In their paper "Drones and networks: Ensuring safe and secure operations", researchers Dr. Xingqin Lin, Henrik Rydén and Sakib Bin Redhwan describe how mobile networks are well suited to support low-altitude drone communication and to be integrated with drone traffic management systems to enhance the safety and security of drone operations. Many use cases require drones to transmit video feeds to their flight controllers, imposing heavy uplink traffic load on the networks. Therefore, it is important that mobile networks identify if a user equipment (UE) is a drone UE or a regular ground UE, in order to provide the right service optimization for drone UEs while ensuring the performance of ground UEs is not impacted. Aerial radio channels have a higher likelihood of line-of-sight propagation due to the absence of obstacles, so an uplink signal transmitted from a drone UE may reach multiple neighboring non-serving base stations and thus cause increased uplink interference. As soon as an uncertified drone is detected, interference mitigation techniques can then be initiated.

The system was created by Caltech's Center for Autonomous Systems and Technologies (CAST) in a collaboration between artificial intelligence (AI) and control experts. The "neural lander", is a learning-based controller which tracks the position and speed of the drone, and modifies its landing trajectory and rotor speed accordingly to achieve the smoothest possible landing. "This project has the potential to help drones fly more smoothly and safely, especially in the presence of unpredictable wind gusts, and eat up less battery power as drones can land more quickly," said Soon-Jo Chung, a professor of Aerospace at the institute. For many experts developing unmanned aerial vehicles, landing multi-rotor drones smoothly remains a challenge. This is due to complex turbulence being created by the airflow from each rotor bouncing off the ground as the ground grows ever closer during a descent.

When the self-driving delivery vans finally arrive, it's going to be a challenge getting packages from the vehicle to the doorstep. That's where Ford's partnership with Digit – a bipedal robot from Agility Robotics – comes in handy. The main problem is that watching a two-legged robot like Digit can be creepy and disconcerting, especially when it awkwardly walks on its creature-like legs and then bends over – or when it sneakily unfolds itself from the back of the delivery van. Ford plans to use Digit to carry packages up to 40 pounds when humans aren't around to help grab deliveries from the back of a truck or van. Digit can walk up and down stairs, navigate around obstacles in its path, and stay balanced even after getting bumped. The humanoid can also fold up, so it stows away in the back of the delivery van ready to unfold and carry packages once the van arrives.

LONDON - Climate activists from Extinction Rebellion have drawn up plans to use drones to shut London's Heathrow Airport this summer in a campaign to stop the construction of a third runway at Europe's busiest airport, the group said. The internal proposal, seen by Reuters, emerged against a backdrop of renewed campaigning by environmental groups who argue that expanding Heathrow would be incompatible with Britain's targets to curb greenhouse gas emissions. "On June 18, we plan to carry out nonviolent direct action to ensure Heathrow Authorities close the airport for the day, to create a'pause' in recognition of the genocidal impact of high carbon activities, such as flying, upon the natural world," Extinction Rebellion said in a statement late on Thursday. "This is not about targeting the public, but holding the Government to their duty to take leadership on the climate and ecological emergency," the group said. Heathrow Airport said the use of drones would be a "reckless action."

Facebook has patented a high-tech drone that uses a unique apparatus to stay afloat. The filing, titled'Dual-kite aerial vehicle,' describes an unmanned aerial vehicle that is attached to two kites and can be flown at different altitudes. The kites allow the drone to remain in the air for an extended period of time'while consuming little or no fuel,' according to the patent. Facebook has patented a high-tech drone that uses a unique apparatus to stay afloat. The filing, 'Dual-kite aerial vehicle,' describes an unmanned aerial vehicle tethered to two kites The drone is attached to the two kites via a tether, which are each able to maintain flight at different altitudes.

ABU DHABI - President Donald Trump's national security adviser warned Iran on Wednesday that any attacks in the Persian Gulf will draw a "very strong response" from the U.S., taking a hard-line approach with Tehran after his boss only two days earlier said America wasn't "looking to hurt Iran at all." John Bolton's comments are the latest amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran that have been playing out in the Middle East. Bolton spoke to journalists in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, which only days earlier saw former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis warn there that "unilateralism will not work" in confronting the Islamic Republic. The dueling approaches highlight the divide over Iran within American politics. The U.S. has accused Tehran of being behind a string of incidents this month, including the alleged sabotage of oil tankers off the Emirati coast, a rocket strike near the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and a coordinated drone attack on Saudi Arabia by Yemen's Iran-allied Houthi rebels. On Wednesday, Bolton told journalists that there had been a previously unknown attempt to attack the Saudi oil port of Yanbu as well, which he also blamed on Iran.

An initiative by the U.S. military looks to develop what one researcher is calling'Google Earth on steroids' that maps entire landscapes, helping to simulate environments and train soldiers. In a report from National Defense, one researcher working on the project revealed that the system will be granular enough to map the inside of buildings and eventually entire cities which can then be used in simulated training exercises. The military hopes to inform the creation of these realistic simulations, what they call Simulated Training Environments (STE), by building a comprehensive and highly detailed 3D map of locations around the globe -- an initiative dubbed One World Terrain. An initiative by the U.S. military looks to develop what one researcher is calling ' Google Earth on steroids' that maps entire landscapes. Simulations could help the U.S. military train soldiers and glean useful data in the field While the project may sound like a developer's nightmare, recent advances in drone technology and databases of satellite imagery have brought the project firmly into reality.

Iranian soldiers carry part of a target drone used in air-defense exercises. Iran is also turning some target drones into low-tech weapons for its proxies. Iranian soldiers carry part of a target drone used in air-defense exercises. Iran is also turning some target drones into low-tech weapons for its proxies. In January, a group of high-level military commanders gathered at an air base in Yemen.

Last-mile delivery is notoriously inefficient. In addition to the burden large volumes of parcels place on delivery chains, customizing drop-off routes between homes, apartment blocks, retail stores and offices can result in lost time, lower energy efficiency and more traffic congestion on busy streets. As package volumes and the popularity of two-day (or faster) shipping have skyrocketed over the last decade, shippers and 3PLs are looking for ways to increase the speed and efficiency of at-home deliveries. In recent years, drones, robots and autonomous vehicles have been hailed as potential solutions because they can be programmed to navigate environments that would otherwise be difficult or time consuming for an average delivery truck driver to reach. To make this pilot more feasible, Digit is designed to fold itself up for easy storage while in the back of a self-driving delivery vehicle.

A DJI Technology drone flies during a demonstration in Shenzhen, China, in 2014. DJI sells the majority of Chinese-made drones bought in the United States. A DJI Technology drone flies during a demonstration in Shenzhen, China, in 2014. DJI sells the majority of Chinese-made drones bought in the United States. Drones have become an increasingly popular tool for industry and government.