It is a shocking experiment - and a warning for drone owners around the world to keep an eye on the weather. A new YouTube video reveals what happens when an ordinary consumer drone is hit by lighting - and it's not good news. Tom Scott from the hit YouTube channel Amazing Places and Things You Might Not Know visited the High Voltage Laboratory at the University of Manchester to sacrifice a quadcopter (or two). The experiment saw two DJI Phantom 3 drones gets hit with an electrical impulse of 1.4MV at the High Voltage Laboratory at the University of Manchester. 'The High Voltage Laboratory is a hotbed for high-voltage research, so when YouTuber Tom Scott decided to pay us a visit, we just couldn't resist carrying out some of our own electrifying tests,' the University said.

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We've all seen a drone flying around at some point or another, but seeing what it actually does to the air around it is something else entirely. Researchers at NASA's Ames Research Center in California have used computer models to create an animation of the air flow around a quadcopter drone. They developed the animation for the DJI Phantom 3 quadcopter - a battery-powered drone with four rotors. For years, NASA has used similar computer models to simulate the flow of air around aircraft to improve the performance of the vehicles of the future. The phantom drone relies on four rotors to generate enough thrust to lift it up into the air. The animation revealed the complex movements of the air caused by the interaction of the drones rotors and its X-shaped frame.

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A typical GoPro camera launch is much how you'd imagine it to be: Extreme sport athletes perform for the press at a beautiful outdoorsy location. But where I am today is not a typical GoPro launch. That won't happen for a few weeks yet, when CEO and Founder Nick Woodman will present the company's much-anticipated Karma drone to the world. Karma's reveal will be the climax to one of GoPro's most scrutinized business moves yet. After multiple delays and much investor speculation, it's important that GoPro get this one right.

The GEO system will also automatically update with temporary restrictions around wildfires so that drone pilots aren't interfering with firefighting aircraft. DJI announced in January that pilots would be able to unlock restricted areas with a verified account. This ensures that things like inspections and model aircraft shows can still take place, even in a typical no-fly zone. However, locations that could cause national security issues, like Washington, DC, will not be able to be unlocked. The improved GEO system is now available inside the DJI GO app for iOS and Android for use on all Inspire models and the Phantom 4, Phantom 3 Professional and Phantom 3 Advanced drones.

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has announced its first drone, pricing it significantly lower than a comparable model by the market leader DJI. The Mi Drone can stay airborne for nearly half an hour and will be sold with a choice of stabilised cameras. The move gives Xiaomi the chance to target a fast-growing market, at a time when it has failed to meet its own sales targets. One expert said the firm now had to win over potential buyers' trust. "The feature set between the Mi Drone and DJI's Phantom 3 is almost identical - they can both be made to return home and circle around a point of interest - but Xiaomi's product is so competitively priced you have to wonder if it can make much profit," Engadget's Chinese editor-in-chief Richard Lai told the BBC. "So, the new drone will probably appeal to beginners.

If there's a drone that can claim ownership of consumer airspace, it's DJI's Phantom. The company's white, 4K-camera-toting quadcopter is the Prius of the skies; hip, accessible, and ubiquitous. Automated flight features make it possible to fly places and get shots previous models could not. It's harder to crash into stuff, with is safer for you and for your wallet. Insanely fast sport mode is a ton of fun.