drone technology

Delta invests in Joby and home-to-airport drone service

Joby aircraft drone

Nobody likes a layover. Those hours spent at the airport would be better spent in Aruba, Jamaica or whatever destination you’re headed to.

But very soon there could be a different kind of connecting flight — one that you won’t want to pass up.

That’s because Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) on Tuesday announced a multiyear partnership with Joby Aviation Inc. (NYSE: JOBY), a Santa Cruz, California-based company that builds an autonomous, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) drone that has been...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/delta-invests-in-joby-and-home-to-airport-drone-service

Valqari acquires IDU Group in quest to build citywide drone networks

drone delivery

Plenty of companies are laser-focused on the last mile of delivery and its many pitfalls. Some are even honed in on the final hundred feet. 

But for a select few, the last mile is really a game of inches.

Valqari, a Chicago-based drone delivery startup, on Tuesday announced it had acquired Staffordshire, U.K.-based IDU Group, which builds drone infrastructure that can be installed from rooftops and the windows of buildings. Combined with Valqari’s drone landing stations and smart mailboxes, the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/valqari-acquires-idu-group-in-quest-to-build-citywide-drone-networks

American Robotics receives new waiver and exemption from FAA

American Robotics drone

Drones could soon be coming to your fleet.

Drone systems operator American Robotics, a subsidiary of Ondas Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: ONDS), on Wednesday announced that it received a new exemption from the Federal Aviation Administration that will allow it to operate commercial drone support services, like maintenance and inspections, with no limitations on use.

The company was also granted a Part 107 waiver for expanded operations beyond the pilot’s range of sight. With the FAA’s blessing, its...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/american-robotics-receives-new-waiver-and-exemption-from-faa

Ranking the best (and worst) states for drone delivery in 2022

drone delivery

Amazon. Alphabet. UPS. Walmart. CVS. These companies have something in common besides being among the most recognizable brands in the U.S.: All are either building or using delivery drones, or both.

According to a recent Technavio report, the market for drone delivery will balloon to $13.5 billion worldwide by 2026. North America, with the U.S. as its key market, is expected to drive 56% of that growth. But some parts of the country may grab a bigger share than others. 

In its third annual “Is...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/ranking-the-best-and-worst-states-for-drone-delivery-in-2022

A2Z Drone Delivery rolls out new cargo drone and shipment system

A2Z delivery drone RDST RDS2

Los Angeles-based A2Z Drone Delivery on Monday introduced a new cargo drone and delivery system that it says will provide the largest payload of any tethered delivery system on the market. 

Often, drones use tethers or winches to lower packages to the ground from altitude. Making deliveries from up high is an attractive proposition for many drone firms, as it makes it less likely that they will need to contend with regulations around noise and privacy. Companies that use a tethered system...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/a2z-drone-delivery-rolls-out-new-cargo-drone-and-shipment-system

The world’s first smart mailbox is ready for drone deliveries

DroneDek smart mailbox

The iPhone has quickly become one of the most ubiquitous products in history, right up there with the lightbulb and gas-powered car.

It’s a short list. But Dan O’Toole thinks his smart mailbox could make the cut.

“You take a picture of your family right now and everybody’s on their iPhone — nobody’s looking at the camera, right? This has the ability to insinuate itself into the fabric of our lives every day in the same way that the iPhone has,” O’Toole, the CEO of DroneDek, told Modern Shipper in...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/the-worlds-first-smart-mailbox-is-ready-for-drone-deliveries

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