drone
Japan’s biggest drone maker sets its sights on the US
This week, ten-year-old drone company ACSL announced plans to enter the U.S. commercial drone market. The firm has already taken a sizable bite out of the market in its native Japan, with a certificat
DJI’s latest Mavic drone is a beast
DJI has spent the last several years doubling down on its imagining prowess — tripling down as it were, in this case. Makes sense. Aside from the underlying fun of flying these things around, al
Mapping drone startup Wingtra is charting a new future after landing $22M
Mapping drone startup Wingtra has raised a $22 million Series B to improve its current tech and add new features.
Skydio soars to a $2.2 billion valuation after raising $230M Series E
Drones are quickly becoming more than flying selfie cameras. Amid growing geopolitical tensions, drone makers are seeing increased demand and acceptance as drones move farther from consumers’ ha
Amazon previews its new delivery drone, the MK30
Following this morning’s debut of the Sparrow bin-picking robot, Amazon just unveiled MK30, the latest iteration of its delivery drone. The system is the successor to the MK27-2, which is set to deb
DJI’s latest Mavic drone starts at $1,469
Affordability is fairly malleable concept when it comes to consumer drones. We’ve seen plenty of systems positioned as affordable — or even cheap — over the years, but lowering the price point g
Looks like time is up for Snap’s Pixy drone
Snap may have flown a bit too close to the sun in its development of the palm-sized selfie drone, Pixy. Following a late-April announcement, the social media firm has already begun pumping the brakes
Amazon’s drone delivery is coming to Texas
Drone delivery deployment happens in fits and starts. There are, after all, a number of hurdles — both regulatory and residential — a company has to clear. That’s why all parties tend to
One size doesn’t fit all for Wing’s drone deliveries
For many, drone delivery has understandably felt like a fool’s errand. It’s a category clouded by regulator and logistical concerns, and one that’s often felt — at best — a long ways
Airrow is automating battery and payload swapping for drones
Any given year, the real unsung highlight of re:Mars are the dozen or so startups and researchers who show off their wares on the show floor. There are always a couple of cool projects that have someh
Wingcopter raises another $42M ahead of ambitious Africa deployment
In mid-May, Wingcopter announced an extremely ambitious plan to deploy some 12,000 of its fixed-wing UAVs in Sub-Saharan Africa over the next half decade. As far as drone delivery markets go, it certa
Impossible Mining is combing the seafloor for battery metals
Impossible Mining CEO Oliver Gunasekara pulled me aside at last week’s TechCrunch Climate event with a fascinating pitch. Turns out there are a lot of valuable metals on the ocean floor — material
Corvus is using drones to track warehouse inventory
Way back in August of last year, we highlighted the launch of Corvus Robotics in the Actuator newsletter. The Boston-based firm is one of a handful of startups looking to leverage indoor drones to hel
Amazon starting drone deliveries in California town later this year
Amazon today announced that Lockeford, California will be “among the first” locations in the U.S. getting access to the company’s burgeoning drone delivery, Prime Air. Lockeford is a small, cens
Walmart plans to expand drone delivery to six states this year
Drone delivery has been a long time coming, but its actual implementation has largely arrived in fits and starts. Some companies (Alphabet’s Wing) have made decent headway, while others (Amazon) hav
DJI’s entry-level Mini 3 Pro drone arrives priced at $669
Born as the Mavic Mini, back in late-2019, the Mini hits a nice sweet spot for casual drone flyers. It’s far more capable that the Spark — which, while fun, never nailed the landing. Instead o
DJI suspends sales in Ukraine and Russia
The Russia-Ukraine war is far from the first time DJI has has come under fire for policy decisions. But the Shenzhen-based drone giant is trying its best to stay away from any implication that it migh
Snap announces a mini drone called Pixy
Meet Pixy, Snap’s little flying companion. Pixy is a mini drone that can act as a camera sidekick when you can’t ask someone to take a video of you. It’s yellow, it’s cute and it’ll be avail
Alphabet’s Wing is bringing drone delivery to Texas this week
Wing this morning announced that it is adding Texas to its list of drone delivery markets. On April 7, the Alphabet-owned operation will be arriving in Frisco and Little Elm, a pair of towns in the Da
Flytrex expands drone delivery into Texas
We’re still very much in the baby steps of drone delivery, at the moment. It’s a category that’s seen both its share of setbacks (Amazon layoffs) and milestones (Wing’s 200,000th delivery). Un