California Utilities Hope Drones, AI Will Lower Risk of Future Wildfires

Small group of firefighters battling an out of control wildfire on a hillside, north of Los Angeles, with electrical pylon in background.

As California copes with one of its worst wildfire seasons on record, PG&E Corp. and other major utility companies are investigating how artificial intelligence might reduce the risk of future conflagrations. Current fires have spurred evacuation orders in California, Oregon and Washington and darkened skies in the San Francisco area. In California, fires have burned… Continue reading California Utilities Hope Drones, AI Will Lower Risk of Future Wildfires

Failure of Anti-Drone Tests Exposes U.S. Airport Vulnerability

U.S. airports may be just as vulnerable as London’s Gatwick airport to the kind of illegal drone incursions that shut down the U.K.’s second-busiest hub this week. Counter-drone technology performed so poorly in U.S. government tests in recent years that the systems couldn’t reliably identify rogue unmanned aircraft, casting doubts on whether there’s a viable… Continue reading Failure of Anti-Drone Tests Exposes U.S. Airport Vulnerability

FAA Approves State Farm’s Use of Drones to Assess Hurricane Damage

Trees felt over houses by strong wind, natural disaster theme

Insurer State Farm will be allowed to operate small, foam, fixed-wing drones to assess damage from Hurricane Florence across four states, after the Federal Aviation Administration deemed its aircrafts safe enough to do so, according to Bloomberg. The company will use eBee drones, manufactured by the SenseFly subsidiary of drone company Parrot. The unmanned aerial… Continue reading FAA Approves State Farm’s Use of Drones to Assess Hurricane Damage