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I used a drone to light paint a photograph of aliens abducting my wife

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Out of all the kit I own, my drone is probably the most flexible tool my the arsenal. Need to know what your roof looks like? Drone. Want a badass picture of the top of your head? Drone does that. Want to make it look like your significant other is being sucked into a spacecraft that’s en route to the Andromeda system? Drone definitely does that.

I’ve been planning to try something like this for ages, but my anemic first-generation Mavic Pro shook and bucked around like a sad robot with vertigo any time I attached anything weighing over a few grams to the exterior.

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Sony may be preparing to launch their own drone

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Historically, Sony has jumped onto just about every bit of consumer tech (and even led the way sometimes) as soon as it appeared on the market. Anything that looked like it was going to be wildly popular, they wanted a piece of that pie. So it’s surprised me that they haven’t jumped right into the drone market already.

According to Sony Alpha Rumours, though, it appears that Sony might be getting ready to do just that after they’ve spotted a new patent, dated October 2019. At least, they say there’s a new patent, they haven’t actually linked to the registration so everybody else can have a read. So, it may end up being nonsense. Update: The patent is here!

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Police in the UK will soon be able to ground and seize drones from pilots

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On January 27th, the British parliament heard and debated a bill (for the second time) which gives police and prison authorities more powers to be able to deal with what they see as problem drones. Officially, this means drones that they believe are posing a public safety risk or are flying illegally.

The bill is aimed at those flying around no-fly zones, flying too close to people and buildings and illegal commercial operations. The prison system will also likely welcome the new power, as it will help them to minimise drone-delivered contraband.

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Autel’s “Mavic-killer” EVO II drone release gets pushed back to March after bug discovery

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There’s been quite a bit of hype surrounding Autel’s three new drones in the Autel EVO II series. Designed to compete directly with DJI’s range of Mavic drones, the EVO II comes in three flavours, two of which can shoot 8K 10-Bit video (one of these has a thermal camera, too) and another which has a relatively massive 1″ 6K sensor.

But Autel has told DPReview that the drones will “likely be pushed back to a March release”. Originally we were told to expect a release “in a few weeks”, but after a preproduction bug presented itself, the release has been delayed.

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Report: DJI to announce three new drones in 2020, the first one coming in February

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Looks like Canon isn’t the only one on fire when it comes to announcing new gear in 2020 (at least judging from the rumors). After a long break, it seems that we’ll see as many as three new drones from DJI this year. And according to the reports, the first one could hit the market in February.

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The V-Coptr Falcon foldable bi-coptor drone has a flight time of up to 50 minutes

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Zero Zero Robotics, creators of Hover2 – “The Drone that Flies Itself” (and the original Hover), has just announced their new V-Coptr Falcon. It’s a bi-copter drone (2 arms, 2 propellers) which offers up to an amazing 50 minutes of flight time on a single battery charge. It’s a very unique design, inspired by the Boeing V-22 Osprey military aircraft. It’s compact, foldable, and they’re claiming it as the “world’s first” v-shaped drone with only 2 propellers.

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DJI agrees with need for Remote ID, but not how the FAA wants to implement it

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With drones now well and truly here to stay, some close calls, some too close and too many major disruptions, drones regulation is big on the minds of lawmakers around the world. While more laws generally won’t stop those who purposefully intend to break them, authorities are attempting to do something about holding them accountable.

The idea of “Remote ID” is that drones would essentially have a digital license plate. It’s a popular concept, allowing for more freedoms for legitimate users and make it easier to find those who break the rules. The FAA has introduced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on how this could be implemented, although DJI is not happy about it.

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Autel’s Evo II series drones offer up to 8K 10-Bit video with 40 minutes flight time

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In early December last year, Autel filed an FCC application for the Evo 2 drone showing an impressive looking set of specs. A folding drone, similar to something like DJI’s Mavic series, but with the option to get camera modules that shoot up to 8K video or even offer thermal imaging capabilities. The Evo 2 series (yup, it’s not just one drone) has now been officially announced, and the Verge managed to check them out in person a few days ago at CES 2020.

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The PowerEgg “X” drone lets you fly in the rain and even take off or land on water

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Way back in 2016 at Photokina we saw one of the craziest looking drones we’ve ever seen. It looked like a giant egg – hence the name PowerEgg. Created by PowerVision, it offered a very unique design, but it didn’t seem to really take off (pun unintended). It looked like a great performer, but it was beaten out on convenience by the then-tiny Mavic Pro.

Now, PowerVision is back, with the PowerEggX. It’s a follow-up to the original, and comes in two different models. There’s the Explorer and the Wizard, with the latter designed to film in the rain, thanks to a waterproof housing, and with the included floats, you can even take off from or land the drone on water. Both shoot 4K 60fps video with a 3-axis gimbal, with a heavy emphasis on AI tracking.

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