Drones
FAA: Sorry, it's illegal to weaponize a drone
File photo - An airplane flies over a drone during the Polar Bear Plunge on Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York Jan. 1, 2015. If you're thinking about adding a flamethrower or gun to your drone for an epic end-of-summer blowout party, think again. The Federal Aviation Administration wants you to know that it's illegal to weaponize a drone. "Perhaps you've seen online photos and videos of drones with attached guns, bombs, fireworks, flamethrowers, and other dangerous items. Do not consider attaching any items such as these to a drone because operating a drone with such an item may result in significant harm to a person and to your bank account," the FAA said in a warning last week.
Pompeo backs Israel's right to defend itself from Iran threats after Syria airstrike
Former Israeli Air Force pilot Tal Keinan says Israeli policy is to interrupt the ambition of any regional power that wants to eradicate Israel. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday he supports "Israel's right to defend itself from threats posed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps," after the Israeli military carried out an attack on targets inside Syria on Saturday in what it described as a successful effort to thwart a "very imminent" Iranian drone strike. Pompeo tweeted that he spoke with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday regarding the airstrikes in Syria. He wrote, "I expressed my support for Israel's right to defend itself from threats posed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps & to take action to prevent imminent attacks against Israeli assets." Pompeo also tweeted, "We discussed how Iran is leveraging its foothold in Syria to threaten Israel and its neighbors. The Prime Minister Netanyahu noted that Israel would strike IRGC (The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) targets threatening Israel, wherever they are located."
Two Iran-linked fighters killed in unclaimed drone attack in Iraq: paramilitary force
BAGHDAD โ Two paramilitary fighters were killed on Sunday in an unclaimed drone attack near Iraq's western border with Syria, the powerful Hashed al-Shaabi force said in a statement. The deaths come after a month of mysterious blasts at Hashed al-Shaabi arms depots and training camps that some of the force's top officials blamed on the U.S. "Two unidentified drones targeted a Brigade 45 position belonging to the Hashed al-Shaabi in the Anbar district, 15 km (10 miles) from the Iraqi-Syrian border," the statement said. The attack "killed two fighters from the unit, wounded another and burned two vehicles," it added. The statement did not accuse any particular force and there was no immediate claim of responsibility. The Hashed was established from disparate armed groups and volunteers who united to fight back the Islamic State group's sweep across a third of Iraq in 2014.
Drone war takes flight, raising stakes in Iran-U.S. tensions as Israel wades in
NEW YORK โ From the vast deserts of Saudi Arabia to the crowded neighborhoods of Beirut, a drone war has taken flight across the wider Middle East, raising the stakes in the ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Iran. In the year since President Donald Trump withdrew America from Iran's nuclear deal, there's been an increasing tempo of attacks and alleged threats from unmanned aircraft flown by Tehran's and Washington's allies in the region. The appeal of the aircraft -- they risk no pilots and can be small enough to evade air-defense systems -- fueled their rapid use amid the maximum pressure campaigns of Iran and the U.S. As these strikes become more frequent, the risk of unwanted escalation becomes greater. The U.S. military nearly launched airstrikes against Iran after a U.S. military surveillance drone was shot down in June. Meanwhile, Israeli fighter jets attack targets in Syria on an almost weekly basis, including on Saturday night.
Lebanon's Hezbollah vows to shoot down Israeli drones after 2 go down near stronghold on 'suicide mission'
Fox News Flash top headlines for August 25 are here. Check out what's clicking on FoxNews.com Lebanon's Hezbollah leader vowed Sunday to shoot down any Israeli drones that enter Lebanese airspace from now on after one allegedly crashed and another exploded in Beirut overnight. Hassan Nasrallah said during a speech that one of the drones had been flying low among buildings and was clearly on a military "suicide mission," which he called "clear aggression." Officials of Iran-backed Hezbollah denied firing at the drones.
Israeli strikes Iranian targets in Syria to prevent drone attack
JERUSALEM โ The Israeli Air Force struck in Syria to prevent an Iranian force from launching an attack on the Jewish state with drones armed with explosives, the army said Sunday. While Israel operates regularly in Syria, it rarely acknowledges its actions so swiftly, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning archfoe Iran it had no immunity from his state's military. In a briefing to reporters, military spokesman Jonathan Conricus said that late Saturday the air force "was able to thwart an Iranian attempt led by the Quds force from Syria to conduct an attack on Israeli targets in northern Israel using killer drones." According to Conricus, the Israeli attack took place in Aqraba, southeast of Damascus, and targeted "a number of terror targets and military facilities belonging to the Quds force as well as Shiite militias." The army had on Thursday prevented an earlier attempt to launch the drone attack, Conricus said, without providing further details.
Israel says latest Syria airstrike thwarted 'imminent' attack by Iranian drones
Fox News Flash top headlines for August 24 are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com The Israeli military carried out a late-night attack on targets inside Syria Saturday in what it described as a successful effort to thwart a "very imminent" Iranian drone strike. The airstrike appeared to be one of the most intense efforts by Israeli forces to tamp down Tehran's military action in the Damascus area and triggered anti-aircraft fire by Syrian forces. Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman, told The Associated Press that Israeli officials had been monitoring a plot for several months in which they believed Iran's Revolutionary Guards' Al Quds force, in conjunction with allied Shiite militias, had been planning to send explosives-laden attack drones into Israel.
FedEx turns to Segway inventor to build delivery robot
FedEx's robot has a top speed of 10 mph and can carry about 100 pounds. A company spokesman said its typical speed would vary depending on the route. The robot relies on sensors typically used on self-driving cars to identify and avoid pedestrians. The SameDay Bot is capable of climbing steps, but customers will need to be home to accept packages -- it won't leave a package on a doorstep or open a front gate. The robot is being developed by DEKA, the Manchester, New Hampshire engineering company owned by Segway inventor Dean Kamen.
'A burger, a coffee, whatever': Food delivery robots may soon roll up to Purdue's campus
These autonomous robots put the special in special delivery and you might see them on a college campus near you! WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.-- How do delivery robots operate in winter? What if no one picks up the delivery? A board in West Lafayette, Indiana, has unanimously approved a pilot program bringing robotic delivery services to Purdue University, as well as a suspension of city code allowing small, cooler-sized robots to operate on city sidewalks. But first, the board members had several questions about the program from San Francisco-based Starship Technologies before it could debut in September.
Smart Farming, or the Future of Agriculture
We are a Ukraine-based company which means that our parents and grandparents lived in the era of infamous Soviet collective farms, where tractors were considered to be an ultimate technology. For them, a smart farm will sound like a fairy tale. So let it be, a fairy tale of a smart farm. First of all, what is a smart farm? Smart Farming is a concept of farming management using modern Information and Communication Technologies to increase the quantity and quality of products.