Drones

Haunting Drone Footage of Chernobyl Town

“Postcards from Pripyat, Chernobyl” shows a drone’s-eye view of the city nearly three decades after nuclear disaster

December 1, 2014

2014 Holiday Gift Guide

Eight Tech Gifts for Early Adopters

From a personal drone and a 3D printer to sleep and sport performance trackers, these gadgets will please the technophiles in your life

November 26, 2014

Cool Finds

DARPA Wants Flying Drone Carriers

Retrofitting big bombers into drone carriers could make Cold War tech more useful for modern warfare

November 11, 2014

Cool Finds

To Find Out How Healthy Whales Are, Send in the Drones

A custom-built drone got close enough to whales to capture individuals’ distinctive markings

October 21, 2014

Who Needs a Driver? These Navy Boats Are Programmed to Swarm Like Bees

Using algorithms based on the swarming behavior of ants and bees, the U.S. Navy is turning to driverless boats to protect its ships

October 14, 2014

Cool Finds

Here’s What Happens When a Hawk And a Drone Fight

This raptor was not ok with a quadcopter fronting on its turf

October 14, 2014

Cool Finds

This Drone Could Live on Your Wrist And Help You Take Selfies

Holding a camera at arms length is so passe

September 29, 2014

Trending Today

Who Can Use Drones This Week?

Movies and deliveries are moving on up, while fines and bans go into effect in parks

September 26, 2014

Google’s Delivery Drones Will Airlift Supplies Practically Anywhere

Project Wing, a development platform, completes test deliveries over Australia

September 5, 2014

Trending Today

This Is Why the Park Service Banned Drones—One Just Crashed Into a Famous Hot Spring

This is why we can’t have nice things

August 7, 2014

Cool Finds

There Have Been 418 Major Drone Crashes Since 2001, Many of Them in the United States

Even the military is having drone problems

June 26, 2014

Trending Today

Drones Are Now Banned From All National Parks

Drones are now prohibited in all national parks, not just Yosemite

June 23, 2014

Why Are People So Comfortable With Small Drones?

The FAA will soon allow commercial drones to fly in U.S. airspace, but researchers have found that they aren’t seen as much of a nuisance at all

June 2014

Future Is Here Festival

What Would You Do With A Drone?

As the potential drone applications grow, so does the build-your-own drone movement

May 17, 2014

Future Is Here Festival

Take a Peek Into the Future’s Present With Our Live Coverage of Smithsonian’s Two-Day Festival

The magazine’s 2nd annual conference brings together experts, authors and visionaries in the fields of science, science fiction and technology.

May 2014

Cool Finds

Small, Quiet Drones Let Conservationists Peek Inside Bird’s Nests

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is using remote-controlled drones to monitor nests of endangered species

May 14, 2014

Trending Today

Yosemite National Park Bans Drones

The Park says that the use of drones can disturb other visitors and wildlife

May 5, 2014

Cool Finds

Drone-Assisted Hunting Banned in Alaska

“Under hunting regulations, unless it specifically says that it’s illegal, you’re allowed to do it.”

March 25, 2014

Cool Finds

The FAA Ordered This Beer Drone Delivery Service to Cease And Desist

Commercial use of drones is banned—for now

March 18, 2014

The One Use of Drones Everyone Can Agree on, Except for Poachers

Conservationists are looking to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for help in keeping an eye on endangered species

March 13, 2014