Earthquakes, floods, hurricanes—natural disasters can devastate many lives. According to Purdue University, drone assistance during these events is still at its beginning stages, with many obstacles on the horizon until they reach their full life-saving potential. A Purdue team, led by professors in aeronautics and astronautics Shaoshuai Mou and Dan DeLaurentis, is hard at work…
Tracking Cattle Across Australia’s Farmland
Founded in May 2017, mOOvement is a company that has tracked cattle across the farms of Australia with their own GPS Ear Tag. The system enables farmers to keep tabs on their cattle herds, stay up to date on grazing patterns, and know when an animal has stopped moving. The tag attaches to a cattle’s…
Ford Creates a Self-Braking Shopping Cart
Ford has developed a prototype shopping cart that brakes all on its own, called the “Self-Braking Trolley,” which takes a page from vehicle technology that helps drivers avoid obstacles. In particular, the company used their pre-collision assist tech, found in most Ford car models, as inspiration. The system detects other vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists while…
Drone Delivery Company Wing Receives FAA Approval in the U.S.
Wing, a division of Google’s parent company Alphabet, became the first drone delivery company to receive Air Carrier Certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This steps means Wing can bring its commercial drone delivery service to U.S. homes and local businesses, and its first delivery trial is slated to begin later this year in Virginia.…
This Is What an Autonomous Ride in a Tesla Model 3 Looks Like
Tesla held a presentation for investors, dubbed Autonomy Day, Monday, April 22. The company dropped a lot of information at the event, including its dual redundant full self-driving (FSD) computer, a custom chip that will run the self-diving car software. Elon Musk said at the event, “How could it be that Tesla, who has never…
Marine Skin Tracks Deep-Diving Sea Creatures
Researchers at KAUST have made some notable improvements to an electronic tag called Marine Skin. Built from a thin, lightweight, flexible polymer-based material, the tag monitors the movements and diving behavior of marine animals, and the surrounding conditions of the water, such as temperature and salinity. Earlier versions of the design showed promise during tests…
ABN Now: Satellites and the 5G Revolution
There’s always something cool and exciting to learn about in the world of tech, and now there’s a new, fun way to digest all the latest content. ABN Now is an original news video platform that reports on the top stories in the innovation, discovery, design, manufacturing, and distribution spaces. The latest episode’s design segment…
Drone Uses Insect-Inspired Arm to Brave Harsh Winds
When the winds start to howl, most drones will have a hard time maintaining their balance, except Purdue University’s patented design. “Our drone design was inspired by the wings and flight patterns of insects,” says Xiumin Diao, an assistant professor in Purdue’s School of Engineering Technology. “We created a drone design with automatic folding arms…
Rega’s Air Rescue Autonomous Drone May Soon Save the Lives of Missing People
Rega, an air rescue organization based in Switzerland, has announced an autonomous drone that will help with search and rescue missions. The Rega drone uses its three rotor blades with a diameter of more than 2 m, to fly at an altitude of 80-100 m. Satellite navigation and a predefined route bolster its effort to…
Tech Disguises Itself as a Bird Egg to Spy on Whooping Cranes
The whooping cranes are the tallest birds in North America, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The rare birds dropped to a population of just 14 in 1941, and although numbers have increased to around 600, they’re still an endangered species. To help increase the whooping crane’s survival, Louisiana wildlife biologists have devised…