There are helicopter drones and fixed-wing drones, but creating a hybrid of both is tricky. Even Parrot's Swing, as clever as it is, needs four propellers and elaborate wings to pull off its stunt. However, TU Delft (with backing from Parrot) has a far more elegant solution. Its DelftAcopter drone doubles as both a fixed-wing aircraft and a helicopter using only one propeller -- its tailless biplane design lets it take off and hover vertically, but gracefully turn into a fast-moving airplane (up to 62MPH) at a moment's notice. It's an incredibly simple design that makes you wonder why someone hadn't considered it for drones before.

Patrick Meier (center, in cap) flies a drone in Nepal after the earthquake in 2015. Meier and his team were able to to capture detailed images of damage around the capital, Kathmandu. He believes using this technology will make crisis mapping even more effective for disaster response. Patrick Meier (center, in cap) flies a drone in Nepal after the earthquake in 2015. Meier and his team were able to to capture detailed images of damage around the capital, Kathmandu. He believes using this technology will make crisis mapping even more effective for disaster response.

Amsterdam, September 29, 2016 – One of the world's first automated inspections by an intelligent drone with deep learning capabilities was demonstrated at the GPU Technology Conference Europe today by Aerialtronics, a Dutch manufacturer of technologically advanced drones, Neurala, a pioneer in deep learning software, and NVIDIA, the world leader in GPU-accelerated computing. This new "intelligent drone" identifies objects and their condition in flight, which dramatically increases the efficiency and accuracy of documenting assets, lowering costs, and making it easier for frequent inspections. It adds to the use of commercial drones to help businesses access difficult and dangerous areas, such as cell towers and turbines. The resulting system can visually inspect a cell tower and recognize the equipment mounted on the mast. This is the first step required to start automating the documentation of assets, and assessing the mechanical functionality and condition of the cell tower to identify rust and other defects.

The drone turned slowly with a loud buzzing sound, red and blue lights flashing, and hit me right in the eyes with a spotlight. "Security has been notified," boomed a smooth voice from the aircraft's twin loudspeakers. Startup Aptonomy thinks this experience can keep intruders out of factories, warehouses, and other facilities more cheaply than human guards can and more effectively than cameras and alarms. I received the drone security guard treatment in a demonstration at the company's testing area on Treasure Island, an old naval base in San Francisco Bay. Cofounder Mihail Pivtoraiko says his drones will be ready to go on patrol next year.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard unveiled a new attack drone which is similar to a U.S. unmanned aerial vehicle captured five years ago and is capable of carrying bombs, state media reported on Saturday. The drone, called the "Saegheh," or Thunderbolt, was unveiled at an expo showcasing the latest achievements by the Revolutionary Guard. This photo released on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, shows a new attack drone called Saegheh or Thunderbolt in an undisclosed location in Iran. "This long-range drone is capable of hitting four targets with smart precision-guided bombs with high accuracy," the head of the Revolutionary Guards' aerospace arm, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA, Reuters reported. The semi-official Tasnim news agency said the drone is similar to the RQ-170 Sentinel spy drone used by the U.S. Iran's state-run Press TV said the long-range drone can carry four precision-guided bombs.

For a swimmer struggling to stay above the water's surface, even a low-flying robot may offer some glimmer of hope. Even better is if that drone carries a self-inflating flotation device, keeping the swimmer afloat in time for lifeguards to drag them back to the shore. After alerting a lifeguard to swim out, the drone is piloted to the struggling swimmer.

The military already has small drones, ranging from the palm-sized Black Hornet to the hand-tossed Raven. But these are either, in the case of the Black Hornet, mostly the domain of Special Forces, or like the Raven, kept at the Company level, and neither of these drones are cheap. Ravens cost at least 250,000 a system, when set up to military specifications. Yet drones, especially ones deployed at the squad level, don't have to be expensive. Commercial quadcopters and toy drones have seen use in the Ukrainian civil war, and there, soldiers trying to shoot them down with rifles.

This might be one of the most dangerous yet breath-taking car journeys in the world. A new drone video has emerged showing the dangerous mountain tunnel chiselled out of a vertical cliff in Taihang Mountains. The footage, posted to Youtube by CCTV News yesterday, is believed to capture the awe-inspiring Guoliang tunnel in central China's Henan Province. The formidable Guoliang tunnel was hand-carved by 13 men from an ancient village perched on top of the cliff at an altitude of over 1,700 metres (5,500 feet). The 1,250-metre-long (4,100 feet) passage is the only way to drive to the 600-year-old Guoliang village, which perches on top of the 200-metre-tall (656 feet) cliff.

Last year, Disney created the VertiGo, a robot that can climb walls. I wanted to take that concept further, with a powered-up version of the drone, strong enough to carry a person. The Ventooz lends itself to a variety of uses. It could carry people who inspect or repair buildings and structures like dams. It could serve as a rescue vehicle stranded in dangerous situations.

A futuristic new concept that's inspired by whale tails could change the way we travel through water. At the moment, almost all vessels capable of travelling great distances do so with the help of enormous propellers that provide the driving force. However, the Seataci, a 100million ( 77million) luxury yacht envisioned by Montreal-based engineer Charles Bombardier, is designed to travel with the help of a wave motion - just like the way whales do. In his column for Wired, Bombardier explained that the Seataci would use an eco-friendly system that could be more efficient than traditional systems and allow the vessel to travel through shallow waters and with minimal noise. Like all yachts, the Seataci has a main hull, where the bulk of the ship's features will reside.