#Drones

Global News

Israeli Startup Makes a Major Breakthrough As It Successfully Tests Drone-Like Personal Flying Vehicle

Being stuck in heavy traffic on congested roads may sometimes seem like an unavoidable situation, but an Israeli startup is hoping to put an end to such frustrating situations. The startup’s electric vehicle which is intended to transport commuters on short journeys above congested streets has completed its first unmanned flight, a milestone that its makers claim will speed up the vehicle's arrival on the market within the next two years. The flying electric vehicle, developed by Israeli startup AIR makes use of drone technology. The airplane with propellers ascends vertically from the ground before accelerating forward in the sky. According to the Israeli firm AIR, the aircraft will be able to go up to 100 kilometers with two people aboard it: a pilot and a passenger. This type of travel will eventually become mainstream, as predicted by AIR and many competitors around the world. CEO and co-founder Rani Plaut said that the success of this test flight has brought them closer to their dream of mass production of the AIR ONE. He further stated that before individuals can expect to fly themselves through cities in little vehicles like these, there are still a number of big barriers to be overcome, including developing rules and commercializing the technology. The next phase of the test will involve test-flying the vehicle with a person on board.

24 Dec 2022

Global News

Good News

1 Lakh Kisan Drones by 2024 Set To Revolutionize the Agricultural Sector

Think about drones — it's a cool gadget, right? It serves various purposes, such as filming Tom Cruise hanging down a plane in Mission Impossible! What could be cooler? The answer is using drones for the people who feed our stomachs. Garuda Aerospace, a Chennai-based drone start-up, recently announced its plans to produce 1 lakh Kisan drones by 2024. The Kisan drones, designed specifically for agricultural use, will greatly benefit Indian farmers by providing efficient and cost-effective solutions for crop monitoring and management. Agnishwar Jayaprakash, the Founder and CEO of Garuda Aerospace, says, "The drone yatra will help farmers understand more about the technology and give them a better perspective on growing crops." The production of 1 lakh Kisan drones will create employment opportunities across 6 lakh Indian villages and contribute to the government's goal of doubling farmers' income by 2022. Furthermore, the widespread use of Kisan drones in agriculture will help India achieve food security and self-sufficiency in the long run. India is a developing country, and it dreams to be a $3 trillion economy soon. The drone market is expected to cross $5 billion by 2024, and it requires at least 1 lakh drone pilots by next year. In conclusion, the production of 1 lakh Kisan drones by Garuda Aerospace is a welcome development that will greatly benefit Indian farmers and the agriculture industry as a whole. It is a step towards modernizing the sector and improving the livelihoods of farmers.

14 Dec 2022

Good News

Meghalaya Becomes the First State in India To Deliver Medicines Through Drones

It looks like an alien, an unmanned aerial vehicle, but Chesrang Momin heaves a sigh of relief. Earlier, he had to travel over 100 kilometers to fetch blood pressure medicines for his father. With the introduction of drones, delivery of healthcare items to the remote areas of Meghalaya has not only become easy but also saves time. The locals of Pedaldoba in the West Garo Hills district of Meghalaya were thrilled to see the drone come with medicines for the local primary health center (PHC) after a 40-minute sortie from Jengjal, 68 km away. The Jengjal Sub-divisional Hospital's drone station has made it possible to provide medical care even in the distant regions of the lush yet challenging Garo Hills. Due to floods, landslides, rough terrain, and poor road network infrastructure, the state's public health supply chain faced logistical challenges. As a result, it is extremely challenging to ensure that medical supplies get to the hard-to-reach health centers. The drone service, which is funded by the World Bank, is a collaborative project of the Meghalaya Health Systems Strengthening Project and the startup Techeagle. Anshu Abhishek, a co-founder of Techeagle, asserted that this is Asia's first drone station dedicated solely to the delivery of healthcare systems.

6 Dec 2022

Good News

Know How This Path-Breaking Technology Is Helping to Improve the Health of Tea Farmers in Assam

Tea farming involves spraying pesticides and fertilizers which farmers do manually putting their health and lives to risk. Many workers are known to have lost their lives to tuberculosis and respiratory diseases as they are not provided with protective gear like masks. BRS Ventures that has acquired the world’s first tea company ‘Assam Company India Limited’ has decided to address this issue with the help of Artificial Intelligence. Robotic Drones At a workshop conducted in Assam’s Dibrugarh district, B R Shetty, Founder of BRS Ventures said that the company will introduce two robotic drones that will spray fertilizers and pesticides on the plants from a height of 6-8 feet. This will help reduce wastage of fertilizers and improve the quality of tea through the technique of precision spraying. The two drones are designed to perform varied functions. While one set will analyze the health of plants, soil conditions and other natural factors, the other will spray fertilizers and target pests. Better Health of Tea Farmers Tea farmers suffer due to the manual spraying of fertilizers and pesticides as particles are dispersed in the air causing respiratory diseases and TB which can be fatal. Farmers are to be provided with masks, gloves and goggles while spraying, but few employers adhere to such rules. The drones will make their work easier, but that doesn’t mean that they will lose their jobs. Shetty has assured that the use of technology will not lead to retrenchment and they will be engaged in different areas.

5 Nov 2019

Good News

Now, Drones Are Being Used to Tackle Mosquito Menace!

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has come up with a great idea of spraying anti-larval chemicals in lakes and nalas with the help of drones and they have met with substantial success. A drone was used to spray anti-larval chemicals in Gurunatham lake in Miyapur. Happy with the excellent results, the second round of spraying was also initiated in a formal inauguration of the programme by Mayor Bonthu Ram Mohan. The Spraying Process Spraying anti larval chemicals through drones helps in covering the entire area of water bodies, which otherwise sometimes is inaccessible if done manually. The drone technique also helps to reduce the number of man-hours of work to a great extent. Additional Commissioner (Lakes), Hari Chandana said that this technique will be replicated across various lakes in the city to effectively bring down the mosquito population. Good Results The drone technique has yielded very good results with the mosquito larval density coming down from 41 per ladle (approximately 40 ml) of water to 28, while adult mosquitoes dwindled to 16 from 26 in just two days. The drone was later modified to carry double the quantity of the chemical per trip. With the incidence of mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and dengue on the rise, drones can be very effective in curbing the mosquito menace. Other cities and states can also adopt this extremely beneficial technique for the well being of its people.

26 Aug 2019

Good News

Thane uses drones to locate illegal liquor hubs

With the aim of making the district free of illegal liquor manufacturing and sale, the Thane Rural Police have hired a drone camera to locate illegal businesses in the area. This is an urgent move in wake of many deaths due to the consumption of illegal country liquor. The state government had also issued orders to close down illegal liquor businesses in villages, Mahesh Patil, Superintendent of Police, Thane (Rural) said that they had started the drive from October last year. Committees at village, tehsil and district levels were formed to keep track of such shops and take regular action. Several meetings were held to make locals aware of the drive and get them involved. To crack down on illegal units operating on the creek-side and hilly areas, the police have resorted to drone cameras which help them track such units. Patil said that their intensive operations included 800 raids that helped them seize material worth around Rs 1 crore. In all, 900 people have been arrested and preventive action taken against 600. He added that the crackdown had helped close illegal liquor businesses in almost 90 per cent of villages. Attempts were also being made to rehabilitate people affected by the move. Around 40 people had been able to get jobs in various companies in the area. Patil said that the rise in sale of liquor at licensed shops also indicate that illegal businesses are not in operation.

6 Apr 2017

Good News

Global Inspirations

The Study of Amazon Rainforests Became Very Interesting With the Help of Drones

The study of the dense Amazon forests with its thick vegetation and biodiversity has always been a challenge for researchers due to its inaccessible terrain. Now, the drones that were used for filming movies like Skyfall have been adapted and repurposed to withstand the heat and humidity of the rainforests to study the ecosystems. Powerful ‘Hexacopters’ Life in Amazon, the world’s largest rainforest is a world in itself with several life forms thriving in the rich ecosystem. However, it has been very arduous to study the various habitats of the forest as well as to assess how the forest responds to climate change, deforestation and fire. Scientists would rely on limited data collected form towers, aircraft, and satellites to help them understand the habitat. There is good news now as powerful hexacopters (drones having six blades) that were used for filming thrilling Hollywood scenes have now been specially adapted to study the dense and impenetrable Amazon forest. How Drones Work Instead of filming or taking pictures, scientists fix a one-kilogram chemical-sensing package that acts like an electronic nose sensing the forest. The unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are set forth from old observation towers near the Amazon. The sensors are able to ascertain from vapours released by plants in drought or flood situations how plants adapt to stressors such as climate change and extreme weather. Scientists are certain that they will be able to learn a lot from research on the Amazon forests with the help of these powerful drones.

6 Nov 2019

Global Inspirations

Drones Help To Save Lives In Rwanda

Drones are coming to the aid of patients in Rwanda many times, saving their lives, by promptly delivering the much-needed blood or medicines. The drones have been developed by a Silicon Valley robotics company, Zipline that has teamed up with the Rwandan health ministry to hasten the delivery of vital medicines to hospitals in remote areas. An ingenious drone delivery service is known as “Uber for blood” has slashed the delivery time of life-saving medicine to remote regions of Rwanda from four hours to an average of half an hour. The partnership has delivered more than 5,500 units of blood over the past year, often in life-saving situations. The drones are helping to reduce maternal deaths – a quarter of which are the result of blood loss during childbirth – and high incidences of malaria-induced anaemia, which is common in children.

10 Jan 2018

Global Inspirations