NEWSWORTHY
Drone deliveries ready to soar in Japan but lingering issues likely to keep post office in business
A drone carrying a package sails through the air, touching down to make a delivery right on a customer's doorstep. Amazon.com Inc. wowed the world in 2013 with a video purporting to show what the future of the delivery industry would look like. But are ...
Pilot schools cash in as drone business takes off in Japan
As Japan positions itself to take advantage of the growing trend in drones, another sector is popping up in the promising market — drone schools. Industries ranging from agriculture to security are setting their eyes on the benefits of the device. And although the aerial ...
From office watcher to farm protector and crop duster, unmanned aircraft playing unusual roles
At exactly 5 p.m. one recent Friday at Taisei Co., a flying drone alerted workers at the building maintenance firm that the day's work was done. The fully automatic drone, which goes by the name T-Frend, is an example of the unique ways unmanned aerial ...
Drone maker accused of covering up bomb in bag on Delta flight, going after whistleblower
AeroVironment Inc. was accused of trying to conceal that employees transported a drone rigged with explosives on a commercial flight and retaliating against a manager who told the government. In April 2015, AeroVironment workers traveled to Los Angeles from Salt Lake City on a Delta ...
Next-generation technology tipped to reboot Asian economies after smartphones peak
The technology boom powering Asia's economies is about to get a reboot. Explosive growth in new-era gadgets such as wearable devices and internet-linked home appliances is tipped to offset cooling sales of smartphones, which have already dinged Asia's tech manufacturers. "Where demand may be softening in ...
'Innovation zone' sites picked for program aimed at expanding drone flights
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao on Wednesday announced 10 sites for a test program aimed at increasing the use of unmanned aircraft for projects that range from monitoring crops and oil pipelines in North Dakota to applying mosquito-killing treatments in Florida and package ...
When Nepali laborer Om Bahadur Purja sprained his leg in his remote village he would have faced a four-hour trek to the nearest medical center if not for a pioneering project to bring health care to the Himalayas. Instead, the 60-year-old father of three received ...
Drones aren't progress; they're a recipe for chaos
Tourists, take note: As drones multiply in Japan, so do rules governing where they can be flown
Make a trip to any major electronics store today and you're bound to find a section selling drones. Once little more than toys for enthusiasts, today's commercially available drones come in all shapes and sizes and are used for all sorts of purposes, with ...
Municipalities and private firms are hoping robots and drones will be able to help with future disaster recovery efforts — an initiative that incorporates lessons learned from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake — by sending out warnings, gauging damage and accessing places were ...
Illegal drone flights double in 2017 as awareness of regulations remains poor
Police said Thursday they recorded 68 illegal drone flight incidents in 2017, almost double the previous year's 36, at a time when delivery services and other businesses are looking to utilize unmanned aircraft. Authorities took action against 77 people, up from 37 the year before, ...
When drone imperiled Air New Zealand plane landing at Auckland Airport, nobody called police
When a drone flew within meters of a landing plane last week, endangering 278 passengers and crew, Air New Zealand responded by saying that such reckless drone operators should be thrown in prison. Other agencies also sounded the public alarm. Air traffic controllers said they ...
