Drones

Minnesotans who are active in anti-ICE organizing say they’ve spotted drones in their neighborhoods — and in at least one instance, hovering right outside their houses — in recent weeks. The Department of Homeland Security won’t confirm whether the drones are theirs, but ICE has reportedly used license-plate readers and facial recognition technology to surveil activists in Minneapolis.

If you can’t wait until March 26th for the official reveal, New Camera has shared a leaked video of the DJI Avata 360 showing off its tilting camera module that works in 360-degree and FPV modes. Reliable leaker Igor Bogdanov has also shared some of the drone’s specs, including a 23-minute flight time and a 20km range.

Following the debut of Insta360’s Antigravity A1 drone last December, DJI has shared a teaser for a new drone it’s announcing on March 26th at 12PM GMT/7AM EST. The DJI Avata 360 will be the company’s first 8K 360-degree drone and a follow-up to 2024’s Avata 2. Few details are known, including whether it will launch in the US.

The ridehail company is working with Irish drone company Manna to launch a commercial drone delivery service on the Emerald Island. This is Uber’s first drone delivery deployment in Europe, although the two companies say they plan on bringing their service to more cities in the future. Uber also oversees drone delivery in Dallas, Texas, with Flytrex, while Manna used to deliver Samsung electronics via drone in its home market.

The sudden closure of El Paso airspace yesterday came after US customs officials fired an anti-drone laser on loan from the Department of Defense without coordination with the FAA. And, according to The New York Times, it wasn’t triggered by “Mexican cartel drones breaching US airspace” as the administration claimed:

These shots have been so cool!

Amazon’s drones have had a… let’s say, rocky history. On Wednesday, one hit the side of a building in Richardson, Texas, before falling to the ground in smoke. Thankfully, nobody was hurt, and damage to the building was minimal, according to Amazon.

The Federal Aviation Administration is barring drones from flying within 3,000 feet of “Department of Homeland Security facilities and mobile assets,” 404 Media reports. The notice is similar to those restricting drones near military bases, 404 says, but could apply to flying them near Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicles.

GDU Technology’s Li Lei says she’s not sure whether it might truly hurt her company. “It’s really hard to tell because they’re changing drone policy all the time,” she tells me at CES. Also, GDU mostly sells in China. But it just recently expanded in the US, and now its just-announced flagship P300 won’t come here.

Ace Combat in real life? This folding VTOL foam aircraft gives you a first-person view from inside a tiny toy fighter jet cockpit. A head-tracking DJI drone camera beams video to DJI goggles over DJI’s long-range O4 wireless tech; Fly Wing claims 60-minute battery life and nearly 75mph top speed. $2,000, tentatively in March, for the complete kit.

I don’t have a full review of this awesome drone today, but I can’t get over how easy it is to fly (once you power everything on)! I’ve updated my story with some pros, cons, a few key specs, pricing and price comparisons, and impressions from other reviewers now that the embargo has lifted.

Starting today, Walmart will begin offering delivery via drone at six stores in the Atlanta area, allowing customers to receive groceries, household items, and over-the-counter medicine in “as fast as 30 minutes.” Wing already partners with Walmart in Dallas-Fort Worth, and plans on expanding drone deliveries to Charlotte, Houston, Orlando, and Tampa.

Following two Amazon drone crashes in Arizona last month, the FAA is investigating another incident in Waco, Texas, according to CNBC. After delivering a package the drone “got tangled in a nearby internet cable” before shearing the wire and performing a “safe contingent landing.” There were no injuries or widespread internet outages.

The company’s drones and cameras will be banned by default unless a national security audit is completed by December 23rd, which is highly unlikely. Sure Trump has extended the TikTok ban several times, but Don Jr’s monetary stake in miniature drones made by competitors suggests the end is nigh.

In late December, DJI may no longer be allowed to import new products into the US — it seems someone woke up and smelled a business opportunity in that! Products DJI decided not to bring to the US are suddenly on Amazon’s shelves, including the Mavic 4 Pro and Mini 5 Pro.

The company temporarily paused flights of its Prime Air delivery drones on Wednesday morning following two back-to-back crashes involving a crane. But airborne deliveries in the West Valley Phoenix Metro Area have resumed and Amazon is “confident that there wasn’t an issue with the drones or the technology that supports them.”

”DJI-US.com” got its domain name suspended after I asked DJI about it. Spokesperson Daisy Kong tells me:

There’s lots we don’t know about Antigravity, the first drone from Insta360. But after my first flights, I think it could change what we expect out of drones. Want a look at some (prototype! compressed!) 360-degree footage on YouTube? I uploaded this interactive sample! Set resolution to 4K first.

Did you know it’s generally illegal to fly drones farther than you can see with your naked eye? That may be about to change — but the 731-page proposed rule doesn’t seem like blanket deregulation. Looks like it’ll cut red tape for drone delivery and automated inspection, but humans will still need to be in charge, it’ll require permits, and the more populated an area you want to fly over, the stricter the requirements.

The HoverAir X1 is one of the best drones for people who don’t like drones, we found last year: an affordable, portable, and durable self-flying selfie camera. Now, the company’s teasing a new model that floats on water (can it land and take off, though?) with a new compact controller.