New lithium metal batteries offer the prospect of greater capacity. Also, Parrot’s Anafi Thermal drone, a quadcopter over the Boston Red Sox, drones for sugarcane agriculture, the role of drones during the Notre Dame fire, parts delivery by drone for manufacturing, and indigenous people use drones to assert territory rights.

UAV NewsLithium-Ion Batteries Aren’t Good Enough for Electric Flight. But Maybe Lithium-Metal Is.

Cuberg says, “The Future of Batteries Is Here” and they have developed a lithium metal battery they say offers real advantages over Lithium-ion batteries. The California-based startup is backed by Boeing, venture capitalists, and the U.S. Department of Energy. A proprietary non-flammable electrolyte allows for higher energy density materials.

‪The Parrot Anafi Thermal drone captures heat signatures on a lightweight body

The Anafi Thermal drone from Parrot includes a FLIR thermal sensor in addition to the 4K HDR camera. Both are on the same gimbal and can capture heat images on still photos and video. The thermal image can be merged with the video image.

Video: GearBrain: Parrot Anafi Thermal drone for professionals

FAA probes drone sighting over baseball game at Boston’s Fenway Park

A drone looking like a DJI Phantom flew over a major league baseball game in Boston. DJI said, “Whoever flew this drone over the stadium apparently overrode our geofencing system and deliberately violated the FAA temporary flight restriction in place over the game.” The incident was reported to the Boston Police Department for investigation.

Boston CBS affiliate WBZ has footage: Drone Flies Over Fenway Park During Red Sox Game.

Police identify juvenile who flew drone at Fenway Park during Red Sox game

A joint investigation by the Boston Police, Massachusets State Police, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office, and the FAA led to the identification of an unnamed juvenile responsible for the drone flight.

Using Drones for Sugarcane Agriculture

The Brazilian National Institute for Space Research–Remote Sensing Division is studying sugarcane yield reduction caused by invasive weeds such as Bermuda grass. UAVs with sensors can be used to monitor weeds, but sugarcane and Bermuda grass are spectrally similar. The research team described how texture features could overcome this limitation.

How French firefighters used drones to tackle the Notre Dame blaze

In combating the fire at Notre Dame de Paris, firefighters borrowed DJI drones from the culture and interior ministries. A Mavic Pro and a Matrice M210 with thermal cameras helped track the spread of the fire and provide information on how to best position fire hoses.

‪Aeroplane seat manufacturer deploys drones to keep production line moving

Collins Aerospace is using drones to transport parts from a storage center to the production line in order to increase efficiency and productivity.

Collins Aerospace unveils plans to redefine the future of electric flight with “The Grid,” the most advanced electric power systems lab in the industry

The Grid will be a 25,000-square-foot advanced electric power systems lab in Rockford, Illinois. Collins Aerospace intends to design and test systems like high-power generators for the next generation of more electric aircraft, including commercial, military, business aviation, UAV, and urban air mobility platforms. The Grid will support a hybrid-electric flight demonstrator project. Collins Aerospace expects the lab to be complete and fully operational by 2021.

How Drones and GPS Are Helping Indigenous People in Ecuador Save the Amazon

Indigenous people in Ecuador have been using technology to map their territory in the Amazon rainforest. “…marginalized communities around the world have begun to use new technologies to create their own maps and thereby demonstrate their deep local knowledge of their territories, which can help in their fight for land rights. The Cofan used a drone, hidden cameras, and GPS devices to track illegal activity by miners.

UAV Conference

Defence IQ’s Countering Drones Conference 2019 will be held July 9-11, 2019 at the Hilton London Olympia to discuss the key issues surrounding threat, risk, resilience, technology and incident response. Participants will get an understanding of what future drone threats look like and how to prepare for them, how to respond effectively to drone disruptions, how to protect your organization more cost-effectively, influencing future policy and demonstrating thought leadership by contributing to discussions with key industry experts.