Drone Safety Day is April 29, a drone that changes shape, jump-starting your car with a drone, Florida bans DJI from government agencies, decision-making for small UAVs, drones that work together without colliding, adding VTOL to a fixed-wing drone, agave farmers saving water, land a drone in Red Square.

Drone Safety Day is Saturday, April 29, 2023. The annual campaign is dedicated to educating the drone community on the importance of flying safely. You can download the 2023 Drone Safety Day Playbook and 2023 Drone Safety Day Flyer. You can also visit the Drone@Home page to find ideas to participate at home. Register your event.

University of Tokyo graduate students created drone prototypes that can rearrange into different structural shapes midair. The drones have individual segments with multi-axis gimbal systems. Each segment has its own propulsion unit, that can thrust in any direction. The drones can change their configuration to hold or move objects. They’ve also developed the SPIDAR quadruped robot that has joints in each leg and can fly.

This patent contemplates drones that assist motorists stranded with a dead battery. The Ford vehicle would transmit a “dead battery” signal and its location then a drone would fly to the vehicle, open the hood, connect to the battery, and jump-start the vehicle.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is forbidding government agencies from using drones manufactured by DJI. Only drones made by a small number of “approved manufacturers” can be purchased. Agencies have until January 1, 2023, to stop using drones not on the list. Many departments have already grounded their fleets. They told lawmakers that the Florida-approved drones are far more expensive and much less capable.

Sen. Tom Wright, R-New Smyrna Beach said, I’m not going to let one officer risk his life or her life because somebody thinks that these things talk to China. I cannot imagine what China would really want to see when we pull over a DUI, when we stop a speeding car, when we arrest somebody for an outstanding warrant.”

University of Notre Dame computer scientists and engineers are developing an automated decision-making system for small drones under a $5.3 million 3-year NASA grant. Notre Dame will enhance NASA’s current drone traffic management system and develop...