Latest Drones Headlines
All the headlines from our Drones Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Insurer USAA Seeks OK to Test Drones for Claims Service
Oct 3 2014 // United Services Automobile Association (USAA), the insurer that specializes in coverage for military families, has filed for permission from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to use unmanned drone aircraft at...
NOAA Hopes Drones Get Data from Hurricane Edouard
Sep 18 2014 // U.S. government scientists are launching winged drones into Hurricane Edouard, hoping to collect data that could help forecasters understand what makes some storms strengthen into monsters while others fade away. This...
N.Y. Sen. Schumer Calls for Federal Rules on Private Drones
Aug 4 2014 // U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) says privately operated drone aircraft are posing a threat to safety and privacy and should be regulated by the federal government. The Democrat says New York has become “the wild...
Drone Nearly Blocks Firefighting Planes in California
Jul 30 2014 // A private drone trying to record footage of a Northern California wildfire nearly hindered efforts to attack the flames from the air, but firefighters made enough progress to allow most of the 1,200 people under evacuation...
FAA Drone Regulations Bar Hobbyists Near Airports, Crowds
Jun 24 2014 // To corral a surge in incidents of reckless, recreational drone use, the U.S. government barred flights of small unmanned aircraft near airports and crowds. People who want to fly drones as hobbyists should take lessons on...
National Parks Service Temporarily Bans Drones Over Its Lands, Waters
Jun 23 2014 // The National Park Service last Friday temporarily banned the launching, landing or operating unmanned aircraft or drones on lands and waters it administers. National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis said the ban...
UPDATE: Missing Malaysia Jet Search Likely to Take Years – US Official
Apr 25 2014 // The search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is likely to drag on for years, a senior U.S. defense official told Reuters on Friday, as an underwater search for any trace of the plane’s wreckage off west...
How Robots, Drones Are Transforming Mining and Mine Safety
Apr 4 2014 // Mines without miners? Not quite. Still, a technology boom in robots, drones, driverless trucks and pilotless trains is beginning to reshape one of the world’s most labor-intensive industries, portending automation of...
Colorado Town Puts Drone Hunting On Ballot
Apr 2 2014 // Voting is underway in a small Colorado community that wants to issue licenses to drone hunters. Deer Trail’s town clerk, Kim Oldfield, said voting was steady after polls opened at 7 a.m. Tuesday, and results are...
Mississippi Extends Trade Secret Protections for Research
Apr 1 2014 // Mississippi lawmakers have extended trade-secret protections to universities and community colleges by exempting materials tied to any commercial, scientific or technical research from the state’s Open Records Act...
North Carolina Report Outlines Government Use of Drones
Mar 11 2014 // State and local governments in North Carolina could use unmanned aircraft for law enforcement, hurricane recovery and monitoring wildlife, a new state report suggests. While the report issued by State Chief Information...
Judge’s Refusal to Fine Drone Operator Seen Spur to More Commercial Flying
Mar 10 2014 // A judge overturned a U.S. regulator’s first fine against a drone operator, a ruling that may lead to more commercial unmanned-aircraft flights in the U.S. before rules are written to govern their use. Judge Patrick...
The Future of Drones in the Insurance Industry
Mar 7 2014 // After a catastrophe hits, mobile units filled with adjusters are on site to evaluate property damage. Flash forward five years and an insured may never meet the property adjuster handling his or her claim. Instead, a drone...
Wake Forest Researchers Use Drone to Measure North Carolina Coal Ash Spill
Feb 27 2014 // A team of academic researchers equipped with a drone estimate that about 35 million gallons of coal ash and contaminated wastewater spilled into the Dan River earlier this month. Wake Forest University researchers released...
Georgia Lawmakers Eye Regulations for Drones
Feb 5 2014 // Georgia would take the first steps to regulating the use of drones through legislation under consideration in the General Assembly. Rep. Harry Geisinger, R-Roswell, has sponsored a bill that would provide for the lawful...
New Hampshire Bills Seek to Regulate Drones, Protect Citizens’ Privacy
Jan 27 2014 // New Hampshire could join more than a dozen other states in limiting government and public use of drones to protect citizens’ privacy. The House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee will hold hearings Thursday...
North Carolina Lawmakers Weigh Privacy Regulations for Drones
Jan 23 2014 // General Assembly members began learning more Tuesday about the emerging unmanned aircraft industry and are likely to debate soon what restrictions North Carolina could place on drones to protect people’s privacy. A...
Policing the ‘Dark Side’ of Internet of Things
Jan 13 2014 // The futuristic world of self-driving cars, eyeglasses that e-mail and trash cans that call for pickup is running into the old-fashioned pace of doing business in Washington. Companies from Google Inc. to Bayerische Motoren...
U.S. Opens Skies to Test Use of Aerial Drones
Dec 31 2013 // The U.S. government took a step on Monday toward opening the skies to aerial drones, authorizing six sites where unmanned aircraft can be tested for a variety of uses. The Federal Aviation Administration already had...
Conservative Oklahoma Lawmaker, ACLU Team Up on Privacy Rights
Feb 6 2013 // A conservative Oklahoma lawmaker and the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma are working together to advance legislation to privacy rights of Oklahomans in the face of rapidly advancing technology. State Rep. Paul...
