Drone News Roundup: Mind Blowing BASE Jump Off 77-Story Building, Thieves Caught by Thermal Drone, and More!
BY Zacc Dukowitz
21 December 2023This week we’re covering an insane BASE jump that starts with wakeboarding across a pool at the top of a skyscraper—you have to see this to believe it.
We’re also covering police using a thermal drone to catch suspected thieves in Ohio, Tesla’s use of drones for warehouse inventory work at its Giga Berlin factory, guidance from the FAA on what to do if you receive a drone as a present this holiday season, and the MassDOT’s new waiver to use drones BVLOS in long-range railway inspections.
Now on to the links!
Wakeskating into a BASE Jump Off a 77-Story Building
This is one of the most amazing and scary videos we’ve seen in a while. The video features Brian Grubb, a world-champion wakeskater, being pulled by a drone as he rides a wakeboard across an infinity pool at the top of a skyscraper. (The footage of him doing this is also shot by a drone.) Just riding a wakeboard at that height is pretty hair-raising to watch. But then you realize he’s heading toward a ramp—and he’s going off the building. Wakeskating is a newer sport in which people ride wakeboards without bindings, just like you ride a skateboard, except that you’re on water, and Grubb is a three-time world champion. Watch the video to see Grubb wakeskate into a jump off a 77-story building, parachuting down to land safely on a sandy beach.
LEARN MORE
Police Use Autel Thermal Drone to Catch Thieves at Night
Police in Miami Valley, Ohio recently used a drone to catch thieves hiding in the dark near a Walmart. The two suspects had reportedly been seen shoplifting from the store, and took off running after being asked to stop. They ducked into a heavily wooded area, where they would have been hard to spot with the naked eye. But using a thermal drone from Autel, police were quickly able to find the suspects by looking for their heat signatures. Miami Valley police have previously used their thermal drone to catch a thief hiding in a manhole. So far this year the police department has deployed its drones over 100 times.
LEARN MORE
Drones Used by Tesla for Autonomous Warehouse Inventory Work
Welcome Pathfinder and Opportunity, our fully autonomous drones at Giga Berlin. They accurately count up to 12.000 pallets a day – each! pic.twitter.com/L9atb5NNWU
— Tesla Manufacturing (@gigafactories) December 6, 2023
Tesla has found a way to make inventory management autonomous at its Giga Berlin factory. Using two tethered drones that have been affectionately named Pathfinder and Opportunity—NASA’s famous Mars spaceships—factory personnel have been able to automate pallet counting, a key part of warehouse logistics. As you can see in the post above, the drones can each count up to 12,000 pallets a day. Tesla has said that it is manufacturing these drones, but it looks like the ones in the pictures above were actually made by a company called inventAIRy XL by RAWview.
LEARN MORE
FAA Shares Guidance for Those Receiving New Drones as Holiday Presents
Just got a drone as a present? Watch this video from the FAA on what to do to get started with flying your drones, including:
- Registering your drone
- Displaying your FAA-issued registration number on your drone
- Taking the TRUST (if you plan to fly for fun)
- Taking the Part 107 test (if you plan to fly for work)
Keep in mind that the actions required will be different depending on whether you plan to fly for fun, as a recreational flyer, or for work, as a commercial drone pilot. Watch the video above to get the FAA’s guidance, and follow the link below to see our longer guide on what to do when you get a drone as a present.
LEARN MORE
MassDOT BVLOS Waiver Could Provide Model for the Future of Long-Range Inspections
MassDOT officials have secured a waiver from the FAA to use drones for railway inspections over long distances. The waiver allows its pilots to fly BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight), letting them to do inspections over the lengthy distances these rail networks cover, which span over 1,000 miles. Things inspectors look for in rail inspections include vegetation encroachment, flooding, and storm damage, helping improve safety for those riding on the rails. Using these new permissions, MassDOT will be looking into how it can create “highways in the sky,” providing a potential model for other long-range BVLOS drone operations.
LEARN MORE
Make sure to sign up for our free weekly newsletter using the button below so you can get our weekly newsletter every Saturday, with this roundup and our other featured stories from the week.
