Drone News Roundup: AUVSI XPONENTIAL Just Around the Corner, Beautiful FPV Video, and More!

This week we’re covering the upcoming AUVSI XPONENTIAL conference, which will be held in Atlanta next month from August 16-19.

We’re also covering a beautiful FPV video that tells the story of a dandelion, Ehang’s firefighting drone passing a significant 10-month technical check, a Florida man who was arrested for shooting down a drone that belonged to the local Sheriff’s office, and a cop in Scotland who believed they were being chased by a drone that turned out to be the planet Jupiter.

Now let’s get to the links!

AUVSI XPONENTIAL Is Just Around the Corner

AUVSI’s annual XPONENTIAL conference is just around the corner. After hosting a completely virtual event last year due to the pandemic, this year the conference will be held in-person once again. The conference is taking place in Atlanta, Georgia from August 16-19, and will feature several special workshops in addition to the keynotes and talks that make up the event’s core offerings. Can’t attend in person? AUVSI will be offering content on demand, allowing people everywhere to stream the conference’s high quality talks and panels.

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Beautiful New FPV Drone Video Tells the Story of a Dandelion

Follow a dandelion seed as it floats through the air across vast distances in this creative new video shot with an FPV racing drone. According to its makers, the Russian song featured in the video is the “Russian equivalent of Louis Armstrong’s timeless What a Wonderful World,” which is also the title of the video. The video was shot in South Africa by drone pilot Platon Maksimov, and was directed by Alyosha Starodubov.

SEE MORE OF ALYOSHA’S WORK

Ehang’s Firefighting Drone Passes 10-month Technical Check

Despite the reports that Ehang was essentially a fraudulent business which came out earlier this year, the Chinese taxi drone company seems to be making strides towards actually launching a variety of unmanned passenger drones. Most recently, Ehang shared that it’s firefighting drone has passed a 10-month long technical review from China’s NFFE (National Fire-Fighting Equipment Quality Supervision Testing Center). The drone is designed to shoot water at large blazes—watch the video above to see this thing in action

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Florida Man Shoots Down Sheriff’s Drone While It’s Being Used to Investigate a Burglary

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A man in Florida recently shot down a drone owned by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, saying he thought the drone was sent to harass him. The drone was being used by deputies to investigate a possible burglary, flying over the area to collect more information. When the man heard the drone buzzing outside his house he quickly pulled out a .22 caliber rifle, went outside, and started shooting, taking the drone down and destroying it. He was arrested for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, improper exhibition of dangerous weapons, and shooting or throwing deadly missiles.

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Police Officer in Scotland Chased by Drone for Miles—Only to Realize It’s Not a Drone, but the Planet Jupiter

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A rookie police officer in Glasgow, Scotland recently believed she was being pursued for miles by a drone flying high in the night sky. After fleeing what she believed was a drone for some time she finally called the Police Scotland general complaints phone number and was met by a senior officer. When she pointed at the bright light in the sky, explaining that it had been following her and still was, they discovered that the light was not a drone but was, in fact, the planet Jupiter.

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