Would you let a drone walk your dog? (Photo: Todd Plitt, USA TODAY) There's a drone for everything, including one to walk your dog thanks to a U.K. company. Drones Direct, based in West Yorkshire, England, is telling customers: "Give the dog a drone." The company's DJI's Phantom 4 Proflight Walkies Dog Drone has a built-in retractable leash, hands-free piloting and runs at an "auto altitude" (we're guessing that means high enough to avoid a dog attack). It promises to walk your dog for up to 30 minutes along a GPS route of your choosing, while avoiding obstacles with "built-in collision avoidance technology," according to its product description. Plus, the drone's camera will help you keep an eye on your pup using a smartphone. "They'll be days when you just can't find time to walk little rover and have to unfortunately miss a day," the site says.

Last year, Intel partnered with Lady Gaga on the Super Bowl Halftime Show to showcase its latest aerial technology called "Shooting Star." Intel did a reprise performance of its Shooting Star technology for Singapore's 52nd birthday this past week. Instead of fireworks, the tech-savvy country celebrated its National Day Parade with a swarm of 300 LED drones animating the night sky with shapes, logos, and even a map of the country. Intel's global drone chief, Anil Nanduri, explained, "There's considerably more operational complexity in handling a 300 drone fleet, compared with 100 drones in a show. You may be able to juggle three, but if you juggle nine, you may have to throw them higher and faster to get more time."

Chinese manufacturer DJI is adding a local data mode to its drones. Once enabled, the new feature will stop the company's apps from collecting user data (such as photos, videos, and flight logs). Although, DJI claims the update is in response to public demand, it's hard to ignore the security concerns recently raised by the US army. Less than two weeks ago, the military ordered staff to halt use of all DJI hardware and applications, citing "operational risks." Although the army did not elaborate on its memo, it's thought the decision may have been spurred by DJI's data collection.

Militants firing from bombed-out buildings had ambushed a U.S.-backed militia on a rubble-strewn street in Raqqah, Islamic State's self-declared capital and one of its last urban strongholds. The militia was pinned down and their commander wanted the drone to take out the gunmen. The pilot studied the surveillance video streaming onto his screen. A captain, he instructed the staff sergeant at his side to set the drone's target sights and powered up a Hellfire missile under its wing. "Rifle," the pilot said and the missile soared away.

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – An unarmed Iranian drone shadowed a U.S. aircraft carrier at night and came close enough to F-18 fighter jets to put the lives of American pilots at risk, the Navy said Tuesday, reporting the second such tense encounter within a week. The Iranian Sadegh drone flew without any warning lights during the encounter Sunday night with the USS Nimitz, said Lt. Ian McConnaughey, a spokesman for the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet. The drone did not respond to repeated calls over the radio and came within 1,000 feet (300 meters) of U.S. fighters, he said. That "created a dangerous situation with the potential for collision and is not in keeping with international maritime customs and laws," McConnaughey said in a statement. The drone was unarmed, the lieutenant said, though that model can carry missiles. Iran's military and state-run media did not immediately report the incident, which came after a similar encounter Aug. 8, in which the Navy said an Iranian drone came within 100 feet (30 meters) of an F-18 preparing to land on the Nimitz.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An Iranian drone came within 1,000 feet (300 meters) of a U.S. aircraft carrier while it was in international waters in the Gulf conducting flight operations, a spokesman for the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said on Monday.

The Forest Service has a new message for Americans: Keep your drones out of their wildfires. Even as the Forest Service uses drones both to help prevent fires, by starting prescribed burns and on occasion to help battle flames, drones are emerging as a new fire threat. People fly them into fires to get pictures that they wouldn't otherwise be able to capture. The problem is, however, that capturing those images puts firefighters at even greater risk. And, if a drone hinders the firefighting process, that can cost valuable time.

A US technology firm has developed a drone that is able to aim and fire at enemies while flying in mid-air. The Tikad drone, developed by Duke Robotics, is armed with a machine-gun and a grenade launcher. The gun can be fired only by remote control, and is designed to reduce military casualties by cutting the number of ground troops required. But campaigners warn that in the wrong hands, it will make it easier to kill innocent people. The Tikad drone, available for private sale at an undisclosed price, has won a security innovation award from the US Department of Defense, and there is interest from several military forces around the world, including Israel, reports Defense One.

The U.S. Army has ordered its members to stop using drones made by Chinese manufacturer SZ DJI Technology because of "cyber vulnerabilities." The directive applies to all DJI drones and systems that use DJI components or software. It requires service members to "cease all use, uninstall all DJI applications, remove all batteries and storage media and secure equipment for follow-on direction." DJI has about 70% of the global commercial and consumer drone market according to Goldman Sachs analysts. The market, including military, is expected to be worth more than $100 billion over the next five years.