Drone News Roundup: Drone Video of Guatemala Volcano Erupting, Drone Photography 101, and More!
BY Zacc Dukowitz
30 March 2023This week we’re covering close up drone footage of a volcano erupting in Guatemala, shot near enough that you can see ashes hit the camera lens as they spread through the sky.
We’re also covering a new video made to help you get started with drone photography, IKEA’s growing use of drones for stock inventory, a partnership between DroneUp and Embry-Riddle University to help people with UAS degrees get jobs in the drone industry, and Wingtra raising $22 million in a recent fundraising round.
Now let’s get to those links!
Close Up Drone Footage of Volcano Erupting in Guatemala
Volcán Fuego has been active since 2002. The volcano stands on the outskirts of the city of Antigua, Guatemala’s capital, and in 2018 its massive eruptions covered the city in ash, leading to the rushed evacuation of everyone in the area. This drone footage of the volcano was shot within the last few weeks, and captures the sheer power of its eruptions. Even in daylight, we can see just how much smoke and debris is scattered as it blasts out into the sky. The drone was flying so near the eruption that ash sprayed across its lens, making it clear how close it was to being taken down by the explosion.
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Drone Photography 101
Want to get into drone photography, but don’t know where to begin? We’ve created this introductory video to help you get started. The video was made to be a comprehensive beginner’s guide to drone photography, covering everything you need to know to take stunning aerial photos with your drone. In the video we cover things like how to master your camera settings, how to use gimbal movements effectively, and whether to use manual or auto focus. If you’re new to drone photography this video will help you get started. And if you’ve already been doing drone photography for a while, the video could be a useful refresher.
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IKEA Is Using 100 Drones to Count Stock at Several Retail Stores
IKEA is using autonomous drones in its stores to count stock. And this isn’t just an experiment—at the moment, 100 drones are being used in IKEA stores during off hours to improve stock accuracy and secure availability of its products, both for online and for in-person sales. The drones and logistics system that IKEA is using come from Verity, one of the top manufacturers of drones for warehouse logistics. According to Ingka, the company that owns the majority of IKEA stores, it is the first retailer to use drones successfully at scale for stock inventory.
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DroneUp Partners with Embry-Riddle to Launch Career Program
DroneUp and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University recently announced a partnership on a program aimed at engaging students with UAS-related degrees. Called the DroneUp Talent Pathway Program, the goal of the initiative is to get recent graduates on a path to actually working in the drone industry. But the program isn’t solely focused on drone pilots. The pathway program will cast a broad net when it comes to the types of careers it helps nurture, focusing on flight engineers, computer programmers, and drone operators, as well as other roles relevant to the UAS space.
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Wingtra Raises $22 Million
Credit: Wingtra
Over the last several years, Swiss-based Wingtra has established itself as one of the top surveying and mapping drone companies in the world. Its drones are used by NASA, the Army Corps of Engineers, and hundreds of mapping and surveying professionals every day. Now it can add another accolade to the list—the company just completed a Series B round of funding that brought in an impressive $22 million in new funding. The new funding brings the company’s total amount raised up to $41 million. In the world of drone startups, these are significant numbers, indicating a solid future for the company and, as a secondary consideration, a bright outlook for drone hardware companies in general—if you’re one of the top manufacturers in your niche, of course.
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