When conservationists put drones to work in field research, they typically function as flying eyes that gather imagery of the habitat and wildlife below. Now, ornithologists from Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania are using drones as flying ears to monitor songbirds in the Appalachian Mountains. Results of their drone study were published in the peer-reviewed journal The Auk: Ornithological Advances this week. The study concluded that data gathered by drones was about as effe

Major power producer AES Corp. is ramping up the use of drones with an eye toward shielding workers from industry hazards. Rather than buy all their own unmanned aerial systems, they’ve engaged D.C.-based drone services provider Measure to get access to a more extensive fleet. Measure recently raised $15 million in venture funding. According to its Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Chris Shelton, AES has flown drone missions in 10 countries. It also has a reasonable

It’s not a bird, it’s not a plane and it is not Superman. It could be Clark Kent, though. Increasingly, journalists are taking to the sky to cover events. While aerial journalism isn’t necessarily new, it was once only the domain of those news organizations that could shell out the money for a helicopter and pilot. Now, drones are democratizing the skies and changing the vantage point from which small-market, independent or freelance reporters can tell stories. The changing f

Drone footage revealed two tires sticking out of the rushing water Rescue crews on Monday believe they found the car belonging to an 18-year-old Tracy woman who went missing over the weekend after her car veered from the roadway and crashed into the Alameda Creek near Fremont. Marianne Favro reports. (Published Monday, Jan. 23, 2017) The woman, who police say likely did not survive the crash, was still missing as of Monday after her 2000 silver Honda Accord on Saturday crosse

Industrial technology has often been a blessing and a curse for workers, eliminating some jobs while making others safer. That could soon happen at AES Corp., an Arlington-based power utility that generates $15 billion a year in sales powering homes in 17 countries. The company is moving to replace much of its high-risk maintenance work with a massive fleet of surveillance drones coordinated by Measure, a D.C.-based commercial drone operator. For companies that own and mainta

Welcome to Komodo, home to the largest lizard on Earth. Nature documentaries are stunning highlight reels—"greatest hits" compilations of Earth's beauty. And beauty is easy to take for granted in a documentary series like Planet Earth II, which will debut on BBC America on February 18. Filmed in 4K resolution and featuring lightweight stabilization technology (MoVI and DJI Ronin), Planet Earth II will provide a luxurious look at some of the most difficult-to-explore, wild are

YouTuber, filmmaker and, more recently, CNN employee Casey Neistat is back with another drone review. After a bit of a gaff last time, Neistat is starting fresh by comparing three of the most popular 4K drones on the market: the DJI Mavic Pro, the DJI Phantom 4 Pro, and the DJI Inspire 1 Pro. Neistat picked these drones because they are incredibly popular and perfectly represent the three tiers you have to choose from when purchasing a drone. The Mavic Pro costs just $1,000 a

DJI solidified itself on the top of the drone market in 2016 and it is looking to maintain its top spot in 2017. Last year, consumers got to see the company launch the Mavic Pro which was then followed by the Inspire 2, and the Phantom Pro 4. Of all the drones that DJI has released, the Phantom series remains the company's biggest seller, and many of the world's best drone experts have one in their collection. The Phantom Pro 4 can be looked at as a pretty smart approach by D

Remember those warnings on television where they say: “Don’t try this at home?” Well, we’re not on TV, but we’ll tell you the same thing about the video you’re about to see – which pits a modified DJI Inspire 2 vs an Audi R8 V10 in a short drag race. In fact, we’ll scream it: “DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME.” Unless, of course, you are the ultimate Inspire 2 tuner and you happen to own a private racetrack and an Audi R8. Then you should feel totally free to try this at home. Well, h