DARPA’s Mobile Hotspots program is converting retired RQ-7 Army drones into wireless hotspots to provide Wi-Fi to soldiers in remote areas. The drones will be able to transfer data at one gigabyte per second — about the same connectivity of a 4G smartphone — to give troops the same communication capabilities, including access to tactical operation centers and mission data, that others in more central conflict zones have. DARPA is retrofitting the drones with small Wi-Fi antennas. Continue reading DARPA Converts Army Surveillance Drones into Mobile Hotspots

You may have noticed that drones are being used this month at the Winter Olympics in Sochi to capture footage of ski and snowboarding events. While drones can cost upwards of $40,000, they are quieter and cheaper than using a manned helicopter. Also with drones, filmmakers can typically get much closer to the subject. While limitations currently exist due to regulations and concern of potential crashes, we should expect to see more use of unmanned aerial vehicles for sports photography in the future. Continue reading Capturing Winter Olympic Footage From the Air Using Drones

Getty Images along with AP, AFP, Reuters, and EPA wire agencies have set up state-of-the-art fiber optic networks to deliver Olympic images almost instantaneously. Getty can deliver photographs from the Winter Olympics in Sochi directly to publications within 180 seconds thanks to 20 kilometers of cable and a 100Mbps network. The process of preparing an image for delivery in record speed involves a team of Photoshop experts, captioning specialists, and editors. Continue reading Getty Images Delivers Winter Olympic Photos in Record Speeds

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos revealed some significant plans for the company on “60 Minutes” this week. In the not-too-distant future, Amazon plans to offer drone delivery service for its smaller packages headed for customers close to its distribution centers. Bezos expects packages weighing less than five pounds to be deliverable to addresses within a 10-mile radius by small helicopter-like devices. Amazon is calling the service “Prime Air.” Continue reading Jeff Bezos Reveals Amazon’s Plans for Drone Delivery Service

Several notable films, including “Skyfall,” “Oblivion,” “Man of Steel” and “Iron Man 3” have used drone technology to capture spectacular aerial shots. Although there exist certain liability laws that govern how unmanned drones can operate in U.S. airspace, there are advantages for filmmakers. While productions have cranes to capture certain shots, drones have more reach and range. They are also more agile than a helicopter and can capture risky shots that would otherwise be generated by a computer. Continue reading Drones Offer Film Productions Thrilling Aerial Possibilities

UAV drone technology makes it easier for filmmakers to scout locations and drive down the costs of aerial cinematography. Even so, drones still range from $2,000 to $22,000. But French technology company Parrot, which began offering its AR Drone in 2010, demonstrated a soon-to-be released update during CES that will introduce a new Director Mode into its control scheme. Continue reading Affordable Drone Technology Implements New Director Mode