
Arsenals of killer robots may soon be on Australia’s doorstep as a new arms race ramps up in South-East Asia, a report warns. The advanced military systems known as Lethal Autonomous Weapons (LAWS) can identify, target and kill a person. No human is needed to make the final decision to authorise lethal force. The final…
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Top 5 autonomous security drones you should know in 2019
Until recently, protecting large areas like farm fields or mining areas required the use of several security cameras and lots of patrolling guards. While this has been effective for many customers, the costs associated with such a complex setup are quite high. This is especially true of manned guards as labor costs are always…
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Near misses between planes, drones on the increase
Drones may look like toys, but they can be dangerous. Experts say a drone could even take down a plane. Action News Investigates found that the number of close calls between planes and drones is increasing in western Pennsylvania and around the country. Pilot Howard Pierce, of Wexford, was flying his small plane over Butler…
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Diving Into the FAA Administrator’s Fact Book: Why “Drone Incidents” are Concerning for Regulators
Airspace regulators around the world are concerned about incidents between drones and manned aircraft – and a dive into the data found in the recently released FAA Administrator’s Fact Book for 2019 (Fact Book) shows why. Is the data accurate enough to use? Accident Data and the U.S. Safety Record The National Airspace (NAS) in…
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Drone near-miss sparks concern at airport
Officials at Windsor’s airport are expressing great concern over a single-engine plane’s near-miss with a drone as the plane was taking off, and are urging anyone with information on the drone to call police. The encounter happened while the plane, a local flying club’s single-engine Diamond DA 20-C1 (C-GGMV), belonging to Journey Air, was taking…
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BA jet carrying 300 passengers from Heathrow to Abu Dhabi came within 20ft of smashing into an illegally flown drone while flying at 6,000ft shortly after take-off, report reveals
A British Airways jet carrying up to 300 passengers came within 20ft of smashing into an illegally flown drone, a report revealed today. The dramatic near miss is believed to have been the closest ever near miss between a BA jet and a drone. The B777 jet had the close call while flying at around…
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