Emerging Tech

Pentagon Wants More Money for Lasers To Defend Against Missiles, Drone Swarms

Directed-energy weapons are with a factor of two or three to being militarily useful, the Pentagon’s top scientist said.

Emerging Tech

These Drones Can Search and Rescue Without GPS

Traditional technologies don't always work in remote areas of the wilderness.

Cybersecurity

Border Agency Didn’t Secure Drone Surveillance Video, Photos for 2 Years

An auditor’s report found major security and privacy deficiencies in Customs and Border Protection’s drone surveillance program.

Emerging Tech

It’s Now Possible To Telepathically Communicate with a Drone Swarm

DARPA’s new research in brain-computer interfaces is allowing a pilot to control multiple simulated aircraft at once.

Emerging Tech

Forest Service Public-Private Partnership Explores Using Drones for Precision Pesticide Application

The group plans to award a sole-source contract to research whether unmanned aerial systems can spray in hard-to-reach places without disrupting nearby sensitive ecosystems.

Emerging Tech

Pilot-Optional Helicopters Could Be the Future of Fighting Wildfires

The Interior Department’s been working on a plan to expand its aerial firefighting efforts from daylight-only to a 24-hour cycle.

Emerging Tech

Ukraine Startup Building Drones with Grenade Launchers

A prototype Ukrainian drone has carries a grenade launcher. Still unclear: — how it’s going to get past Russia’s jammers.

Emerging Tech

America Is Not Ready for Exploding Drones

An apparent assassination attempt in Venezuela shows how technology is moving faster than governments can counter it.

Emerging Tech

Senators Want to Double Funding for Putting Commercial Drones in the Air

A bipartisan amendment would double 2019 funding for FAA’s efforts to integrate drones into national airspace.

Digital Government

China Won and America Lost on ZTE, but Our Offensive Cyber is Super Awesome

Lawmakers also introduced bills to protect against drones and make sure you get texts about incoming missiles in this week’s bill watch.

Emerging Tech

These Could Be the Medical Droids NIH is Looking For

The National Institutes of Health want to know if companies can supply autonomous delivery bots to safely and securely deliver medications.

Emerging Tech

The Pentagon Wants to Bring Mind-Controlled Tech To Troops

The Defense Department’s research arm is working on a project that connects human operators’ brains to the systems they’re controlling—and vice versa.

Cybersecurity

Hacker Caught Selling Maintenance Manuals for Military Drones

A poorly configured router allowed the theft of drone manuals, a list of maintainers, material on the Abrams tank, and more.

Emerging Tech

Scientists Built a Transforming Flying Robot Dragon

The aircraft actually solves a bunch of problems facing modern drones.

Emerging Tech

Someone Flew a Drone Too Close to a Wildfire, Again

Firefighters in Colorado had to ground their aircraft for an hour.