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  • Amazon Looking to Head off Drone Hijackers

    Amazon Looking to Head off Drone Hijackers

    Amazon’s drone delivery service hasn’t taken off just yet, but they’re gearing up for it now with a slew of new patents. One such patents is an early attempt at heading off would-be drone hijackers. As fleets of goods-carrying drones head out from Amazon warehouses, the company is wary of crooks who would try to bring them down and steal their cargo.

    Amazon’s Answer to Drone Hijackers

    In a patent recently filed by the company, they stated the following. “As the use of UAVs continues to increase, so does the likelihood of hostility towards UAVs. Such hostility may come in the form of attacks brought for any number of purposes (e.g., steal the UAVs and their payloads, crash the UAVs, and otherwise cause disruption to the operation of the UAVs).”

    Further, “Using these attacks, nefarious individuals and/or systems may be able to obtain control of the UAVs by hacking the communication signals being sent to the UAVs from a controller and/or being sent by the UAV to the controller.” Amazon says that this “could cause the UAVs to operate unsafely and could also result in considerable financial loss for their operators.”

    What solution do they propose? A “heartbeat” signal. The idea is simple: the drone controller would send a baseline ping, called a heartbeat, to verify that the drone is okay. If the heartbeat isn’t echoed by the drone, it would be placed into emergency mode. In such a mode, the drone would attempt to reestablish connection with control. In the event that it couldn’t do so, it would begin to move towards an established safe-zone. Such a safe zone would allow the drone to be safely brought down and have its cargo retrieved. Clever!

    Amazon’s Drone Future

    Drones seem to be an attractive avenue of expansion for Amazon. After all, you have to pay a delivery driver, insure them and gas their truck up. Not to mention, the delivery truck can’t fly. A drone, however, is automated and electric. For them, it’s a simple choice. However, for delivery drivers, the drones may soon work them out of their jobs. Maybe it’s time to learn to perform drone maintenance or control, huh?

  • Parrot Taking Aim at DJI with New HDR-Enabled Drone, Anafi

    Parrot Taking Aim at DJI with New HDR-Enabled Drone, Anafi

    Parrot, the recently-quiet drone makers, have unveiled a new consumer drone. The Anafi, as it is called, is a folding drone meant to stash easily in a bag or trunk. It’s a quad-copter, so it has very stable flight and performs great in most climates.  

    The Camera 

    What’s better for shooting footage than a zippy drone? And if you’re shooting stunning aerial footage, you need a good camera! The Anafi doesn’t disappoint, coming equipped with a 4K camera that shoots 21-megapixel photos. It’s also the first consumer drone to hit market with HDR! For the uninformed, HDR is a high-contrast exposure that makes images pop. It’s a great companion to 4K, and makes stunning vistas look alive on a 4K display.  

    The inclusion of HDR actually gives Parrot a surprising edge over DJI. DJI’s drones are known to struggle in high-contrast shots, and given their pedigree, Parrot’s superiority in that field is a game-changer. It also features lossless digital zoom, a really awesome feature for a drone with a camera this good.  

    Anafi in Flight 

    The Anafi drone is also a breeze to fly. The quad-copter alignment is super-stable, and the camera barely jostles in flight. You can even fly it with a smartphone app or traditional remote controller. Ease of use is the main design goal in play, and it shows. 

    The 3-axis gimbal stabilizer has some awesome tricks up its sleeve, too. The drone’s unique construction allows you to shoot footage at a 180-degree angle. This means you can shoot directly above or below the drone. Paired with the awesome zoon, HDR support and stable construction, this all makes the Anafi a very attractive drone to enthusiasts. 

    The best part? All of this comes in a relatively inexpensive package. The Anafi is currently set to retail for $700, which, while not cheap, isn’t as much as comparable DJI drones.