5 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Drones

Wes Davis
Wes Davis
Amazon’s drone delivery still hasn’t taken off.

This New York Times story catches up on Bezos’ now decade-old promise of ultra-fast airborne delivery. It’s not widespread yet, but there are people who can get it. Like smart homes and robot vacuums, the reality is less compelling than the vision.

Mr. Conner also ordered the free Skippy peanut butter but forgot to put out the landing target, so the drone went away. Then he ordered it again. Meanwhile, an Amazon delivery person showed up with the first jar. So now he and his wife, Belinda, have two jars.

Ford is testing drone deliveries at the derelict train station in Detroit it’s rehabbingFord is testing drone deliveries at the derelict train station in Detroit it’s rehabbing
Amazon plans to deploy delivery drones in the UK and Italy next yearAmazon plans to deploy delivery drones in the UK and Italy next year
The DJI Mini 4 Pro is the first mini with binocular vision in every directionThe DJI Mini 4 Pro is the first mini with binocular vision in every direction
Sean Hollister
Sean Hollister
PG&E can now fly drones without boots on the ground.

PG&E — not the most popular utility — can now just press a button to dispatch a self-flying Skydio X2 for inspections. It’s setting up automatic drone docks at 12 substations by end of year, and California will let the drones fly along power lines up to two miles away.

While the utility’s BVLOS waiver doesn’t seem to waive the need to have someone watching the drone from the ground, PG&E says it doesn’t need them.

Inspectors' Gadget: PG&E is First California Utility to Receive FAA Green Light for ‘Beyond Visual Line of Sight’

[pge4me]

Sean Hollister
Sean Hollister
Skydio’s drones do the things I want now they won’t sell to me.

Look, all I wanted was a self-flying drone that folds, doesn’t need good light to fly, with a real controller and a quality camera for, IDK, less than the price of a PC. Instead, Skydio conceded its entire consumer business to DJI and gave all its toys to the po-po.

The new X10 can apparently fly itself in total darkness. Damn am I jealous.

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
The FAA is pushing back its Remote ID compliance date for drones.

The FAA is extending its Remote ID requirement by six months. That means drone operators will have until March 16th, 2024, to add a module to their drones that broadcasts the device’s identity, location, and other information to agencies like the FAA and local law enforcement.

The FAA previously set a compliance date of September 16th, 2023. It notes that operators who don’t comply before the deadline could “face fines and suspension or revocation of pilot certificates.”

FAA Extends Remote ID Enforcement Date Six Months

[USDOT]

FAA clears UPS delivery drones for longer-range flightsFAA clears UPS delivery drones for longer-range flights
US military planning to fund fleets of ‘small, smart, cheap’ dronesUS military planning to fund fleets of ‘small, smart, cheap’ drones
Sony is making a $2,950 screenless, battery-less full-frame camera for dronesSony is making a $2,950 screenless, battery-less full-frame camera for drones
The NYPD will police Labor Day parties with surveillance dronesThe NYPD will police Labor Day parties with surveillance drones
Wes Davis
Wes Davis
“I’m flying off the wing of something that’s making its own decisions. And it’s not a human brain.”

...said an Air Force pilot quoted in a story about the challenges and realities of the Air Force’s Skyborg AI wingman program in The New York Times today.

It’s not quite that fake story about an AI drone killing its handler to circumvent its directives, but this passage tells a similar story about surprising, if less problematic, AI problem-solving:

In early tests, the autonomous drones already have shown that they will act in unusual ways, with the Valkyrie in one case going into a series of rolls. At first, Major Elder thought something was off, but it turned out that the software had determined that its infrared sensors could get a clearer picture if it did continuous flips.

Alphabet’s Wing partners with Walmart for drone deliveries in DallasAlphabet’s Wing partners with Walmart for drone deliveries in Dallas
Richard Lawler
Richard Lawler
This shouldn’t have to be said.

But...

Skydio is pivoting to enterprise — its consumer drones are deadSkydio is pivoting to enterprise — its consumer drones are dead
Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Amazon’s drone delivery operations lost two leaders in the past month.

Jim Mullin, Amazon Prime Air’s chief pilot, left Amazon last month, according to an update to his LinkedIn profile spotted by CNBC. Meanwhile, Robert Dreer, Prime Air’s head of test flight operations, announced his departure on LinkedIn last week.

Amazon has been struggling to get its drone delivery program off the ground. While the company projected it would send 10,000 deliveries by the end of this year, CNBC reported that it had only made 100 deliveries as of May.

Amazon Prime Air loses two key operations leaders, as drone delivery struggles continue

[CNBC]

Sean Hollister
Sean Hollister
The ACLU is warning of “an explosion in law enforcement use of drones.”

Today I learned one California police department freely shows you when, where, and why it flies surveillance drones over the city, so the public can sanity-check. But what about the other 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the USA?

Every city and state has to decide how much drone surveillance is appropriate, and the ACLU’s just-published overview of law enforcement drone surveillance fears can help bring you up to speed on the nuances.

Eye-in-the-Sky Policing Needs Strict Limits

[American Civil Liberties Union]

Vjeran Pavic
Vjeran Pavic
Some of my best drone footage so far.

OK, OK. I don’t want to brag. But the truth is that I was getting worried about how all my drone footage in my DJI Air 3 review was starting to become very one-dimensional.

Until one day, there was an intense passing storm, which resulted in some of the best clips I’ve ever gotten on a drone. Putting myself at risk for content every single day! Sort of.

Vjeran Pavic
Vjeran Pavic
Is drone innovation plateauing?

I was a little worried everyone would jump down my throat for this hot take, but I’ve been having a blast talking to other drone enthusiasts in the YouTube comments. Yes, YouTube comment section can sometimes be very productive.

Come hang! And tell me which drone you’re flying these days? Do you have a reason to upgrade?

The NYPD is testing drones that broadcast public safety warnings during emergenciesThe NYPD is testing drones that broadcast public safety warnings during emergencies
The DJI Air 3 could come with a dual-camera systemThe DJI Air 3 could come with a dual-camera system
Illinois now lets cops fly drones over events — but not with weapons or facial recognitionIllinois now lets cops fly drones over events — but not with weapons or facial recognition
Amazon Prime Air hoped for 10,000 drone deliveries this year — it’s only done 100Amazon Prime Air hoped for 10,000 drone deliveries this year — it’s only done 100
Vjeran Pavic
Vjeran Pavic
A flying 3x zoom lens is where it’s at!

I only received my review unit of the DJI Mavic 3 Pro Cine last night, but it didn’t stop me from catching some nice sunset clips to show you what all three lenses can capture. (Yes, “Mavic 3 Pro Cine” is a mouthful; this naming convention is getting out of hand!)

DJI’s new Mavic 3 Pro rocks three cameras instead of twoDJI’s new Mavic 3 Pro rocks three cameras instead of two
Umar Shakir
Umar Shakir
How about 20 minutes flight time instead of 12?

Sony just announced upgraded software and accessories for its $9,000 professional Airpeak S1 drone released in 2021.

The new, denser 3,938mAh battery packs ($400 each) enable the increased flight time, along with a new lighter-weight Gremsy gimbal ($4,000) that is designed for more accurate imaging in industrial applications. It works better with smaller lenses like the 24mm f/2.8 G.

And with Sony’s new RTK kit ($4,000) the Airpeak can be controlled more reliably and accurately, especially around areas of strong interference — think wind turbines. It also enables repeat missions with centimeter-accurate positioning compared to the previous meter-accurate GNSS system.

Sony’s fully decked-out Airpeak S1 with new RTK kit.
Sony’s fully decked-out Airpeak S1 with new RTK kit.
Image: Sony
DJI’s new Inspire 3 is a flying 8K movie-making camera under a powerful droneDJI’s new Inspire 3 is a flying 8K movie-making camera under a powerful drone
DJI’s feels-like-flying Avata drone gets comfier and cheaper with Integra gogglesDJI’s feels-like-flying Avata drone gets comfier and cheaper with Integra goggles
Pete Buttigieg still believes in smart cities

The US Department of Transportation is making a big bet on smart city technology with the release of $94.8 million in federal funding. But in an interview, Secretary Buttigieg warned that not every project ‘is going to prove out.’

Andrew J. Hawkins
Ikea adds stock-counting drones to more of its storesIkea adds stock-counting drones to more of its stores
Zipline’s new drones release tethered mini-drones for precision package deliveriesZipline’s new drones release tethered mini-drones for precision package deliveries
Wing’s new delivery network lets its drones deliver more with fewer stopsWing’s new delivery network lets its drones deliver more with fewer stops
DJI quietly discontinues its drone-detecting AeroScope systemDJI quietly discontinues its drone-detecting AeroScope system
Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
Birds aren’t real.

Satirical conspiracy theories aside, stuffed birds really are being turned into drones for surveillance purposes.

A team of researchers designed the “ornithopters” to resemble a flying bird in hopes they can be used to stealthily study wildlife — and maybe spy on people and foreign militaries. The team acknowledged to New Scientist that it should “look into research policies for dealing with dead birds before getting more ambitious,” though.

Amazon’s delivery drones served fewer than 10 houses in their first monthAmazon’s delivery drones served fewer than 10 houses in their first month
More details come out on which departments saw layoffs at Google, Microsoft, and AmazonMore details come out on which departments saw layoffs at Google, Microsoft, and Amazon
Maybe don’t stick flying bladed cameras in a movie star’s faceMaybe don’t stick flying bladed cameras in a movie star’s face
Sean Hollister
Sean Hollister
Skydio’s self-flying drones are getting a free update with panoramas, 360-degree photos, and sweeping gimbal rolls.

Originally announced in November, they’re instead rolling out this week with the 21.1.106 update. Check them out in the first third of the company’s “Enterprise Release Notes” video below.

Richard Lawler
Richard Lawler
Watch Amazon’s flying indoor security camera in action at CES 2023.

The Ring Always Home Cam promises to fly around your house to keep an eye on things from every angle, but it’s not ready for release just yet — and won’t come out this year.

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy got our first in-person look at the device, along with a lot of Amazon’s other upcoming smart home gear, at CES 2023 this week.

Amazon’s started to deliver orders by drones in California and TexasAmazon’s started to deliver orders by drones in California and Texas

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