Aircraft maker Airbus is turning to smart industrial drones, data analytics and machine learning to make aircraft inspections easier and faster. One day while working on a shiny new Airbus A350 aircraft, Ronie Gnecco figured it was time to build a better relationship between drones and passenger airplanes. His bold idea to use flying robots for aircraft safety inspections worked so well it has -- among other projects -- it inspired aircraft manufacturer Airbus to move deeper into the industrial drone revolution. Within a couple of years, the company's intelligent unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) systems could be used for safety inspections at airports around the world, making planes safer with more on-time flight departures. To make that happen, Gnecco said it will require pioneering efforts from technology experts, regulators and airport authorities from around the world.

It's relatively easy to develop a drone that can fly on its own, but it's another matter developing one that can navigate the many obstacles of real life. That's where Microsoft thinks it can help. It just published an open source simulator, the Aerial Informatics and Robotics Platform, that helps designers test and train autonomous machines in realistic conditions without wrecking expensive prototypes. The tool has vehicles move through randomized environments filled with the minutiae you see on a typical street, such as power lines and trees -- if your drone can't dodge a tree branch, you'll find out quickly. You can see what the vehicle would see (including simulated sensor data), and the software ties into both existing robotic hardware platforms and machine learning systems to speed up development.

Amazon receives a patent from the U.S. government for drones that would parachute drop an item right to your door. Amazon may have a new option for how it plans to deliver your packages by drone. CNN reports the retailing giant was granted a patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that could allow packages to drop by parachute. The drone would stay nearby to make sure it arrives in the right spot. The report says, for example, Amazon's drone could deploy a parachute or landing flap on the package to prevent it from hitting a balcony or tree.

Remember that tiny flying taxi that caused a buzz at CES 2016? That's right, the egg-shaped contraption that resembles a kind of giant quadcopter. Well, it seems the simply named "184" vehicle is ready to take to the skies this summer, ferrying paying passengers around the Emirati city of Dubai, according to an AP report. Developed by Chinese firm EHang, the 184 takes its name from having one passenger, eight propellors, and four arms. Perhaps there should be a "0" too, for zero pilots.

When most people with normal vision walk down the street, they can easily differentiate the things they must avoid – like trees, curbs and glass doors -- from the things they don't, such as shadows, reflections and clouds. Chances are, most people also can anticipate what obstacles they should expect to encounter next -- knowing, for example, that at a street corner they should watch out for cars and prepare to step down off the curb. The ability to differentiate and anticipate comes easily to humans but it's still very difficult for artificial intelligence-based systems. That's one big reason why self-driving cars or autonomous delivery drones are still emerging technologies. Microsoft researchers are aiming to change that.

Amazon is toying with the idea of equipping its autonomous delivery drones with parachutes. The idea is that they would enable the flying contraptions to float packages down to the ground in situations where landing could prove tricky. The potential plans are outlined in a new US Patent and Trademark office patent spotted by CNN. The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session A man looks at an exhibit entitled'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Electrification Guru Dr. Wolfgang Ziebart talks about the electric Jaguar I-PACE concept SUV before it was unveiled before the Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles, California, U.S The Jaguar I-PACE Concept car is the start of a new era for Jaguar. Japan's On-Art Corp's CEO Kazuya Kanemaru poses with his company's eight metre tall dinosaur-shaped mechanical suit robot'TRX03' and other robots during a demonstration in Tokyo, Japan Japan's On-Art Corp's eight metre tall dinosaur-shaped mechanical suit robot'TRX03' performs during its unveiling in Tokyo, Japan Singulato Motors co-founder and CEO Shen Haiyin poses in his company's concept car Tigercar P0 at a workshop in Beijing, China A picture shows Singulato Motors' concept car Tigercar P0 at a workshop in Beijing, China Connected company president Shigeki Tomoyama addresses a press briefing as he elaborates on Toyota's "connected strategy" in Tokyo.

The bizarre patents of Amazon's drone programme keep on coming. Hot on the heels of the company's proposal for a floating airship warehouse, it has now filed a patent for parachute-aided delivery of packages. In the future, if the patent is implemented, Amazon's delivery drones may not even need to land on your enormous lawn to deliver your parcels. Instead, the drone will simply release parcels from on high, deploying parachutes to slow their descent and ensure the valuables inside remain intact. Of course, normal parachutes would bring their own problems – a strong gust of wind, and your Blu-Ray box set ends up on the roof – so a second aspect of the patent contains the real innovation.

The report "Drone Software Market by Architecture (Open Source, Closed Source), Offering (App-Based Software, Desktop Software), Application (Control & Data Capture, Image Processing, Analytics), Platform, and Region - Global Forecast to 2022", published by MarketsandMarkets, the market is estimated to be USD 2.85 Billion in 2016 and is projected to reach USD 12.33 Billion by 2022, at a CAGR of 27.63% during the forecast period. Browse83 market data Tables and42 Figures spread through 135 Pages and in-depth TOC on"Drone Software Market" PRnewswire&utm_medium Referral&utm_campaign PaidPR ] Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report. The key factors expected to fuel the growth of the drone software market include increasing investments and the rising use of drones in commercial and military applications. Based on architecture, the open source segment is expected to dominate the market. Open source software are available freely and many companies are opting for open source software.

Amazon could be working on a new strategy for dropping packages from its delivery drones to your doorstep. The e-commerce giant has received a patent for a system that'can be implemented to forcefully propel a package from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), while the UAV is in motion'. The document describes using magnets, parachutes or spring coils to release parcels while the unmanned vehicles are in mid-flight – and radio frequencies could help guide packages to their destination. Amazon could be working on a strategy for dropping packages from its drones to doorsteps. The e-commerce giant received a patent for a system that'can be implemented to forcefully propel a package from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), while the UAV is in motion'.

Amazon's much-anticipated (and long time coming) drone deliveries might technically finally be happening, but a new patent spotted by CNN suggests your next book or box-set might actually arrive via parachute. There are many practical, legal and technical challenges that drone deliveries present -- and getting the parcel on the ground is just one of them. So far, deliveries have been carried out in relatively controlled locations where a drone can land to release its cargo. A safe landing isn't possible everywhere, not to mention other environmental hazards such as humans, pets and other obstacles. Also, this is Amazon, where efficiency is king.