Larger or riskier drones that could cause serious injury -- as determined by yet-to-be-implemented crash tests -- up to 55 pounds could not be flown over crowds, and would have more limitations. Finally, the fourth group of drones that also pose a potentially serious risk but are intended to be used over crowds would have the most rules, with documented plans for risk mitigation, higher operator qualifications, and possibly coordination with the FAA or local law enforcement. Most of the committee members felt like a requirement for in-person testing would be ignored, suggesting online testing with no background checks for operators of the smallest drones. DJI VP Brendan Schulman called the recommendation a "progressive approach," that balanced the benefits of drones and public safety. His company was one of 27 groups (like 3DRobotics, GoPro, Google X, Intel and AT&T) that participated in the Micro Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Aviation Rulemaking Committee, and the FAA will use its information to develop new rules.

Spectacular drone footage has emerged showing a huge pod of dolphins swimming off the shores of a popular beach. Steve Maxwell captured the pod of about 40 dolphins cruising between Avalon Beach and Whale Beach in Sydney's north. The licensed drone pilot stumbled upon the majestic scenes while photographing surfers in the area, reports Daily Telegraph. Photographer Steve Maxwell captured the pod of about 40 dolphins cruising between Avalon Beach and Whale Beach in Sydney's north Mr Maxwell quickly decided to focus on capturing the marine mammals, who can be seen frolicking together in a large pack. 'Every available chance I get, I send the drone up over them,' Mr Maxwell said.

In the deserts of eastern California, that blank stretch of sand striped with asphalt between Needles and Barstow, there are emergency telephones spaced out for people in need. The desert is hot and sparse, and sometimes cars breakdown, and people need to call for help as soon as they can. It's a bleak place to lose a tire, and an even worse one to lose a tire and urgently need some antiseptic and a bandage. A new patent awarded to Google yesterday could someday bring a robotic savior to these exact situations: a medical emergency call box, which summons a drone carrying the needed supplies to the person in need. Users would press a button for their specific medical emergency, and it would deploy a drone to the scene.

If you're the kind of person who really likes chatting with the mail carrier, Dispatch won't be your favorite startup. That's because the four-person South San Francisco company is working on technology that could replace postal workers; UPS and FedEx drivers; Instacart couriers; and anyone else who gets paid to bring you stuff. Instead, you might be dealing with a 3-foot-tall, 150-pound, battery-powered roving robot that looks like a little dumpster on wheels. Called Carry, the device uses artificial intelligence, five cameras and a laser to navigate on sidewalks around pedestrians, flaming hoverboards and any other obstacles to get packages to your door. The only places you'll find Carry today are on two California college campuses, where it's still being tested.

Federal officials say they will work quickly to draft new regulations that would permit small, commercial drones to fly over people, including crowds. That comes in response to recommendations from an industry advisory committee. The Federal Aviation Administration currently prohibits most commercial use of drones over people. The recommendations, first reported by The Associated Press, would create four categories of commercial drones. Drones weighing about a half pound or less would be allowed to fly over people virtually without restriction.

Machine learning--the process by which computers can get better at performing tasks through exposure to data, rather than through explicit programming--requires massive computational power, the kind usually found in clusters of energy-guzzling, cloud-based computer servers outfitted with specialized processors. But an emerging trend promises to bring the power of machine learning to mobile devices that may lack or have only intermittent online connectivity. This will give rise to machines that sense, perceive, learn from, and respond to their environment and their users, enabling the emergence of new product categories, reshaping how businesses engage with customers, and transforming how work gets done across industries. Emerging technologies rarely get as big a publicity boost as machine learning recently saw, when Google software defeated one of the world's top players of Go, one of the most complex board games ever created, in a best-of-five series of matches.6 The international headlines confirmed that machine learning--the process by which fresh data can teach computers to better perform tasks--is one of the hottest domains within the field of artificial intelligence, and that this cognitive technology is progressing rapidly.7 Neural networks--computer models designed to mimic aspects of the human brain's structure and function, with elements representing neurons and their interconnections--are an increasingly popular way of implementing machine learning.

Now, a source claims the Small UAV Coalition is recommending the ban be relaxed to encourage commercial development in the area. The recommendations call for creating four categories of small drones that commercial operators can fly over people, including crowds in some cases. The first category of drones would weigh no more than about a half-pound (230 grams). They essentially could fly unrestricted over people, including crowds. Drone makers would have to certify that if the drone hit someone, there would be no more than a 1 percent chance that the maximum force of the impact would cause a serious injury.

The system uses an optical camera for detection, as well as "passive ranging features" to predict whether any nearby aircraft will cross its flight path. If there's a potential collision, it'll recommend the best evasive action that complies with air safety regulations. "This SAA system has the potential to enable a wide range of manned and unmanned systems to safely integrate into an increasingly populated and complex airspace," Dan Patt, a Program Manager at DARPA said. "What pilot wouldn't want to set a box on their dashboard that would provide an additional pair of eyes?" DARPA has been working on the project for two years now. Its next step is to shrink the hardware -- a shoebox is still a little large, especially for commercial drones -- continue testing and develop some "mature" features, such as the ability to detect aircraft below the horizon line.

This is the Delft Dynamics Dronecatcher catching a drone. Robots that hunt other robots are my favorite robots. This is Delft Dynamic's Dronecatcher, a big drone built to hunt smaller drones. Here it is, from the ground. The dronecatcher debuted last year in crude form, and recently Delft Dynamics released new footage of it in action.

The dawn of drones is ushering in a fundamental shift in how we do things--it's affecting everything from lifestyle to privacy, logistics to entertainment. Yet one obvious (but largely untapped) potential use for unmanned aerial vehicles is its capacity to aid emergency services. While not completely unheard of (there have been talks of using drone technology for search and rescue missions or combat poaching), this is the first time that its capability is actually going to be tested. And according to a recent announcement, Rwanda is going to be the first country that will make use of delivery drones to ferry medical supplies around the country. Zipline, a drone startup, is behind the initiative, working in partnership with the Rwandan government.