This work presents a LiDAR-based quadrotor system for slope inspection in dense vegetation environments. Cities like Hong Kong are vulnerable to climate hazards, which often result in landslides. To mitigate the landslide risks, the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) has constructed steel flexible debris-resisting barriers on vulnerable natural catchments to protect residents. However, it is necessary to carry out regular inspections to identify any anomalies, which may affect the proper functioning of the barriers. Traditional manual inspection methods face challenges and high costs due to steep terrain and dense vegetation. Compared to manual inspection, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with LiDAR sensors and cameras have advantages such as maneuverability in complex terrain, and access to narrow areas and high spots. However, conducting slope inspections using UAVs in dense vegetation poses significant challenges. First, in terms of hardware, the overall design of the UAV must carefully consider its maneuverability in narrow spaces, flight time, and the types of onboard sensors required for effective inspection. Second, regarding software, navigation algorithms need to be designed to enable obstacle avoidance flight in dense vegetation environments. To overcome these challenges, we develop a LiDAR-based quadrotor, accompanied by a comprehensive software system. The goal is to deploy our quadrotor in field environments to achieve efficient slope inspection. To assess the feasibility of our hardware and software system, we conduct functional tests in non-operational scenarios. Subsequently, invited by CEDD, we deploy our quadrotor in six field environments, including five flexible debris-resisting barriers located in dense vegetation and one slope that experienced a landslide. These experiments demonstrated the superiority of our quadrotor in slope inspection.

The "Pro" moniker gets thrown around a lot on gadgets that are, at best, built for hobbyists with some disposable income. The original Mavic 3 was already a fantastic drone, but the newest variation packs an entire film studio into a small, flying package (and a high price to match its power). At $4,799, this drone is not cheap, but you can capture high-quality aerial shots! This is just not something that's really feasible without spending tons more. The most stark change in the Pro Cine variant of the Mavic 3 is its triple-camera array.

Looking to get a free second phone number? CyberGuy shows how to get a second number at no additional cost. On one side of the coin, the invasion of privacy that can be the result of a neighbor hovering overhead with their new drone is unsettling. The other perspective is apparent the moment you put your own new drone into flight. Drones are incredibly useful for more than spying on neighbors.

When it launched last year, the DJI Mavic 3 grabbed a lot of headlines with features like a big Four Thirds sensor and a second 7X telephoto camera. But it also drew some criticism for going on sale with key features like ActiveTrack and QuickShots still not available. That meant that I and others couldn't assess those features in our early Mavic 3 reviews. And because of that, potential buyers couldn't get a full picture of the drone before paying up to $5,000 for one. Following three major firmware updates in December, January and May, all the promised functions and more are finally here. Now, I'm going to test them out using the same exact drone to see how well they work.

Pilots can scoot along at almost 47mph, which is only a slight bump over past Mavic drones, but every bit helps sometimes. This increase in power improves the vertical speed in a big way. You'll go up into the sky at around 18mph, compared to the 11mph of the Mavic 2 series. DJI has also adjusted the lowest speed of the propellers, allowing the drone to descend twice as fast as the Mavic 2 drones.

This week, in addition to covering all the Cyber Week deals we could find, we also reviewed some unique gadgets. Steve Dent and a licensed drone pilot toured the French countryside with the help of the DJI Mavic 3 drone, while Terrence O'Brien played with the Animoog Z app, a sequel ten years in the making. Also, Cherlynn Low played around with Android 12 to check out its new Material You design. Steve Dent spent some time with the DJI Mavic 3 and a licensed drone pilot in the French countryside to see what the new device is capable of. He reports that not only is the Mavic 3 the easiest DJI drone to fly, but the large 4/3 sensor and dual camera system produce incredible footage – and the 46 minutes of range is double the time that the previous model could capture.

DJI's Mavic 3 created early buzz when a leak suggested it would have a large 4/3 sensor and dual camera system, along with an incredible 46 minutes of range. However, potential buyers were also shocked to learn that it has a $2,200 starting price, compared to $1,449 for the Mavic 2 Pro. And that goes way up to $5,000 if you want advanced features like ProRes HQ video. Early footage shows that the camera is indeed impressive and the 50 percent extra flight time is extremely useful. Buyers have also complained, though, about the price, overly basic Fly app and features like ActiveTrack 5 that won't be available until a January 2022 update.

Chinese tech company Da-Jiang Innovations, more popularly known as DJ, finally unveiled its highly anticipated drones, the Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Cine, on Friday, with its most expensive bundle costing almost $5,000. The more expensive model packing the most impressive specs is the DJI Mavic 3 Cine, which retails at $4,999. It comes with a built-in 1 TB SSD and can film Apple ProRes 422 HQ footage at 5.1K up to 50FPS. This feature offers much more scope for processing in various software, including Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere, or DaVinci Resolve. The DJI Mavic 3, on the other hand, does not share the ProRes or a built-in 1 TB SSD of the Mavic 3 Cine.

DJI's upcoming Mavic 3 Pro drone may be a big upgrade over the last model, according to leaks from DroneDJ and Jasper Ellens seen by The Verge. It may have a significantly longer flight time along with not just one, but two cameras, including a telephoto model and one with a larger Four Thirds sensor. If accurate, the Mavic 3 would be highly desirable for cinematographers and aerial photographers when it arrives, reportedly later this year. Where the Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom make you choose between a larger sensor or a 24-48mm equivalent zoom, the new model will offer both on one drone. It reportedly comes with two separate cameras, including a 20-megapixel, 24mm f/2.8-f/11 primary camera with a Four Thirds sensor, along with a 12-megapixel, 1/2-inch sensor secondary camera with a 160mm-equivalent telephoto lens.